Music / music
Review: Shawn Smith, The Tunnels
The lights were subdued, colourful flowers hung from the ceiling and garlands of magical bulbs travelled across the stage. The Tunnels turned into a warm, glowing wonderland on Friday night to host the great artist that is Shawn Smith. Only a piano and an acoustic guitar waited patiently for the man claimed as one of the best vocalists of all time, but despite this intimidating heraldry, Smith seemed humble, writing notes at a table in the waiting area before the show.
The watchword of the gig was intimacy. With Smith alone on the stage and his voice and his fingers brushing the keys as his only weapons, the audience could exploit the cosiness to get into the artist’s innermost thoughts. Smith rightly requested for the bar music to be turned off, although some people in the audience continued to talk very loudly even during his most dulcet moments, which eventually got them a well-deserved cutting remark from Smith. Silence and respect were needed for this emotional ride, which was also the first show of his Out of the Shadows Tour in the UK.
The setlist was an interesting concoction of songs from his solo repertoire, compositions from his bands Satchel, Brad (a collaboration with Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam), and various covers. Shawn Smith is musical chameleon who has been involved in many different projects throughout the years. His fear of becoming complacent about music led him to record thirty-five albums in twenty-three years. Smith started the set with Satchel’s Time O’ The Year, immediately converting the audience to loving disciples with his beautiful voice. The crowd was mesmerised by his vocal capabilities, his deep and moving lyrics and his ability to upgrade the piano from a simple accompaniment to a voice in itself. In fact, the voice and the piano kept responding to each other and at times, they were even merging, working together towards a perfect balance. Shawn Smith didn’t waste any time with in-between songs’ anecdotes and moved on with Screen, a Brad song that mixes quiet verses with a loud chorus, echoing the darkness around. But when Smith sang Wrapped in My Memory, a solo composition known for featuring in television show The Sopranos, the hypnotised audience’s emotional state started to degenerate. Sniffing noises replaced the previous hubbub of excited chatter.
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Shawn Smith continued with Brad’s Brothers and Sisters, a beautiful song calling people to unite to create a “better world for the children to play.” Without any interruptions, he went on with the well-known and mind-blowing Buttercup. Smith then abandoned his beloved piano for a couple of songs on the acoustic guitar. Ignoring someone in the audience asking for a particular song, he performed Sometimes it Snows in April, a touching ballad composed by one of his favourite artists and biggest influence, Prince. The night became more and more emotional and Smith joked: “I apologise because all my songs are about death! That is all I do, death, death, lunch, shower and death again.” He then covered an upbeat and bluesy version of Mother Love Bone’s Crown of Thorns, before exiting the stage then coming back for an encore composed of a powerful cover of Prince’s Purple Rain.
Friday night Shawn Smith took us on a journey through his career with subtlety and brilliance. Even when he couldn’t remember the first notes of a song and expressed his frustration with a few cuss words, his greatness as an artist wasn’t diminished – quite the opposite, it made him human, just like the rest of us. The flow of emotions was palpable as people were making their way to the door after the set. We all left with heavy hearts and beautiful music in our heads.
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