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Robyn Hitchcock
Concert appearance: Fri., 19 Mar. 2004
SXSW
Austin, Texas US
part of SXSW Festival
Set list:
Surgery
Viva! Sea-tac
Tryin' To Get To Heaven Before They Close the Door (Bob Dylan)
Full Moon In My Soul
Solpadeine
One L
Only the Stones Remain
W Sucks (But Rumseld Is the Anti-Christ)
review from High Bias:
SXSW 2004
3/19/04
12:45 pm
Robyn Hitchcock @ Austin Convention Center
I have a confession to make: I've never seen Robyn Hitchcock play. For that matter, even though I'm a longtime fan, I lost track of him after he was dropped from Warner Brothers a few years ago. I knew he was still touring, but thought he hadn't made a record in years. So I was happy to catch up with him this conference, both at the songwriters' panel the day before and at this solo performance during the trade show. I sat down in the middle of a set by former Be Good Tanyas member Jolie Holland, whose jazzy folk/country tunes were quite good, but Hitchcock captured my imagination with his first tune. He played nothing but material I didn't recognize, and it was as good as or better than anything he's ever done. The solo acoustic format suits him perfectly, as it made the show seem like Uncle Robyn in your living room, singing songs and telling tales. "Only the Stones Remain," "Full Moon in My Soul" and the lovely "One L" (a song dedicated to his girlfriend: "I love you in real life/Not just in this song that's coming out of me") were the standouts in a great set, though I'd be remiss if I didn't mention "Viva! Sea-Tac," a tribute to the Seattle/Tacoma area dedicated to Scott McCaughey and The Stranger and featuring the lines "They got the best computers and coffee and smack." He was funny and but not too surreal between songs, like a linear Monty Python skit, and his set was a most enjoyable way to wake up in the morning. He also did a signing at the Borders booth immediately after the show, where I was surprised to find that he'd self-released three albums, including Luxor, from which he drew a great deal of his set, and which I was happy to pick up.
And, of course, Beatle Bob was there.
http://www.highbias.com/SXSW/2004c.html
Another SXSW tidbit:
From the Austin Chronicle: A highlight of the SXSW panels would have to
be Robyn posing the question "Do all great bands hate each other?" to former
Rolling Stones producer/manager Andrew Loog Oldham. His answer, "I hope so.."
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-03-26/music_set14.html
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