DAVID FORD @ South Parade Pier, 27/10/2009

 One of the perks of getting to know a promoter well is that you can slip in early to their gigs. It’s always fascinating to see artists set up and go through sound check, but when I strolled past the track suit wearing locals and the fishing enthusiasts and turned up at the Albert Bar on South Parade Pier, David Ford appeared to be building a little shack. It later emerged that this was his stage set, and a fascinating one at that, with midi drum pads built into leather suitcases and bits of wood turned into kick drums, all threaded through a loop pedal to form something very special.

Soon enough the venue was (very) full, thank god we’d snared a table at the front. Support came from a good friend of the site, Mr Andrew Foster. We’ve often talked in the past about a shared love of Ford’s work and it seemed a little strange to have him playing a gig in our hometown. Foster, as always, turned in an assured set and every time we see him he seems to grow as an onstage performer.

Ford himself mixed the world weary song writing that has made him so popular with a nice line in self-deprecating humour. His sets (he played two, with a short break) took in tracks for his forthcoming album mixed with favourites from his catalogue, including the superb ‘Go To Hell‘. He ended the first set with a run through ‘State Of The Union’ that left the hairs standing up on the end of this reviewers neck!

When he returned to the stage, Ford was stopped in his tracks by instrument problems, namely his handmade bass drum falling apart, unfazed – mainly because it had happened a couple of nights previously in Exeter – Ford scooped up some percussion instruments and liberally distributed them among the audience, turning the crowd into an impromptu rhythm section. With a haunting, paino driven version of ‘Song For The Road’ stunning the audience into silence, David eschewed an encore and ended with the whole room erupting into the chorus of ‘Cheer Up You Miserable Fuck’. As people slowly left it was clear everyone felt thee same, this was clearly one of those gigs that only comes along every few years – something very special!