I was an early devotee of Lambchop, and although I was still listening to their albums I hadn't seen them live since the glossy Nixon tour. Then I caught the end of their set at Benicassim and I was curious to see them in full, so to speak.
They may not have the horn and string sections of the Nixon tour but there are still 10 of them and they come across as having fun playing as a unit. In fact this is the last night of the tour and although they seem tired, they're also laughing and joking with the crowd, getting bought Guinness by keen audience members, and after the two-hour show is over they hang about and chat to people like they don't want to go home.
This gig felt a bit like seeing the return of an old friend, it didn't matter what they played it was just great to see them in such good form. They do concentrate a lot on the rambling recent double album, with precious little from 'Nixon' or 'Is A Woman'. Kurt Wagner doesn't say a whole lot, instead leaving the introductions and jokes to sidekick Mark at the grand piano. [For people who know this venue it was impressive enough to get 10 people on the stage, never mind a grand piano!]
They revisit some very old material as well. The lovely 'Cowboy on the Moon' and 'Betweenmus' from the first album, and their very first single - the one that goes 'I'm a moody fucker'. Over the course of the set they transcend the lazy alt.country tag that follows them around. Much like American Music Club they work country, soul and A LOT of indie-punk into their music. My highlight is their version of the East River Pipe song they recorded for 'Thriller'. And yes, they did play the Stranglers song 'Grip' just like when I saw them in Spain. Just great really.

LAMBCHOP (with string orchestra) + MORCHEEBA (acoustic)
London Royal Festival Hall 23nd September 2000
Lambchop's standing in this country is perhaps indicated by the suprise guests tonight. Morcheeba can happily play three nights at the Shepherds Bush Empire, but tonight they lend their services by way of an acoustic supporting slot to Kurt Wagner's merry band. It sort of makes sense when you realise that both of these bands are deeply traditional but tend to embrace a huge range of influences. For this show, Morcheeba have left behind the experimental dance edge to their music to concentrate on the mellower, atmospheric side. The only album I know of theirs is 'Big Calm' so it's fortunate for me that they include a lot of material from it - the likes of 'Part of the Process', 'The Sea', 'Blindfold' all work very well with the minimal line-up.
However, this is Lambchop's evening and they are clearly determined to outdo both of their previous visits to London. The full twelve piece band is present for the first half of the evening, and later they are joined by a full string section, bringing the total number on stage to twenty! They ease us in gently with a lot of material that has been written since the release of 'Nixon'. It carries on in the same countrified soul vein as their last few albums, so clearly another treat is in store when this stuff emerges next year. Kurt and the rest seem a bit daunted by the size of this venue and it takes a while for them to settle into their stride, but by the time the celebratory gospel and soul of 'Up With People' brings the first half to a close they've made the Royal Festival Hall seem a little bit more intimate.
The second half is a bit of a tour de force with the strings coming to the fore. At times it gets a bit Radio 2 and schmaltzy but maybe that's the point. I thought it was kind of cool that for every sweeping string intro (for example 'Nashville Parent') Kurt lyrics balance it out with a healthy dose of realism. Radio 2 with swearing if you like! 'The Book I Haven't Read' and their beautiful early song 'The One' pack a big emotional punch, and the likes of 'What Else Could It Be' and the closing Curtis Mayfield cover 'Give Me Your Love' raise the funk/ soul quotient to the max. Perhaps not as intimate as their Electric Ballroom show a couple of years ago but still pretty fabulous nonetheless.
(8/10)