Justin Sullivan @ The Boars Head, Kidderminster, 31st May 2017

It’s a mixture of thoughts and emotions today. News has just been released that local record shop legend and DJ, Mr Tee, has passed away, and indeed the very venue we are in tonight, the last real live venue in town, is to close its doors next month. Justin Sullivan, who has played here before, has kindly agreed to play one last time, to say thanks to Sandie for all her efforts over the years and to say goodbye to the Boars Head.

This tiny venue holds about 100 people, and tonight those of us lucky to get a ticket were treated to another beautiful evening from Justin.

He takes to the small stage with an acoustic guitar and for the next hour gives a mesmeric performance, with each member of the audience enthralled, and it’s a joy to hear no talking or chatting, not even a chink of a glass. We all know we are witnessing something special, we want to savour every second.

Opening with ‘All Consuming Fire’, straight into ‘Devil’, we then get ‘Winter’, “we recently played this at Bearded Festival and the sun came out, so let’s give it a try”.

The set is perfectly poised, with a mixture of his extensive back catalogue, which he comments on when a song request is shouted out “we’ve written 240 songs, 32 over the last four years, we’ve been over productive”.

There is comment on the current political circus and he suggests he might vote by post and then skip the country, “we’ll see what happens eh? But please vote” before “a strangely optimistic song” ‘Over the Wire’.

“Looking around here most are younger than me” before ‘Tomorrow Came’ with its poignant lyric “Pray God they’ll forgive us”.

Clearly at ease he tells us of a story when in Canada and offering a lift to a hitchhiking musician, who it turns out is 79 but happy to be left by the side of the railroad in -40 degrees. “I wonder if he’s still out there”.

“last time I was here I tried to involve modern technology and it failed, and someone accused me of giving up if it doesn’t work first time, “no I’m fucking not”, and just to prove that we’re going to try again”, The button is pressed and the drumbeat loop starts, and with harmonica in hand we have a stunning version of ‘You weren’t there’, it’s brilliant, simply brilliant.

Sadly, and inevitably all things must end and tonight is no exception, but the encore could not have been more suitable, ‘Seven Times’ which is followed by an even louder sing-a-long for ‘Better Than Them’.

Tonight, was the perfect evening and for me, a wonderful way to spend a birthday.

Justin Sullivan continues to tour with New Model Army, playing and producing some of the best material and songs in their extensive career.

As for the Boars Head, it closes in a couple of weeks, and yet another live venue is lost. Given the musical heritage of Kidderminster this is a tragedy and a huge shame. Back in the eighties the saying was ‘Keep Music Live’, and we need to take heed more than ever to this.

Justin Sullivan Set-list

All Consuming Fire

Devil

Winter

Happy to Be Here

Sooner or Later

Over the Wire

Pull the Sun

Tomorrow Came

Deadeye

Green

Apocalypse Dreams

Eyes Get Used to The Darkness

After Something

You Weren’t There

According to You

Rivers

Seven Times

Better Than Them

 

Reviewer: Glenn Raybone

Photographer: Ken Harrison

 

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