Music is an art, an expression of human emotions, an interaction between the performer and the listener. Additionally, songs are like paintings that tell a tale; the colours are the sounds, the frame is the story, the paintbrush is the instrument and the artist is the songwriter. Folk/rock/grunge/techno/pop singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur combines both imagery and feeling in his music, blending painfully honest lyrics and beautiful music, with expressive paintings. In this performance at the Sugarmill in Stoke, which I went to see on Wednesday 22nd February 2006, I witnessed an artist of incredible raw and creative talent.At 6:30pm I found my way to the entrance door of the Sugarmill, after a short 10 minute walk from my house. Being probably the first to arrive, I walked from the numbing cold into The Stage Door (not literally… it’s a pub right next door to the venue) and familiarised myself with my shiny Canon Ixus 50 before I began using it during the gig (I could never get the right exposure in gigs, but I think I found the right settings this time). After containing my excitement after a pint of Strongbow, I waddled over to the entrance and made my way in. The Sugarmill is a very small venue in Stoke-on-trent that lands some exciting old and new bands from the underground scene such as Dirty Pretty Things and Futureheads (slightly too small for them), and in the past, have hosted the likes of Coldplay, Muse, The Coral, Ash, and Grandaddy & Hope of the States (in one night!). After a heavy influx of Metal bands over the few days, tonight was going to need a rest from the noise, and who better than Mr. Arthur to take the stage.
The show began very intimately, with the entrance of Jeff Klein at 8:15pm. His set was a shower of emotionally-charged songs all on acoustic-guitar and voice. I felt he showed a lot of talent and seemed like a suitable performer to precede Joseph Arthur, as I thought he sounded very similar. Then at 9:30 came the moment of truth. You could feel a tension in the air, a sense of intrigue and excitement. I think the fairy lights on the stage creating a luminous glow on the stage provided some of the more mystical and romantic moments. Other than the focus being on Joseph Arthur, his female companion/helper person began setting up a white board and some paints just before the set, which became something of a centrepiece later in the evening. A big cheer and whistles are heard when he makes his way to the back of the stage (although it’s not really that big), and begins to paint a picture on the white canvas: An image of a face, almost skeleton-like. I figure he’s going to finish it later. He then staggers to the front like a drunk Stoke City fan with a Theremin making noises through the microphone and adjusting buttons on his many pedals and buttons. Being right at the front, I’m so close I could push him over.Arthur’s live performances are remembered for his keen use of multi-tracking guitar and vocals. His use of implanting this technique into a live environment is impressive to say the least. Is Technology taking over? It certainly branches an infinite number of possibilities for musical ideas. Arthur's a fine songwriter, although his reliance on repeated motifs grows tiresome after a while, but the effect is pulled off, particularly in ‘Can’t Exist’, where he loops the lyric “I will wait for your Brother, I will wait for your Sister”. This was my favourite song on the night, followed closely by ‘Honey and the Moon’. He also played probably his most famous song ‘In the Sun’, with Chris Martin of Coldplay calling this, "The greatest song ever written". Some big shoes to fill but I do believe Joseph Arthur has the potential to become a very popular and successful artist. His music and artwork will continue to keep our faith in knowing that there will be more to look forward to in the future.
The atmosphere that acoustic gigs create is genuinely raw and emotive. Despite the lack of noise, the performer provides an emotional connection with the audience. At one point in the middle of his set, Arthur loops a lush guitar motif and begins singing a reflective song ‘Failure’ while finishing his painting by slapping a few slobs of red and blue here and there wherever his feelings took him, eventually producing an expressive portrait of a woman’s face in the style of abstract art. His feelings intensified when he suddenly and unexpectedly clobbers the microphone on the floor in a ferocious rage and reels off the stage in front of a shocked crowd (or was it just me?). Rock n roll. After some glimpses of confusion around the audience, Arthur makes his way back on stage and without hesitation continues his set. He picks up his graffitied hippy-style guitar that matches his shirt and returns to multi-tracking guitar and vocals. He colours his music by his magnificent voice, bearing his soul in front of an intimate crowd of 200 dark-clothed folk (mostly female art students); I felt I was a little too colourful on the night with my green Sufjan Stevens t-shirt.
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Discovered by Peter Gabriel in the early 90’s, Joseph Arthur (born in Ohio, Texas) follows his mentor’s footsteps with tunes that follow a variety of styles, layers, distorted sounds, melodies and beats. His music can be funky like Beck, soft and melancholic like Simon & Garfunkel, strummed-out Bob Dylan-style accompanied with his harmonica, or hard-hitting chorus-chanting like Radiohead. I think he’s a very versatile musician with some hard-hitting lyrics and melodies, but he just needs some more stand-out tunes. He is a genius though, and I’d never give up the opportunity to see him again… with a band perhaps? Even without a band, Joseph Arthur as a solo performer is captivating through his performance and artwork. There aren’t many musicians that have such as heart full of emotion, ambition and natural talent. Here begins the war between art and commerce…
“This years best singer/song-writer has arrived” –Q Magazine
Joseph Arthur is currently on tour in the UK. His latest album ‘Our Shadows Will Remain’ (2005) is available here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009U5628/qid=1141006012/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/203-3011005-4435148
