I try not to build expectation levels up before gigs, having been poorly disappointed by shows in the past (Thanks Ryan Adams!) but I can’t help getting excited about Okkervil River coming to Belfast.
They’ve been around for the good part of a decade now but only really made their mark with 2005’s Black Sheep Boy, an album that transformed them from middle of the road indie ballad boys to the next Buffalo Springfield, The Band, Flying Burrito Brothers… Songs like For Real and In A Radio Song are pretty heavy affairs, dealing with loss, sorrow, sadness…
So last year’s offering The Stage Names comes to some as a bit of an escape. Lead singer Will Sheff deals with being a rock star on this release, and seems to take a step back from everything. You Can’t Hold Hands With A Rock And Roll Man is about being too old, too hung-over, too tired and too bored to tour and its worlds away from anything on Black Sheep Boy. Half of this album was written at 2006’s South By Southwest Music Festival which might go some way to explaining the theme, or maybe it’s just middle age…
So, Okkervil River are tired of touring, singing about being tired of touring and playing in the Empire in a few days… have I sold it to you yet?
Okkervil River – You Cant Hold Hands With A Rock And Roll Man
