John Grant cuts an imposing figure. His silhouette falls on the large grand piano situated behind him, his rich baritone framed by the twinkle of said ivories.
Introducing ‘You Don’t Have To’, Grant says the song is about a seven year relationship that lasted “six years and 10 months too long”.
Grant, whose solo album Queen Of Denmark was recorded with progressive folkies Midlake last year and received five-star acclaim, is something of a paradox. Rendered in a laconic drawl his eviscerating lyrics – largely dealing with his struggles as a gay man – are underpinned by an underlying tenderness, rich lyricism and self-deprecating humour.
Accompanied by piano and swirling synth, Grant pokes fun at himself and his troubles by way of introducing the lush, electro soundscapes of ‘Where Dreams Go To Die’, ‘Marz’ (a song about the ice-cream shop he loved as a child) and the powerful ‘Outer Space’..
At times Grant shakes slightly from side to side, abandoning his reserve. He lets go completely towards the end to deliver the gut-wrenching ‘Queen Of Denmark’, the powerful ‘Fireflies’ and the room-shaking ‘Little Pink House’. At that, he runs off stage with no encore. The crowd is not angry at the brevity of the set however. Instead, people are aware that they have witnessed something very special tonight...