“It’s just going to be disgusting songs about fucking.”
Kathryn Joseph prepares us for what lies ahead on this, the opening night of her UK tour with Lomond Campbell. She will tell us later that her fellow Scot and the man who is responsible for making such huge, beautiful swathes of synthesised noise this evening is “amazing” – which he most certainly is – before adding “even though he is a c*nt.” No need to be shocked, though. In Joseph’s hometown of Glasgow, this is invariably seen as a term of endearment.
Joseph opens with ‘WOLF.’ from her brilliant fourth album WE WERE MADE PREY. – all block capitals and full stops and a record that was given a whopping 9* review on these very pages. Yes, it really is that good.
She hammers out the song’s insidious rhythm on her keyboard. It is the sound of petrifying dread, similar in its impact to John Carpenter’s soundtrack to his 1981 apocalyptic film Escape from New York to the point where you half expect Snake Plissken to emerge from the shadows. And, yes, we all thought he was dead.
Like Plissken, Kathryn Joseph is very much alive, and she and Campbell take us on an often very dark and intense journey, past the haunted staging posts of sad songs about abusive relationships before arriving at “hardcore bangers” and the infectious disco groove of ‘what is keeping you alive makes me want to kill them for’ from Joseph’s previous album, the equally marvellous for you who are the wronged.
Toss in Joseph’s wry observational humour – her story about toilet techniques from their recent tour supporting Mogwai is hilarious – and wonderful licentious cackle and even more light enters the darkness. It is a perfect balance.
More photos of Kathryn Joseph and Lomond Campbell at The Crescent in York.
