Patti Smith is, by all accounts a grand old dame of rock. She is a priestess of punk, the lady had done it her way all these years and can still draw a crowd to a beautiful church to hear her read a few passages from her new book “Just Kids” and to sing a few songs in a stripped back setting.
This is my first time at the Union Chapel and it is every bit as magical as one might expect, a working church it quite regularly plays host to gigs including Mencap's Little Noise Sessions concert series every November. This is also my first time seeing Patti Smith, I am somewhat of a late comer to her music, I had heard of her and done some investigating when she curated the Meltdown Festival in 2004 and since then listened with an eager ear to Land her best of.
I hadn't read the small print when buying the tickets, I had just seen the Patti Smith and paid my money. Now I am wondering just what she might serve up on this “An Evening of Words and Music with Patti Smith and Tony Shanahan ”.
I bumped into my friend Ronke on the way in and sit with her and Zuki and Elisa on the balcony. There's no support, she just strolls on stage with a black beanie, long black coat and brown boots. She says hi and rambles a little about tonight, she talks off the upcoming costume change for the night, asks people to put money in the tin at the back to help repair the roof “they were repairing the roof when I last played here 10 years ago” she proclaims before pausing and nodding. She introduces Tony Shanahan who is roadie, accompanist, road manager and all round help.
She puts on her reading glasses and begins by reading the opening pages of “Just Kids” the story of her time in New York in the late 60s and early 70s with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe . Its an enthralling story of growing up and making your own way and finding a true friend with which you spend every moment. She stumbles on some of the words and says this is the bit she'd prepared most, you can see she has marked out a few passages with torn pieces of paper as bookmarks. There is no pretension, she makes no bones about messing up, later on she forgets some of the words to “People Have The Power” it doesn't matter we laugh, she smiles she nods she waves at us to fill in and she remembers the next line and is able to take over again.
After a few words, the costume change, she takes off her hat and coat and dumps them at the back of the stage. After the first passage she sings a couple of songs “My Blakean Year” and "Greateful" before reading another passage. She also apologises for wearing black trousers and brown boots, something she was told not to do when learning to look presentable at school. Ahead of the next song she introduces Patrick Wolf and Seb Rochford of Acoustic Ladyland as back up violinist and drummer. They are an interesting looking couple of guys. They play “Redondo Beach” which gets the first big cheer of the night. Patti sings and shimmies.
She reads another passage before singing “Wing”. Then she tells us of the time Allen Ginsberg spotted her the extra dime for a sandwich in a cafeteria before later realising she was a girl and not the good looking boy he had hoped to be helping out.
She tells the story very matter of factly as if that was life in late 60s New York, which in some cases, it really was.
The songs tonight seem to have been chosen with specific thoughts in mind, she sings “Dancing Barefoot” and it really is beautiful. There's a few other songs, which include My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields on backing guitar, namely "Wild Leaves", "Birdland" and "Beneath The Southern Cross".
Finally she reads a passage about when “Because The Night” came out, about how she and Robert were walking down the street and her song was playing everywhere and Robert turned to her and said “Patti, you got famous before me”. I had not thought she'd play that song, surely its the one she is bored of, but she does play it and it feels quite special to hear her sing it now, here, in this church. It can be weird to be at a gig and see everyone sat down correctly in their seats, or pews as is the case tonight. But it seemed apt for a night of readings and almost acoustic numbers. During “Because The Night” she motions to the crowd, this is the time to stand and they do, people flock to the stage and crowd in to be close to the main lady.
She walks off before walking back on soon after, she talks about her late husband Fred Smith and her children before singing two songs she wrote with Smithabout them “Jackson Song” and “People Have The Power”.
It was a wonderful concert, when an artists invites you to get to know them and speaks to you on an even keel you feel more involved with the performance. On stage Patti Smith is self deprecating, she puts on a funny voice and says “Patti Smith seems somewhat distracted throughout the night, punctuated by some energetic performances, if flawed and atonal” as if reviewing herself. She made no bones about not being perfect but we didn't mind, she was sharing herself with us and singing songs we didn't expect her to, there can be no complaints.
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