Music Features

Wilco: Live O2 Academy, Leeds

It’s a rare opportunity to catch a band like Wilco in Leeds on a Tuesday night and one I was most fortunate to encounter.

Wilco are a strange band. They have made some of the most ambitious, delicate, raucous and progressive music of the last decade, yet they really haven’t broken through the net; they have generally been smothered and lavished with praise almost relentlessly (bar a couple of moments), yet they seem to remain constantly at the same level. This is perplexingly both a mystery and a marvel. See, Wilco are one of those bands that I cherish quite dearly, and while part of me wishes that the world would listen with open ears to the wonders of this band, the other three quarters or so of me wants them all to myself. This is demonstrated furthermore by the immense satisfaction when one encounters another Wilco fan - all conversation is temporarily put aside and pure, unadulterated indulgence takes hold. This really isn’t any different to any other music geeks perpetual dilemma with a magnitude of other bands; it just seems Wilco are such a prime and perfect example of this scenario and omnipotence.

A stage time of 8.30 indicates that I may be in for a treat, as I know full well the curfew of this venue is 11pm. So, a two and a half hour Wilco show to ensue? I take place in second row, centre and am most glad I managed to sneak in a bottle of red in my bag as I intend to go nowhere.

They bumble out on stage, like a bunch a slightly ragged middle-aged men, which incidentally they are. They open with Wilco (The Song) from their latest offering Wilco (The Album) , the key heavy, pop ridden, Velvets tainted opener from said album. What becomes apparent within seconds is the blatant ease of Wilco as a performing band. To the untrained eye it could appear to be half-arsed, but even to the untrained ear it still sounds full of fervour. Following with Summerteeth’s A Shot In The Arm proves a wise choice and instantly opens up the band and Tweedy’s vocals for all to embrace; whilst at the same time slipping in a familiar and comfortable number. Such a fragmented delicacy is normally associated with his voice that it’s often easy to forget what a rip-roaring range he has, this is displayed in all its glorious form here as his voice creeks, croaks and croons through the venue, sailing through its own complexities. Black Bull Nova is the first venture into noise territory, another accolade and trait commonly forgotten that Wilco so seamlessly possess, and it’s an auditory dream. It really is a musical oxymoron, such a sprawling mass of twisting noise, yet completely coherent and cohesive with equal measure. This however, is only the beginning of what turns out to be a complete and utter sensory assault.

As they progress through the set, it’s pretty equal measures taken from all albums, minus A.M which doesn’t really get a look in. It’s a varied, energetic and wisely chosen set list. Songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot generally received the loudest applause, the first of which is I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. The band tears through the set with such ease it’s actually quite frightening. This is a band so tight, in touch and comfortable with one another that seamless doesn’t even cover it. During Handshake Drugs the guitars interlock with such a magnitude, it’s quite majestic. They wriggle and fight and with one another, constantly embracing all the while, and the whole thing just seems to ooze from them, like it were as simple as breathing. Just when you think things have hit an almighty high we are taken to another level. Tweedy introduces Jesus Etc by saying how ‘In the USA people usually sing along to this’. Tweedy then doesn’t sing a single word until the final verse and chorus as the crowd in unison pelts out every utterance in what feels like a quite a harmonious affair. Ironically, this was probably one of the songs I was most looking forward to hearing Tweedy sing, as he exudes such warmth and sweetness in his delivery of that song, but it really didn’t matter in the end.

Another multifaceted element to the Wilco experience, and again one that isn’t always associated with them via their studio albums; is that Wilco know how to make a racket. Tonight they genuinely give Sonic Youth et el a run for their money. Spiders (Kidsmoke) was truly exceptional and utterly captivating, for a twelve minute song, it felt like every minute and every second earned it’s place, no trimming needed. It was explosion after explosion followed by comedown after comedown. It was like listening to Television having an onstage battle with Neu! with no clear winner.

My only slight drawback, if you can call it that, is that I would have liked to hear a couple of the more tentative numbers such as How To Fight Lonliness or Company In My Back but this is purely a personal preference and in all honesty perhaps it would have detracted from the flow and rhythm of the show. Truth be told, I was simply being greedy, when I was already stuffed to the brim.

Setlist below (May have missed one or two off):

01 Wilco (The Song)
02 A Shot In The Arm
03 Black Bull Nova
04 You Are My Face
05 One Wing
06 I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
07 Muzzle Of Bees
08 Radio Cure
09 Impossible Germany
10 I'll Fight
11 Handshake Drugs
12 Sonny Feeling
13 Jesus, Etc.
14 Theologians
15 I'm The Man Who Loves You
16 Hummingbird
17 Poor Places
18 Spiders (Kidsmoke)
19 Hate It Here
20 Walken
21 Heavy Metal Drummer
22 Can't Stand It
23 I'm A Wheel