Bill Callahan @ The Trinity 10/5/11

Just got back from watching Bill Callahan at the Trinity Arts Center, Bristol. The venue itself is a bit of an oddity, tucked away in a fairly dilapidated part of Bristol just west of Temple Meads. But the building is beautiful, an imposing, gothic edifice all points and arches. A former church now devoted to the secular "Arts".  It's almost comically incongruous among the area's massage parlours and boarded up shops (maybe this is just my "Bath vision" clouding matters). Suffice to say, it was obvious where the beardy roll up smoking student types were heading.

                This small venue with a reputation for getting class leftfield acts, was a perfect setting for Bill Callahan's scorched baritone and its sparse accompaniments. The artist formerly known as Smog has been pedalling his own unique brand of melancholic folk-rock for decades now. Renowned for lyrics which can border on the inscrutable and all delivered in an unwavering, unemotional monotone, it was somewhat surprising to see him enter the stage in a white pinstripe suit. But perhaps that was just an example of his often overlooked warped sense of humour.
The set itself, however, as is true of Callahan's work generally, was one of high seriousness. Though often impossible to dissect, Callahan's songs contain recurring motifs and images; things such as birds, travelling, rivers, roots and shepherds. And at least his two most recent LPs can be accurately called concept albums.
It was unsettling seeing Callahan's face contort on the opener, "Riding For The Feeling", as it became obvious these songs are more than just cerebral linguistic exercises, much more. It felt strangely voyeuristic watching the gig unfurl, Callahan seldom looking up from his feet and making no effort to dispel the gloom his songs inevitably created. After the first song, a woman shouted, "you've got a sexy voice, Bill!" Which was greeted with.....nothing, not so much as a ripple of mirth over his surprisingly youthful (for forty-four) face.
                 However, you don't go to a gig such as this for badinage and banter. And he certainly delivered, pleasing the crowd with a healthy smattering of Smog songs along with cuts from the great new album, Apocalypse. Like a more leftfield Leonard Cohen, Callahan strode through great song after great, never deviating from his simple acoustic guitar. Backed by some skillful guitar impovising, he occasionally changed the arrangements to songs, as in the sublime, "Too Many Birds". But tonight was all about Callahan's words and his sonorous delivery of them. A powerful, impressive selection of songs- they were almost like riddles, repeated images and thoughts appearing out of the blue as if just occurring to him.
              "I got darker, then I got lighter, then I got dark again" he sang on the closer, 'Bill Cain'. We didn't see that kind of contrast tonight but what we did see was unwaveringly beautiful and haunting.