Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli, who recently recorded as The Gutter Twins, are doing another one-off show in London at the South Bank Centre. Having managed to miss the show at the Union Chapel, I must say I’m rather thrilled at this. I’ve seen Mark Lanegan play live many times, mostly with Queens Of The Stone Age, but also on his “Bubblegum” tour, and if you haven’t seen this man’s stage technique, you haven’t lived. Fundamentally it consists of leaning on his microphone stand glaring ominously at the crowd, whilst singing in the most nicotine- and whisky-stained voice you could possibly imagine.

Put it this way, if you’ve lived a bad life, and you’re lying on your deathbed, this is the voice of Death as he comes to take you down to the bowels of Hell. He’s a scary, scary man. Greg Dulli, he of the drugs and sex obsessions, is a primary school teacher in comparison. Saying that, they’re both, in real life, lovely fellas (I have it on good authority), but they don’t exactly suffer fools gladly.

So, live show at London’s South Bank Centre (Royal Festival Hall) on 19th July. Book tickets here, and many thanks for Andy for the tip. What a gent!

Courtesy of Mundo Eleven, I’ve posted a couple of live tracks from a show in Milan back in 2003 (look down). Both are from his covers LP, “I’ll Take Care Of You”, which is absolutely marvellous (and I promise to review properly at some point in the future).

As for the Gutter Twins themselves:

Now, if you said that they sound like a mix of prime Afghan Whigs with Mark Lanegan singing, I’d say, yeah, damn right, and what the hell is wrong with that, fool?

Excellent Artwork...

Book those tickets. You know you want to. Funnily enough, Emmy The Great are playing the same night in another of the halls. That should make for an interesting crossover of fans.

Another tune that’s been on my mind recently is The Twilight Sad’s “Cold Days From The Birdhouse”. I recently described it to someone as The Proclaimers meets Mogwai, which is possibly a bit unfair, but this is a cracking number. There’s something about that talking slowly over a barrage of noise that’s very appealing, shared by both Lanegan and Twilight Sad.

More Excellent Artwork...

The Twilight Sad are currently on tour with Mogwai in the US with a new album lined up some time later this year. If they’ve built on 2007’s Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, we’re in for a treat.

That’s that for a few days, as we’re off to the West Country to drink scrumpy and wander round disused railway lines. Ok, possibly not the scrumpy bit. Enjoy your Easter.

MP3: On Jesus Program (Live In Milan 2003) by Mark Lanegan

MP3: I’ll Take Care Of You (Live Milan 2003) by Mark Lanegan

MP3: Idle Hands by The Gutter Twins

MP3: Cold Days From The Birdhouse by The Twilight Sad

Buy The Gutter Twins “Saturnalia” (MP3)

Buy Mark Lanegan’s “I’ll Take Care of You” (CD)

Buy The Twilight Sad’s “Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters” (CD/MP3)

Like my blog? Please help spread the word: