Review: An Intimate Evening With John Bramwell, Kula Productions, Frazer Theatre, Knaresborugh (From York Press)

Review: An Intimate Evening With John Bramwell, Kula Productions, Frazer Theatre, Knaresborugh

9:19am Tuesday 31st July 2012 in Music news and reviews By Charles Hutchinson

LIKE Nigel Burnham at The Band Room, Low Mill and Please Please You promoter Joe Coates in York, Knaresborough’s Kula Productions quietly go about their business, bringing Julian Cope and Nick Lowe to Harrogate Theatre and now I Am Kloot front man John Bramwell to the Frazer Theatre.

The prospect of An Intimate Evening with Bramwell drew a full house, and intimate it was, Bramwell saying he was feeling a little heavy stomached from his curry supper and later revealing he was letting his greying thicket of hair grow out of shape.

His two acoustic sets were similarly casual, from the opening moment Bramwell had to go looking for his guitar lead, egged on by an audience wag shouting out “Behind you”.

Bramwell was not to be outwitted all night; that is one of the key traits of the Hyde songwriter, who was the essence of cult until fifth album Sky At Night brought Kloot a Mercury nomination.

He has a “musician of the people” demeanour about him – as he rests one leg on a milk crate – that has Bramwell gig regulars feeling at liberty to shout “Go on, Johnny”.

And go on Johnny, he did, hurling himself into lyrics pitched between Morrissey and Nick Drake, sung with an emotional tug that loosened grown, tattooed men into echoing his every word.

They had some new ones to contemplate too, more songs of earthly truths with heavenly melodies.