The Brook Café - situated within the Quiggins building, a mecca for all things ‘alternative’ in Liverpool - makes for a strange venue. With a very comfortable, welcoming atmosphere and interesting décor – the pulpit and artefacts behind the stage area recall something of the Adam’s Family mansion - it nevertheless requires a certain amount of forgiving from the audience, the sound being directed straight at the centrally located, circular bar that takes up a considerable amount of the available space. However it seems somehow right for VINNY PECULIAR and his band, providing a setting as unusual as the song topics that make up the majority of their set: i.e sperm donation, fat lovers, operations, football shirts and Mancunian ex-punks.
Now is there anyone out there that doesn’t know that the rhythm section is made up of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce famously of The Smiths? Ah, perhaps not, but some of you may not be aware that they have recently been joined by fellow ex-Smith guitarist Craig Gannon (this is in fact his first gig) and are further augmented by Ben Knott (World Of Twist) on keyboards.
Considering that this is the first performance of the band as a five-piece it certainly suggests that VP may just have drawn together the line-up that will at last see him elevated to the status that his humorously intelligent and thoughtful songs, his great pop sensibility and, yes indeed, his perseverance deserve. He is the ‘everlasting teenager’, hyped up, angry, sulking and ready to pose, pout and strut his stuff with what appears to be an unflinching mix of stubbornness and self-belief.
From the moment they launch into opener ‘Operation’ all these qualities rear up and put you in no doubt that you are about to witness something a bit special. He moves around the mic as if he’s barely able to subdue his desire to give it a good kicking, snarling and spitting out the bitter lyrics about a man who believes his inability to feel emotion being due to an operation undergone as a child.
The band is immediately there with him, full-on, not so much tight as taut, musically creating the tension and desperation contained within the lyrics. Consequently all the older songs, mainly from the last two albums ‘Ironing The Soul’ and ‘Growing Up With…’ sound fuller than ever before but the great skill is that they are never overdone, the dynamics and feel of the songs is not only maintained but delivered with great confidence and assurity.
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Flitting between telecaster and acoustic guitar, Vinny helps to maintain the diversity of textures served-up, from spikey indie-pop (‘Calm Me Down’ – from 98’s Gone album), to morose balladry ('Confessions Of A Sperm Donor') and all points in between (including a gloriously punky ode to Pete Shelley).
Craig Gannon plays meticulously, clearly still working his way in, he keeps a low profile, nothing too adventurous or distracting, simply filling out the sound with great aplomb. And the addition of keyboards to the live set-up further strengthens the overall sound perhaps best appreciated on the newer material, ‘Man About The House’, ‘Dirty Old Man’ and new single ‘Two Fat Lovers’ on which the band are absolutely ‘cooking’, while during the latter Vinny sings of the title’s lovers heading home for bacon butties in preference to a visit to the gym. Full of astute observation and wry pathos the song rides home on a locked-in rhythm and a terrific melody.
Such is Vinny’s enthusiasm through the set, about half way through his voice gets a touch strained but far from detracting it actually adds to the overall character of the performance. We also get a storming ‘Everlasting Teenage Bedroom’, a heartfelt ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’ and that lovely trumptonesque intro introduces a poptastic ‘Replica Shirt’. Unfortunately, and despite calls from the rowdier element of the audience, there’s no recalling of the attempted murder of a certain music teacher back in 1974 but, a mere blip in an otherwise faultless show.
During the encore a young girl emerges from the audience and prostrates herself at Vinny’s feet – never once does he show even the merest hint of surprise or embarrassment at this somewhat overblown gesture, merely a sly smile, he’s perhaps had a vision of what lies ahead and he’s ready for it – and I think you should all get ready too.
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