Micah P Hinson Live Review
Komedia, Brighton 8th November
Entering the dark world of Micah P Hinson on a cold November night with the rain teeming down and the winter blues lurking in every shadow, it’s understandable if you feel apprehensive. That same nervousness you might get before watching a Lars Von Trier film: you know it’s going to move you, and shake you out of complacency, but it’s going to hurt.
And yes, there are moments in tonight’s set when the heaviness of the young Texan’s lyrics and emotionally-wrought vocals do strange things to the diaphragm, temporarily winding you, planting a leaden lump deep inside like on As You Can See and Dyin’ Alone. But overall the experience is not depressing, it’s life-affirming. This man may have experienced some dark shit, but he’s come through the other side. And his genuinely funny between-song banter reveals Hinson to be a witty, acerbic, and most charming man. He has taken on the world and won. When dealing with recent media claims that he is a rampant ‘conservative’ he quips: “Sarah Palin bought this microphone…I’m a tea-bagging son of a bitch.”
Tonight Micah is playing alone with nothing more than his guitar. There is no band to recreate the complex textures of his studio output so consequently no string arrangements or percussion to build musical tension around his lyrical repetitions. But stripped of these adornments, his laments are given new life. His voice is no Willy Nelson whisper, it’s a throat-ripping battle between vocal cords and a tide of emotion, and along with his subtle guitar-playing, provides more than enough dynamism. I Still Remember is transformed into something achingly beautiful and Hinson puts so much into 2s and 3s that the room practically bristles with energy leaving you wondering why this insanely talented performer is not a global success.
Originally published at Brighton Source.
Fans of Micah P. may enjoy the new album from Frog.