The Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union
Sat 4 Nov
Having played drums for the luscious Fleet Foxes after starting out in a couple of indie rock bands, Saxon Shore and Stately, Josh Tillman’s musical talent is now better known as Father John Misty and will go on a seven-date UK tour at the end of this year. Following his appearances at Glastonbury and End Of The Road, where he headlined his first ever festival, this tour will begin in Edinburgh on Wed 1 Nov.
Pure Comedy, the title and opening track of his new album, touches upon the current state of America; this, though, was largely coincidental, the lyrics having been written long before the 2016 presidential election. Tillman has claimed that Donald Trump spurred him to shave off his voluminous beard the day after the election, a day when he “just felt crazy”. You could say Tillman is a polarising, Marmite figure; following his infamously awkward interview with Mark Radcliffe on 6 Music this year and his Twitter clash with Ryan Adams, there’s never a dull moment surrounding this controversial character. One can wonder if his absurdity is partly the reason for his success.
Offering a mellow, country-folk sound reminiscent of the early 1970s, this singer-songwriter doesn’t shy away from expressing his beliefs about the state of the world. Songs such as Total Entertainment Forever, from his new album, touches on how we allow ourselves to get blown around by society’s forces. Creatively, Tillman is on a roll, having already written his fourth album and sketched out the fifth. He himself describes his last two albums as pretentious, but as arrogant as Tillman is, his true talent doesn’t go amiss.
FJM’s lyrics on Pure Comedy assesses our modern lives with a more honest, clear-headed worldview compared to his previous work. He stopped drinking and smoking whilst writing, and has said that he had been refining the ideas of this album his whole life. Discomforting at times yet smoothly delivered and full of warmly familiar melodies, if you’re lucky enough to have a ticket for this gig then it should be a treat to witness live.
Tickets: £22.50 (sold out – check box office for returns). Info: 029 2078 1458
words CADI DAFYDD JONES
