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Review: 'Dan Baird & Homemade Sin'
'Live at St Pancras Old Church, St Pancras.'   


-  Genre: 'Rock' -  Release Date: '3.12.14.'

Our Rating:
Dan Baird & Homemade Sin Live at St Pancras Old Church 3.12.14.

I don't often go and see bands twice in a week very often anymore but I couldn't resist the chance to see Dan Baird and Homemade Sin playing a concert in St Pancras Old Church and as with every gig I review from this incredibly historic old church built on the site of the Roman Temple here is the link to the campaign to help save the church please donate here http://sosstpancras.org/.

This show had sold out many weeks in advance and we made sure to get in early to make sure we got a pew and even arriving at about 7.50 we just managed to get the last 2 available seats in the third pew. Well the very fact this was going to be an acoustic show made this a very different show to every other show Homemade Sin have played as they don't do acoustic gigs normally. Dan and Warner would both also be playing borrowed acoustics that they had persuaded Ian Hunter to lend them for the gig.

The show opened with the right Reverend Dan Baird giving a very short Eulogy to former band mate Bobby Keys and explaining to anyone who hadn't noticed that all the music played over the PA this evening before the show and in-between sets featured Bobby Keys may he rest in peace. He also explained that tonight they would be playing two sets the first of which started with a slow and ever so slightly keening version of Myth Of Love and I had a perfect view of the high backed Gothic chair that Warner E. Hodges was sat playing his acoustic in, yes all the band were playing seated and Dan was hat less too.

Crooked Smile sounded really cool played acoustic with Warner pretty much treating his guitar the same as he would an electric but obviously as he was seated he couldn't throw it over his shoulder. That was followed by the first song of the night that they don't often or ever play live as they played a very cool version of Trivial As The Truth that in this setting worked well as the first sermon of the evening as the Reverend Dan made it plain to his congregation that there really is nothing as Trivial As The Truth.

Things then got very strange as Dan swapped places with Mauro Magellan who came round to the pulpit and strapped on a guitar so that he could sing Love & Rockets while Dan played the drums it was played slow and Mauro has a far higher voice than we were expecting and well Dan's drumming was more than good enough and it was also good to see him playing beneath the altar-piece.

They then played another song that's rarely heard live and one that apparently Warner had only one day to learn to play and had been up till 3 in the morning learning the solo on Knocked Up, well he played it well enough that no one wanted him Locked up for sure but he wasn't happy and at the end of the song insisted on playing the solo a second time to get it right! Running Out Of Time went without any hitches even if it did seem to be tipping it's hat at all the friends that have gone recently.

Younger Face is one of those songs ruing the industries love of the young and played in such an old and venerable church as this seemed to have some added meaning to it as well as some good interplay between Micke Nillson and Warner as they both tried to get the song just right. Thousand Little Pieces sounded like it was written to be performed in churches in the first place and Dan's Vows seemed extremely heartfelt tonight. By this point they had also revealed that they actually had a set-list tonight which is unusual for this band.

They closed the first set with the quite sad Six Years Gone about the break-up of a relationship not sure what the Anglo Catholic churches views are on the subject but Dan was clear that he wasn't her kind of man. They left the stage before the break to a huge standing ovation and applause.

The second set began about 20 minutes later with Dan coming out alone to tell us that he'd had to have a change in tonight's set as he'd just heard in the break that another old band mate Ian McLagan had just died earlier in the day and news had just come through. So Dan opened the second set with a heart rending version of Another Chance that he slowly picked on his acoustic and the congregation soon joined him in singing this classic hymn and when his voice faltered and he had trouble remembering a line the congregation helped him along it was a truly tear jerking performance and a beautiful eulogy to the one and only Ian Mclagan. As the rest of the band came back out Warner gave Dan a big hug that he obviously needed.

Golden Light was the first band song of the second set and with the golden light in the church streaming off of the icons and the altar-piece it was full of meaning and a beautiful rendition. It was then time for Dan to tell a story about sitting around Warners kitchen playing around with a little guitar Motif Warner had along with I think he said Tommy Womack and by the time they had finished playing around with it they had Two For Tuesday that was played far slower than at the Bush Hall the week before but it still brought the house down as it usually does.

Sweet Blue Midnight was the next unexpected song of the night it was almost like a gentle caress for our ears even if Dan by this point was having some trouble hitting the high notes due to the cold he was battling against. Before they started Hell To Pay they had a bit of joking as to if it was appropriate to play the song in church, well considering the lyrics and subject matter of course it is and this acoustic version was just wonderful.

Long Way Down kept up the theme of Dan playing all the songs he could think of that had churchy lyrics and it sounded just fine, Hard Luck Boy sounded radically different to how it opened the show at the Bush Hall just a week earlier slower and with more emphasis to the lyrics it went down a treat.

Dan promised us he was ready for Lazy Monday as it was the one song that he takes lead guitar on he needn't have worried as it sounded fine if a little odd stripped back like this still the congregation made for a great choir on the chorus. Dan then got the times running out signal and so he told us they had to drop one song from the set before he told us the tale of Julie and Lucky and what happened with his Colt 45 it sounded great and very cool.

They then finished the show by playing a great long version of Damn Thing To Be Done yes they said Damn in church it worked really well and even had some dancing in the Aisles even before it morphed into Going Down The Road that had some great back and forth in the lyrics between Dan and Warner before they finished the song and stood up and took the standing ovation that was no more than their due.

This was a wonderful and special show to be at and guessing from the bands comments they enjoyed it as much as we did even if they don't want to have to play any more acoustic shows any time soon.
  author: simonovitch

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