When I heard that Badly Drawn Boy was in town playing the Mercury Music Prize winning album ‘The Hour of The Bewilderbeast’ I knew I had to be there. That album was yet another big one for me back when I was starting to fine tune my musical choices thoughout the 90’s and 2000’s. I really took to this album so much so that I spent the little money that I had from a Saturday job in retail and spent straight into the pockets of HMV in exchange for the CD.
The wave of pure nostalgia flowed over me as soon Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) walked onto the stage wearing his customary hat with his hair poking out and beard, exactly as it was in 2000 when the ‘The Hour of Biwilderbeast dropped. As I heard the opening bars to ‘The Shining’ I was instantly transported back to that time, 25 years ago (yikes!)
‘Another Pearl’ into the infamous ‘Once Around the Block’ was always the perfect transition on the record and it still transposes so well into the live environment. It’s also been adapted nicely as the years have gone on.
Damon mentions that ‘Bewilderbeast’ was placed in the middle of the album as an instrumental as ‘I couldn’t write any lyrics for it or find any lyrics that worked; it split the album up nicely’. ‘Magic in the Air’ was exactly that, it was impeccable on keys from Damon, one of my favourites of the evening.
The set was split in half with Damon and band coming back to play a few numbers from the back catalogue. ‘Thank for giving the album (The Hour of The Bewilderbeast) the love all these years later, whether you’ve just found it or had it the 25 years ago’.
