“My Conscience it begins to thaw…”
Selling out Manchester’s 250 capacity Pink Room at YES, the avant pop “supergroup” display an extremely tight 40-minute tour de force.
An Insecure Men gig was a bit of a white whale for me. Notoriously spontaneous, the band was formed in 2015, and its main brain and frontman Saul Adamczewski of Fat White Family fame has a reputation for deep stretches of inactivity, all while a powerful and devoted cult following (myself included) remain eager for any scraps of material. Prior to this gig, I saw Saul at Bristol’s exchange last summer, where he previewed some new material for an upcoming Insecure Men album, along with his solo material which I HIGHLY recommend if you’re into abstract folk. That music was released a few months later, in the form of a new album – A Man for All Seasons.
I think the title of the album is the best reflection of their live performance. It derives from the title of a Robert Bolt play on the life of Thomas More, a phrase used to reflect someone who remains true to their principles while adapting to outside circumstances. You can accuse Saul of many things, but you cannot say he isn’t himself, and this prevents the self-reflective beautiful songwriting from this new record from turning into a farce. After squatting in a cupboard and being sacked from being a dealer’s tea boy, Saul has turned this period of instability into a conscious reflection of his character, which on a chilled windy evening in Manchester, we were invited to see firsthand.
A room of 250 ruptures into applause as Saul enters the stage, alone. He begins singing ‘Tulse Hill Station’, a gentle ballad from the newest release about the end of a recent breakup. You could hear a pin drop; his fragile voice nails higher notes of sorrow (“I wish I’d shown you, but I didn’t, and this is the cost.”) that contrast the sombre finger picking on his acoustic guitar. An utterly beautiful yet commanding opening.
True to their subversive personality and music, Saul then begins several songs from his solo material. It’s evident that he loves playing these songs, and they mark a striking contrast against the material from their sinister yet psychedelic pop-centric debut. ‘KENT’ and ‘People of the World’ are performed next, the latter seeing Saul joined by fellow bandmate Mackey Marley on flute, who released the song under the duo “The Coward” last year. Both songs have a haunting, hypnotic rhythm that allow Saul’s vocals to command our attention and truly shine on his artistic vulnerability. Another round of applause, and Saul says a dismissive “Thank you very much”, while the band take their place. ‘Alien’ follows next, the lead single from the new album. Lap steels and a gentle bass groove collide against Saul’s depiction of another breakup “Time keeps rolling on, and there’s so much more I meant to say”. I think if you asked me for the “definitive” Insecure Men track, it would be this one; ear worming eclectic pop music that allows the crushing weight of the lyrics to become lost within itself, complete escapism. Saul gives a grin as the song finishes, then transitions into ‘Cliff has left the building’ from their first album. It’s clear that their debut has aged impeccably and maintains a high point in Saul’s discography. Only a band like Insecure Men could have their biggest hit with a jazzy psychedelic (even “aquatic”, coined by Saul himself) ballad about Cliff Richard. The band then flow into ‘Krab’ and ‘Weak’ from the new LP, sounding even better than the studio version. Saul’s voice holds up perfectly, and it was nice to see the crowd anthemically sing such sentimental lyrics – “And I am yours, and you are mine, in silence”.
The band begin their penultimate song, ‘All Women love Me’, my personal favourite. A piano driven interpretation of a dictator’s deepest conscience, a long build up by the band reaches the final chorus of “You don’t have to just believe me, the gulag is getting warm”. Delightfully sinister. The band then plays their final song, ‘Cleaning Bricks’. A synth pop banger that revels in its stupidity, the deeply intellectual chorus of “Cleaning Bricks, cleaning them good. Cleaning Bricks, just like I should” gets the crowd rowdy, exacerbated by Saul torturing his guitar and amp, ending in a sea of feedback. While Saul has expressed frustration at the song (preferring the direction of his solo material), it’s clear that he is absolutely unmatched at constructing alt pop bangers, a man for all seasons if you will.
Saul then says a brief final goodbye, and the band walk off after just 40- ish minutes. Despite the chants for an encore, we’re left instead to think about what we’ve seen. I think that if the only criticism you can give is that you wished it was longer, you’ve done something right.
Insecure Men: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Review by Daniel Miller
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