Live Review: Ed Kuepper

There are only a few people out there who can pull off by-request nights, let alone have enough material for such an occasion, but, the iconic Ed Kuepper is back at it again doing another lap around the country appeasing fans while also celebrating his latest Lost Cities being released on wax. With no support and kicking off at a smudge past 8.30pm, from the very beginning tonight is all about Kuepper humbly delivering total fan service. 

Surrounded by a mini-mountain of effects pedals and his almost-trademark glass of whisky, Kuepper performs not-strictly solo since he's aided by the mathematical drum work of long-time collaborator Mark Dawson. When combined, everything — including the whiskey — makes for a sonic marvel with Howler's top-notch PA accentuating every peak and giving Kuepper's meticulously thought-out guitar tone the clarity and depth it deserves. With the request format, nothing is off limits. The crowd combs through material from The Saints, Laughing Clowns and Kuepper's solo repertoire. A few curveballs are thrown his way — (I'm) Stranded particularly since Kuepper apparently "can't remember" the lyrics — but, for the most part, it's pretty safe (although Kuepper does often take a minute to hum through a few tracks before tackling them).

The moment when this show clicks into something else is their rendition of The Saints' Messin' With The Kid, which is delivered passionately and sounds triumphantly loud. La Di Doh from Kuepper's '94 release Character Assassination quickly follows. Next up is Sometimes (I Can't Live With Anyone) by Laughing Clowns and, while it's not a bad rendition, their performance of this song highlights one of the issues with this duo incarnation since it sounds a little bare. A few other requests suffer similar fates with Kuepper even pointing out, "You're missing the sax lines". Everything I Got Belongs To You is a beautiful and tender moment within the set that is only topped on the beauty scale by Know Your Product by The Saints.  

After two-plus hours, Kuepper and Dawson re-emerge for this final request and, in lieu of the iconic horn riff and — after a quick bit of audience training to get us into the right key — the track becomes a unified and whole piece. They don't make it all the way, though, and Kuepper and Dawson take their leave halfway through the song. But, the crowd — loud and proud — continues to chant the riff in an effort to prolong the night and as a sign of respect. This chant continues long after the venue pulls up those dream-crushing house lights.