Mark Knopfler – Live at the Royal Albert Hall – 25th May 2015

There are barely enough superlatives to describe the talents of the great Mark Knopfler. His history with Dire Straits, of course, speaks for itself. His solo career, however, has operated much more under the radar and this way of working has allowed him to record and tour at a much more manageable level than at the height of the success of Dire Straits. Few, if any artists of Mark’s generation are as prolific as he has become over the course of his solo career. He has now produced…now let me think for a moment…a total of nine exquisite studio albums since 1996, all of which are beautifully produced and feature songs which only go to show how perceptive and accomplished a songwriter he is.

Mark has often spoken of how he enjoys the whole cycle of writing, recording, touring and then starting over again and as such, all but one of his solo albums have resulted in a tour. I have been lucky enough to see him and his remarkable band (which has largely remained the same since his first solo tour in 1996) a number of times now, and each show I have seen has been an improvement on the previous tour, even when it seemed impossible that he and the band could possibly get any better. The show at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 25th May, part of his tour supporting his newest album, Tracker, was no exception.

Ruth Moody during her set at the Royal Albert Hall – 25/05/2015. © Mike Child 2015

Before we get onto Mark’s set, I must mention Ruth Moody who was the opening act for this show. Ruth is touring with the band as a guest up to and including Amsterdam, and has been working with Mark since the Privateering album, released in 2012. Make no mistake, she has the most beautiful female singing voice imaginable. Not just beautiful, but profoundly beautiful. Her contributions to the Privateering album were only very subtle, but on Tracker her voice is more obvious and she duets with Mark on the emotional closing track, ‘Wherever I Go’. Quite apart from being a sublime vocalist, she is a multi-instrumentalist and a formidable songwriter. Her two solo albums, The Garden and These Wilder Things, are highly recommended. A word of warning though – the merest suggestion of her voice may well cause your eyes to water, so please do not listen to her whilst driving!

Ruth’s set at the Albert Hall consisted of a number of songs from These Wilder Things amongst others with her wonderful four-piece band, and demonstrated not only how beautiful her voice is but also how incredibly accurate a vocalist she is. She simply doesn’t put a foot wrong. Every note is delivered with absolute perfection. I feel extremely fortunate to have had the chance to see Ruth live and I can safely say she has a new committed fan right here.

On to Mark’s set. He opened with a new song from the Tracker album called ‘Broken Bones’. This is a very classy, funky little number and the band entered the stage encouraging the audience to clap along, which they duly did with the minimum of fuss. Mark then came on, only playing a simple rhythm part on this song and leaving the lead in the capable hands of his long-time band mate Richard Bennett. Excellent performances of ‘Corned Beef City’ and ‘Privateering’ came next, and were followed by the instrumental ‘Father and Son’ from 1984’s Cal soundtrack, which segued into ‘Hill Farmer’s Blues’, from 2002’s The Ragpicker’s Dream. The power and energy of the live version of this song, as well as Mark’s guitar solo outro, have never failed to impress.

One of my personal highlights of the evening was the performance of ‘Skydiver’, a new song from Tracker which featured backing vocals from Ruth Moody. Much of the texture of the chorus of this song comes from the layers of vocal harmonies over the top of a descending chord progression. Mark’s voice was perfect here and demonstrated how far he has come as a vocalist in recent years. A drum solo from the impressive Ian Thomas then led into another new song, ’Laughs and Jokes and Drinks and Smokes’, featuring Mark’s gorgeous blue Pensa MK D guitar. His vocal on this was strong once again.

As well as Ruth, saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock is guesting with the band until Amsterdam and his remarkable abilities were utilised on the rock ’n’ roll infused ’I Used to Could’. Keyboardist Jim Cox also impressed on this song, as did Mark on lead guitar. This song was particularly well received and showed just how strong the musical chemistry is between the members of this band.

Then followed the first of a handful of Dire Straits classics of the night, ‘Romeo & Juliet’. Once again, Nigel Hitchcock featured on this song and, as was the case when I previously saw the band live at Bournemouth in 2013, the tone he gets out of the saxophone on these more emotive songs is beautifully clear and a joy to listen to. As is now traditional at a Mark Knopfler show, ‘Romeo & Juliet’ was followed immediately by ‘Sultans of Swing’, which resulted in a well-deserved standing ovation.

The next song, another new one called ‘Mighty Man’, for me, was one of the surprises of this show as I had not thought of it as a song that would work well in a live context, due to its slow and relatively sparse nature. In fact, it worked extremely well and featured possibly the best vocal performance of the night from Mark, as well as some excellent slide guitar on his white 1964 Stratocaster. ‘Postcards from Paraguay’, as on the previous tour, was used to introduce each band member in turn during the intro, with each member joining in as they were announced.

Leading towards the encores, ‘Marbletown’, which has been a set regular for some years now, is the ultimate example of how well this band gels. The chemistry between all of them is almost on a telepathic level throughout the extended outro and is a showcase particularly for the skills of John McCusker on fiddle, Mike McGoldrick on whistle and Glenn Worf on upright bass. ‘Speedway at Nazareth’ was as powerful as ever and once again a demonstration of how well this band works as a unit. ‘Telegraph Road’, featuring an outstanding performance by Mark during the guitar solo outro resulted in another standing ovation.

In the encores, the impossibly catchy ’So Far Away’ got the entire audience singing along, and Mark could probably have done with a little help on this song as his voice seemed to get a little lost in the mix here, but it was a superb performance nonetheless with smiles all round on stage at the end of the song. Ruth then returned for the duet on the wonderful ‘Wherever I Go’ – perhaps the most emotional moment of the evening. Mark and Nigel’s duelling guitar and saxophone solo at the end of this song was sublime. The show ended with a triumphant rendition of ‘Going Home’, from the Local Hero soundtrack.

As I have eluded to above, the chemistry between the members of this band is something very special. They consistently better themselves with each tour, and Mark continues to write wonderful new material to add to the set each time. Indeed, the set is now dominated by solo material, and yet the audiences seem to react just as well to the shows as they would if they consisted entirely of Dire Straits songs. This only goes to show that you don’t have to roll out all the hits to maintain the interest of the audience. If you have good songs and the band enjoy playing them, that enjoyment will translate to the audience.

Mark Knopfler at the Royal Albert Hall – 25/05/2015. © Mike Child 2015

Seeing a Mark Knopfler show in person is a special experience and you would honestly be hard-pressed to see a better live band than his anywhere, at any time. Always looking ahead to the next album or the next tour, clearly he enjoys both recording and touring immensely, and one would hope that he will continue doing so for some years to come, because there does not seem to be anybody else out there who can even compare with him.

Don’t forget to check out Mark’s multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire and co-producer Guy Fletcher’s tour diary at http://www.guyfletcher.co.uk, and also his guitarist Richard Bennett’s ‘Notes from the Road’ at http://www.richard-bennett.com.

Sting & Paul Simon On Stage Together – O2 Arena – 15th April 2015

I feel extremely fortunate on many levels to have experienced this show for myself. This tour was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see two of the finest songwriters and performers in rock history sharing a stage together – and they delivered in spades at this show. I have read some critics describing Sting and Paul Simon as an ‘odd couple’. I disagree. Both are superb songwriters who have explored an incredibly diverse range of genres. Both are brilliant and instantly recognisable vocalists. Both are dynamic live performers. And both have had long and successful careers – they come from an era when artists were able to follow their own natural creative path, without being run into the ground before they even had a chance to show their musical versatility, as is invariably the case in the modern industry. Most importantly, the basis of their success has always been on what really counts – their music.

When I first became a fan of Sting over twenty years ago, he was recording and touring with a very special line-up. Sting himself on bass and vocals, Dominic Miller on guitar, David Sancious on keyboards and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. For me, they are just the perfect Sting band. Quite apart from being world class musicians in their respective fields, the four of them have a certain chemistry. They recorded Ten Summoner’s Tales together, which is one of my all-time favourite albums. I believe they played their last show together in 1994. I was delighted, then, that some 15 years later all four of them got back together and have been touring ever since.

Now augmented by backing vocalist Jo Lawry and Peter Tickell on fiddle, as evidenced by the show I witnessed on 15th April, this line-up is now stronger than ever. The On Stage Together show consisted of interweaving sets by both artists with contributions from various members of each of their bands. Some songs, such as ‘Fields of Gold’, were converted into duets. This particular example worked beautifully and was one of the highlights of the evening for me. Sting’s cover of Paul’s ‘America’ was sublime, as was Paul’s interpretation of the vocal on Sting’s ‘Fragile’.

’So Lonely’ was the opening song of Sting’s first solo set. This got everybody on their feet. Vinnie Colaiuta adds so much ‘spring’ to this song – there is something about the tone he gets out of the drums which sets him apart from literally every other drummer out there. The use of one of Paul Simon’s horn players was an interesting addition to this song! This was followed by ‘When the World is Running Down’, which was a real thrill for me. Having never seen this line-up live before, hearing David Sancious’ keyboard solo in person was a special moment. ‘Englishman in New York’ was yet another highlight that got everyone singing. I love the new inversions that Sting has brought into ‘Shape of My Heart’, and the instrumental break which has been doubled in length. ‘Driven to Tears’ was properly loud, with some furious soloing from Peter Tickell on fiddle. This part of the set closed with ‘Walking On the Moon’, which again got everyone singing. Notable throughout Sting’s sets was Vinnie’s almost unbelievable ability to play these very quick but incredibly advanced drum fills. If there were any minor tremors in London that night, then there’s the man to blame. Quite astonishing.

Using an excellent duet of ‘Mrs Robinson’ as a switchover, Paul then took over for his first solo set. I was massively impressed with him and his band. As is also the case with Sting, it is wonderful how, at the age of 73, Paul’s ability to perform has not diminished in any way. His voice is as strong as it ever was. He offered up five excellent performances including ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’ (everyone singing along once again), ‘Graceland’ and ‘Dazzling Blue’, a song from his newest studio album So Beautiful Or So What.

‘Fragile’ was the switchover song before Sting’s second set, and after his beautiful interpretation of ‘America’, the band immediately launched into ‘Message in a Bottle’. Everyone singing along again and up and dancing. This was followed by yet more brilliance from Vinnie, with his press roll intro to ‘The Hounds of Winter’, which I’m pretty sure he could have continued for at least the next week or two if he wanted to. Jo Lawry’s incredible backing vocal was very much in evidence here. Then we had ‘Roxanne’, which, apart from demonstrating quite plainly that I can’t sing anywhere near as high as Sting, morphed into a rendition of Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. ‘Desert Rose’ closed this part of the set, and was followed by another beautiful duet on ‘The Boxer’.

Then it was Paul’s turn to get everyone up and dancing. I was seriously impressed by Paul’s bass player, particularly on ‘You Can Call Me Al’. Brilliant. This part of the set allowed Paul’s band to show off their world class abilities a little more. It was a great build-up to the climax of the show. ‘Every Breath You Take’ once again worked brilliantly as a duet, and then of course we had ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. Sting’s vocal on this is sublime. He puts everything into it and takes the song to some other level.

Annoyingly however, with the O2 being the kind of venue that it is, I made a dash for it at this point to get to the tube and train to take me back to Richmond. But the show left me buzzing. I’m still buzzing. It was quite incredible, not least because I finally got to see that wonderful Sting line-up live after all these years. And quite plainly, they are still just as special together, if not more so than they ever were previously. I very much hope to see them again at some time. But this show really was something else. Indeed, the Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine was there that night and he described it on Twitter as the best show he has seen in years. Yes, Jeremy. I can see why.

Antidote for Blues – an appreciation of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms

Over popular music’s long history, there have been certain albums that stick out. They are an elite group, and they have certain unique qualities that somehow set them apart from the rest. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Band On the Run by Wings. Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Graceland by Paul Simon. These albums were all colossally successful and hugely iconic, each in their own unique way. Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms is one such example.

When talking about Brothers in Arms, Mark Knopfler has often said that when setting about recording it, he gave little thought towards how successful the album might be. He was just ‘recording another album’. Indeed, this was the middle of the 1980s. The charts were dominated by one-hit-wonder synth-pop acts and guitar orientated roots/rock music was hardly trendy at that time. Throughout their career, Dire Straits never tried to appeal to commercial trends. And yet, as the National Style ‘O’ unwittingly depicts on the front cover, the appeal of the band skyrocketed and they became arguably the biggest band in the world with the release of Brothers in Arms. It only goes to show that if you have good songs, you needn’t try to get in with the crowd – the songs will speak for themselves.

At least some of the success of Brothers in Arms can, of course, be attributed to the advent of the Compact Disc. The general soundscape of the album itself resulted partly from an entirely digital production, and it therefore naturally leant itself to the pristine sound quality of the new CDs. Ironically, Knopfler has reverted to a more analogue-based production into his solo career, the merits of which are obvious when his solo efforts are compared to Brothers in Arms. But digital recording was the natural direction to take at that time, and is an important part of what makes the album what it is.

The album opens with lead single ‘So Far Away’, a lament on the difficulties of a long-distance relationship. I have always felt that hearing those opening chords at the start of the album is akin to taking your first sip of a refreshing drink on a hot Summer’s day. Perhaps it’s just the comfort of familiarity. In spite of its subject matter, the song is actually rather upbeat, not to mention incredibly catchy. ‘Money for Nothing’, famously inspired by a delivery driver making comments on the MTV channel being shown on television screens in an electrical appliance store, features the sound of an overdriven Gibson Les Paul – not a sound Dire Straits fans had been accustomed to up to this point. After Terry Williams’ big drum solo, one of the most iconic guitar riffs in rock cuts in. Also subtly borrowing a snippet of melody from The Police’s ‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ sung by Sting himself, who guested on backing vocals, the song went on to become one of band’s most widely recognised hits worldwide, as did the light-hearted ‘Walk of Life’.

It is ironic that one of the world’s finest guitarists should write a song featuring such a strong and memorable saxophone hook, but this is exactly what Mark Knopfler did on ‘Your Latest Trick’, supplementing it with echoey guitar fills that compliment the imagery of its lyrics brilliantly. The gentle ‘Why Worry’ provides a more heartwarming moment and is a relatively simple composition, yet wonderfully effective. ‘The Man’s Too Strong’ is a lesson to any aspiring songwriter on how to finish a song. The combination of the instrumentation and the chord sequence in the outro of this song is, quite simply, perfect.

Another of the most well-known and iconic recordings on the album is title track ‘Brothers in Arms’. It is one of those songs that has come to mean a great deal to many listeners in a multitude of ways. It is also a song that may wash over you at first, but grows on you with repeated listening until you finally realise just how profound the song really is. Written from the point of view of a soldier in the last throes of his life, that guitar solo on which it fades out is a poignant note on which to end the album.

Throughout its nine tracks, Brothers in Arms has a distinctly atmospheric sound and a feel and mood all of its own. You might often hear Mark Knopfler, the self-deprecating gentleman that he is, putting its success purely down to its release coinciding with the advent of the CD and the fact that two of its singles were massive hits in the US. But whilst these things were certainly a factor, you only have to listen to the album to realise how genuinely special it is.

For all its successes, Brothers in Arms is not an album that you would seriously consider recording in the same way today. Its production was very much of its time and it would seem out of place if it was to be released now. And yet, paradoxically, it still sounds just as fresh as it ever did. It is difficult to put one’s finger on the precise reasoning for this, but the sheer brilliance of its songs, written by a master songsmith who continues to write music of an outstanding quality to this day, must be a factor – even looking through the prism of 1980s production values. Now thirty-five years since it was originally released in May 1985, Brothers in Arms retains its character. It is unique. Iconic. A masterpiece. And it will always remain so. To quote the lyric from one of its songs, ‘One World’, it is every bit that elusive “antidote for blues” for those of us who still appreciate such good, well-crafted music.

The 20th Anniversary edition of Brothers in Arms released in 2005.