Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
With the festival season nearly behind him, Ed Harcourt made his way to Liverpool for the second time this year and gave the crowd attending this year’s Summercamp at Camp and Furnace something extra to hang their 2013 musical memories upon.
Ed Harcourt has always been an outstanding musician to watch, his enthusiasm, high tempo approach to life and the way he revels in the co-operation between lyrics and audience appreciation is a huge bonus to anyone catching him any particular venue. The gleam of performance is made even more acute by the melancholic beauty of the songs themselves sometimes, the cheerful set alongside the ethereal cynic, the misanthropic anger with the velvet touch of stunning delivery. In the heart of The Baltic Triangle all the fascinating elements came out to play once more and those in the audience who weren’t swayed to attend the sumptuous gathering at the Liverpool Music Awards or take in yet more proof of Liverpool’s dominance of the world of music at various venues round the city were treated to Ed Harcourt proving yet again his own authority over music.
The large expanse of Camp and Furnace can sometimes make it feel as though the notes and words get lost in the melee, the sense of history that goes hand in hand with the building can catch the unsuspecting musician unawares but even with the sound of children playing and making the most of the August sunshine close by, Ed gave tracks such as the opener Brothers and Sisters, the phenomenally superb God Protects Your Soul from his 2001 debut Here Be Monsters, Hey Little Bruiser and the irritation and full bloodied fury of Born in the 70s.
The bohemian lifestyle that has become part and parcel of the Camp and Furnace venue suited Ed right down to the ground and even gave Ed that chance to be a little playful as he dedicated the song Church of No Religion to Vladimir Putin. The playful scorn in his voice as he sang the lyrics reminding the audience gathered that song writers are not just there to give messages of hope but that they are also around to pour scorn on the mighty and seemingly immovable.
With the assured presence of tracks such as Metaphorically Yours and the stunning Apple of My Eye making it on to the set, the inscrutability in which he performed was reminder that even after 12 years since his debut release, Ed Harcourt is a name to savour.
Ian D. Hall