Live Review: Ed Kuepper

“I’m not going to play off a setlist tonight because everything so far has not gone according to plan,” said Ed Kuepper, one of this country's most prolific songwriters. After some general introductory chat during which the former Saints guitarist described some technical issues he’d had at recent shows, he proceeded to launch into an astonishing near two-hour performance that had the crowd at Freo.Social spellbound.

Armed only with a couple of electric guitars, a stomp box for some sparse rhythm and a phalanx of effects pedals, Kuepper reinterpreted some of his most well-known compositions in a way that was at times radical, but did not detract from the overall feel of a song. Kuepper delved back into songs by his post-Saints project Laughing Clowns, interspersed with a series of new songs. Songs like The Cockfighter from 1994's Character Assassination sat alongside new material seamlessly, proving that after all this time there is still plenty of creativity left in the barrel.

Thanks in part to his inimitable vocal delivery and some spacious arrangements, Kuepper managed to impress the crowd with beautiful renditions of All Of These Things and Electrical Storm, as requested by the crowd. Accompanied by Kuepper's frenzied foot-stomping beat, the latter built to its crescendo before dissolving back into its gritty minor key riff. Little Fiddle (And The Ghost Of Xmas Past)’s quiet/loud verse and chorus structure gave way to Confessions Of A Window Cleaner’s more introspective stylings, demonstrating Kuepper's propensity for dynamics. A rather lengthy discussion between the artist and his audience about Spotify did break the spell somewhat, but it was refreshing to hear him talk about it, explaining the serious holes in Kuepper’s discography on most digital streaming platforms.

A crowd singalong rendition of Everything I’ve Got Belongs To You ended the set, before Kuepper returned to the stage to pump out Sleepy Head from 1993's Serene Machine, as an encore.