GIG REVIEWS

Patti Smith
@ The Concorde, Brighton
1st August 2002
www.vanguard-online.co.uk

 Within three minutes of beginning the first track, the godmother of rock n' roll Patti Smith has told the photographer to get lost "hey. I thought I was doing a modelling shoot for a minute and I forgot to do my hair" she growls with more than a hint of sarcasm. The radical mistress of punk with a cute smile and tiny frame, Patti needs no fancy hairdo or designer labels. In badly fitting jeans and apt revolution t shirt her substance and presence is more than enough to carry the message to tonight's breathless fans. Almost thirty years experience of live performance show her true gifts, one of which is crowd working as over and over throughout the set, she states her love of Brighton, conducts anti-war monologues and climbs up and down from the stage to shake hands with her audience. 'Redondo Beach' is the opener which gets the place bouncin'. Patti is accompanied by two backing singers on bass and rhythmn guitars, a drummer and we are intermittently treated to her own accomplished lead guitar skills. Her 18 song set includes such classics as the breathtaking 'Piss Factory', a cover of The Ronettes 'Be My Baby', the reverb filled '25th Floor', crowd enticer 'Gloria' as well as the classic 'Free Money' which transforms the venue into a sea of bobbing heads, air punches and grinning faces. At one point during 'Because The Night', Patti leaves her band to get on with it whilst she visits the crowd and almost falls flat on her faces as she clambers back on stage completely missing her cue. Only Smith could get away with this carry on saga, her genius talent, humility and overflowing anger mixed with compassion for world issues make for such an endearing package, it's untrue. Even the guitarists look both bemused and confused by Patti's antics, quick impromptu band meetings between songs spell unrehearsed, yet familiar confidence. There is an unpredictability and sheer buzz of excitement to the show, no millenium electro-beat commercialism just true heady riffs and gut wrenching rock n' roll, the only thing missing being 'Birdland'.

A nigh on two hour set ends with a mind blowing ten minute rendition of 'Rock n' Roll nigger' making the hairs on your arms stand on end and the spine tingle. Patti Smith's final statement is to break every single guitar string until her fingers bleed and to drawl into the microphone " I love Brighton, I wanna live here when I grow up"

Hey.... we would welcome you girl, with open arms and open minds.

Michaela W