Folkie Booknerd

By Folkiebooknerd

Kristin Hersh

“It’s so quiet!” said Rob Ahlers, settling in at his drum stool and eying the attentive and respectful Liverpool audience with an avuncular twinkle.

“It IS very quiet. That’s nice. But... we’re gonna wreck it!” replied Kristin Hersh, as she plugged her guitar in with evident intent.

And, together with laconic bassist Fred Abong, wreck it they did!

Kristin’s been responsible for an impressive catalogue of music since the mid-80s, with the legendary band Throwing Muses (of whom Fred Abong is a former member. He also spent time in The Breeders), with 50 Foot Wave (of whom Rob Ahlers is also a member) and as a solo artist.

She’s also written one of my favourite rock memoirs, ‘Paradoxical Undressing’ (known in some countries as ‘Rat Girl’) detailing the formation and pre-fame years of Throwing Muses in Rhode Island and Boston, her mental health ups and downs and the relationship between her mind and her music, following a road traffic accident when she was 16. Also worth a read is her memoir of her friend, the late musician Vic Chesnutt, ‘Don’t Suck, Don't Die’.

Not only does she write beautifully idiosyncratic songs, which she performs in a seemingly trance-like state, but she’s a great guitarist who can do both ‘subtle’ and ‘full-on’. She let rip with some great, effects-heavy, solos tonight!

A memorable night.

I’ve added some extras, too.

You can hear Kristin reading an extract from ‘Paradoxical Undressing’ at https://vimeo.com/20344267

And here are Kristin and Fred in Throwing Muses (along with Tanya Donelly and David Narcizo) performing ‘Counting Backwards’, back in 1991 https://youtube.com/watch?v=BFzCtKZo24M

Setlist

LAX
No Shade in Shadow
Mississippi Kite
Sunday Venus
Loud Mouth
Your Ghost
Husk
The Thin Man
Crooked
Tulum
Half Way Home
Sand
Limbo
The Cuckoo
Broke
You Cage

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