Kurt Vile @ SWG3 - 13/11/2018 (Live Review)

Words by Craig Carrington-Porter

Standing, staring into the mirror, my reflection blocked by this stupid clown and I cant see myself. He looks into my own eyes, “how did the gig go?” He asks.

My reply is short and simple, “it was ok, I mean, I wasn’t even planning on going.”

“Why not?”

I let this question sift into my brain for a few moments. Still gazing into the mirror, trying to catch my reflection but still it is blocked by this stupid clown. I try and just leave it, I want to avert my attention onto something else, “eh, it doesn’t matter.”

Without missing a beat, the stupid clown blocking my reflection responded, “no, no please, explain.”

“I had booked the tickets months ago. Kurt Vile has always been someone that I want to see. ‘One of those American few, that are jumping across the water to play to a British audience.’ I kept saying this to myself and to my friends. Almost in a selling bid to try and get them to come to the gig as well.”

“Parquet Courts and Courtney Barnett (who is playing this week) are of those few, I mean I missed both of there shows so I had to see someone in the end.”

The stupid clown blocking my reflection nods, he is approving of everything so far. As if I need his approval.

“I finish college, tell everyone in my class that I cant make drinks because I have to get the tickets from my old place. Stupidly, I hadn’t updated my address yet on chrome. You know? When it fills out the information automatically…”

“I have no idea what you mean but sounds interesting, carry on.” He gestures waving a hand towards me.

“Right, I get to the old apartment which is on a ground floor. I can see the lights are on so I try the buzzer several times. And its no answer”

“No answer? Cheeky fuckers.” The stupid clown blocking my reflection interjects.

“I know, I know. Anyway I manage to get inside and rasp away at the door. I try the door bell as well. Giving myself ten minutes before I have to get on the train, back into town.”

Silence, he is just staring at me. I’m standing, waiting for an answer from him. “Well fucking hell man, why did you stop? You haven’t even got to the fucking gig yet.”

“Right, so I get back into town and I am back home. The gig starts at seven but I think, I’m not watching the supporters. I have no idea who they are.”

Now he interjects again. “Wait, wait, wait. So? You got the tickets then?”

“No.”

“No?” His eye brow curls in a state of confusion.

“They didn’t answer the fucking door!”

“How did you get in then?”

I take a deep breath. “Right, so I miss the support. I grab a subway to Patrick. I take my ticket reference number instead but I was nervous in case it wasn’t going to work but I got in. Really easy, the security told me to talk to the box office, the box office told me to walk right on in. I stand at the very back and enjoy under an hours worth of Kurt Vile music.”

“And how was he? How was the music?” This would be his last interjection, his final question.

“It was ok, I wasn’t blown away but I feel like this guy is going somewhere, certainly could be going somewhere. He is kind of like our generations interpretation of Neil Young. A lick of folk music that is heavily tolerated through a use of pop and rock influences. His guitar playing was a bit sketchy at some points and his backing band were quite reserved but it wasn’t a home crowd. Its Glasgow, this is foreign land to him and he has plenty of tour dates to work his way through. If I’m honest, I didn’t know his songs that well. He announced his last song which I cant remember what it was but I know he played ‘Yeah Bones’, ‘One Trick Ponies’ which are from his new album. And ‘Wild Imagination’ from his more popularised album ‘b’lieve I’m goin down…”

So I head home before the gig had actually finished. Mainly to beat the crowds, to beat the rush of folk going for the subway. I get into my flat and take a quick shower. Coming out of it I look into the mirror but I didn’t recognise the man in the mirror, then I laughed and I said, “Oh silly me, that’s just me.”