The The

The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was ……

In this post we review THE THE at The Usher Hall in Edinburgh

The Usher Hall in Edinburgh is a fine venue, though from the second from back row in the Upper Balcony, you could be excused for having a severe bout of vertigo, and maybe a pair of binoculars to see the act would have come in handy too.

However, it was the music we came to hear and appreciate, and it is impossible not to appreciate The The in such a setting.

As you would expect, the main man Matt Johnson on vocals and guitars conducted the show with the common touch that was met with universal approval. Happy to perform he was just as equally happy to share the details of how songs germinated and gave an invaluable insight into the development of his career over the years.

The band assembled to bring his songs to life, Barrie Cadogan on lead guitar, DC Collard on keyboards & melodica, James Eller on bass and Earl Harvin on drums are as tight a unit as you’ll find, each playing a backing role when needed but coming forward to deliver exquisite solos when required.

The majority of gigs attended has a level of support acts that vary from those that are starting out on their own musical journey and have been given the chance to showcase their talent to a much larger, though possibly unappreciative audience, to older, wiser heads that recognise the benefit of playing with the main act to retain some form of sub-conscious memory with the audience.

The The’s current tour, dispenses with a support. Instead, and much to the delight of the bands fanbase, they played the entire Ensoulment album from start to finish.

As Matt outlined at the start of the night, two halves in this gig. in the first we were encouraged to listen, while the second act was all about going down memory lane to remind us all how many rare songs of beauty he has written. The dancing half.

Ensoulment trods a well-worn path that Matt has followed before. Creatively crafted songs, some political observations, a look back at life and love, all to the accompaniment of a tasty soundtrack.

And the audience were more than happy to listen to this fine album being re-enacted in front of them.

However, in this technology led era, where setlists are readily available, the majority were eagerly awaiting the second act. It might not be a run of the greatest ‘hits’, it was though a run through of some of the best songs put to record over the past four decades.

A listen to the playlist here will give some idea as to what we were able to appreciate.