BERNARD BUTLER – RESIDENT, BRIGHTON 4.6.24
This is the second time in less than a month that I’ve been lucky enough to see Bernard Butler play in a small venue. The first time being in Brighton’s Black Lion pub during The Great Escape weekend. This time I quite accidentally manage to position myself at the side of the stage, having had to pick up my CD (yep – I still buy those!) from the counter.
The set-up is much the same as when Bernard played at the Black Lion. Bernard is playing solo with just an acoustic and a Gibson 335 for company. All of the songs played tonight are from Bernard’s new album ‘Good Grief’. Sonically they differ quite significantly from the recorded versions, which feature strings and drums, and what sometimes sounds like a full band, but actually most instruments on the record are played by Bernard Butler. These stripped down versions could almost be released themselves as an alternative ‘Good Grief’ album.
Bernard opens tonight’s brief set with ‘Camber Sands’, which is also the opening track on the album. He briefly stops the song. Apparently he was thinking about Nigel Farage having a milkshake thrown at him earlier in the day, and wondered what would happen if anybody threw a milkshake at him while he was playing. He then tells us: “I’d happily take a milkshake in the face to get rid of that pr*ck!”
He’s apparently feeling a bit dazed as he’s driven down from Leeds today. The third song in, ‘Deep Emotions’, is one of the best songs on the album. It’s possibly slightly autobiographical. It mentions his daughter telling him that he’s as stubborn as she is. Bernard sings all of his lyrics with utter commitment. At times he sounds like Dylan in his prime. That may sound like a lazy comparison, but I assure you: it’s a valid one. Bernard likes the fact that all of the songs have titles now, and that some of us may actually know them!
Many of the songs are written about being a Londoner. Apparently Bernard has now got to the stage where police sirens make him feel at home. Having played a tour of record shops (tonight is the last instore show) he says that he has come to realise that his audiences are “quite nice”. Why, thanks Bernard!
Before ‘Living The Dream’, he tells us that the song “rips off Joni Mitchell”. Well, the song’s intro does have a passing resemblance to Joni’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, but not enough of a resemblance to warrant self-accusations of “ripping off”. This song in particular highlights what an excellent vocalist Bernard is. I personally tend to view him as a guitarist. His vocal skills can easily be forgotten. Bernard introduces ‘Pretty D’ as “the Royston Vasey song”. I’ve listened to the song, and read the lyrics, and I still have no idea what Bernard means! I must be missing something…. The set finishes with ‘The Wind’, and then it’s on to the signing. I do manage to have a brief chat with Bernard. It transpires that he’s playing The Old Market in Hove on 30th October! Hurrah! Grab your tickets HERE.
Bernard Butler setlist:
‘Camber Sands’ (from 2024 ‘Good Grief’ album)
‘Preaching To The Choir’ (from 2024 ‘Good Grief’ album)
‘Deep Emotions’ (from 2024 ‘Good Grief’ album)
‘Living The Dream’ (from 2024 ‘Good Grief’ album)
‘Pretty D’ (from 2024 ‘Good Grief’ album)
‘The Wind’ (from 2024 ‘Good Grief’ album)
