David Ford / Duke Special

There’s hardly been a shortage in male solo singer/songwriters recently. Stephen Fretwell, Jack Johnson, Jose Gonzalez and the irritably overplayed James Blunt have all been wrestling for a place in the charts with varying degrees of success. One thing is certain though; there is a demand for these artists that simply wasn’t there two to three years ago.

You may well recognise the name David Ford. He is one of Canada’s premiere published physique sport and fitness photographers, he’s the leader of the Northern Island Alliance party, he played baseball for the Baltimore Orioles and he’s also ‘cleartest.com’s pot smoker of the month. If you’re familiar with any of those David Ford’s you’re probably on the wrong website, otherwise you may recall that there was once a certain Mr. Ford who fronted one of the most underrated glam rock bands of the last decade.

It’s been almost three years since Easyworld released ‘Kill the last romantic’ and the band subsequently split up. During that time front man David Ford has released his own debut album and embarked on several UK tours.

The Barfly was packed and there was quite an odd assortment of people that had assembled to watch Ford’s gig. I usually take great delight in stereotyping crowds but tonight there seemed to be an unusual assortment of people of all different types and ages.

The support was the brilliant Duke Special, an artist from Belfast who has crafted his own style of up-lifting jazz. There’s a nostalgic feel to his records that transports you back to the type of smoky bars associated with old Western movies. Duke Special’s music promotes a feel-good toe tapping vibe, it’s virtually impossible to get depressed while listening to this music. Experimentation is the key here and throughout the set various objects are integrated into the music to create a unique sound. Although I’m still unclear as to what half these things were I think I can identify one of the instruments as a modified cheese grater.

There’s a rather interesting juxtaposition with the Duke’s rugged dreadlocks and his clean and neat style of music. It’s a refreshing alternative to the usual sub standard indie guitar driven support bands that seem to be in abundance. The performance was heightened by the appearance of David Ford on ‘Portrait’ who was on hand to provide some backing vocals, a favour that was reciprocated during Ford’s own set.

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Ford performed material from the ironically titled ‘I sincerely apologise for all the trouble I’ve caused’, an album that was released with minimal promotion. The performance was dogged by sound problems from the start, forcing Ford to openly ask if ‘Anything works in this fucking place?’ The constant mic swapping, sound tweaking and general annoyance that the Barfly’s sound system was causing meant that Ford took his time to relax into the gig.

Much like Duke Special, experimentation was a key element of Ford’s live performances. He utilised pretty much anything he could find, including playing a typewriter and a suitcase. Ford spent most of the time as a one man band, recording his own loops live on stage and building up songs to an impressive climatic crescendo.

Ford’s lyrics were inspiring and moving, sometimes touching on the sublime intricacies of life and at others exploring political, social and economic affairs. The fabulous ‘State of the union’ is a musical and lyrical masterpiece, melancholic in subject matter it leaves you with an emotion that drifts somewhere between uplifting despair and hopeless optimism. I have no doubt that this is intentional and Ford’s live construction of the song provides the performance with an organic embodiment, bestowing the audience with the impression that what they are seeing is unique, fresh and original. Ford uses the loops to create a layered wall of sound that brought the whole Barfly to life.

Ford is joined on stage by a band for the remainder of his set. This allows him to switch instruments, playing guitar, piano and the harmonica. Despite the acoustic feel of the gig Ford seemed to prefer playing his electric guitar to his acoustic, ensuring that the gig didn’t descend into a one man and his guitar spectacle.

Ford rather half heartedly announces that his next single ‘I don’t care what you call me’ is out tomorrow. Ford stresses that it’s in his contract to say that but he doesn’t beg anyone to rush out to the shops and buy it. Ford is far to focused on creating his music than he is worrying about sales figures.

Beautiful, serene melodies and thought provoking lyrics are the central body of Ford’s work and he is definitely one of the best of his breed. There are obvious comparisons to Damien Rice and Tom McRae but personally I think David Ford surpasses all his contemporaries. A fantastic intimate gig, made even better when Ford made his way into the crowd, his microphone trailing behind him, unintentionally strangling all the audience members left in his wake.

The beauty encapsulated in Ford’s music was a reflection of how this music was created; alone and intimately. By watching one of Ford’s live performances you get a glimpse into his world, and it’s a world not to be missed.

FUTURE GIGS

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