The wanting comes in waves....
So I love The Decemberists. But I hadn't banked on their performance at Hammersmith Apollo being so like going to the theatre. The audience nod sagely, clapping respectfully after each song. During the most exuberant sections, the row in front of me, which I can only describe as being of pensionable age, break out into some mild-mannered chair-dancing (actually that's pushing it).
A bit of background: The Decemberists are a theatrical five-piece whose back catalogue ranges from the vintage classic 'The Crane Wife' to the epic narrative album 'The Hazards of Love'. Their latest album is brilliant, although seeing the songs performed live I'm struck by just how like R.E.M they are. My accomplice witheringly describes them as R.E.M vs The Levellers. And he's not far off.
Front man and creator Colin Meloy trots out on stage, and kick things off with 'Down By The Water' – a song from their latest album 'The King Is Dead'. He's a charismatic bastard, who comes across pretty dryly, claiming to not understand the song requests which are getting shouted at him. They reel through some of their newest material; 'Don't Carry It All' is my favourite at the moment and that goes down well, but it's their older stuff which the audience love. Multi-stringed epic 'The Crane Wife' gets a massive cheer, as does the newer 'This Is Why We Fight'.
The band warm up after their first encore, asking the audience to sing along, “as if you are yelling at your elected official”. Their final song, 'The Mariner's Revenge Song', involves getting the audience to scream as if we're “being swallowed by a whale”. It's a story – two mariners trapped in the belly of a whale – which leaves Meloy dramatically bathed in a spotlight for one stanza.
Not all gigs can be absolutely amazing. And really, although they play well, the music doesn't stay with me the way it does after a really great gig. The elephant in the room is the song they don't play: their best in my opinion, 'The Wanting Comes In Waves'.
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