Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

When I grow up I want to be as cool as Stephen Malkmus. Look at him, up there on stage, languidly singing another brilliant and funny song, playing his guitar like it was the most natural thing in the world, floppy fringe still beautifully intact at the age of 48. The handsome devil. Malkmus of course will probably always be more well known for leading Pavement for many years, yet he seems happier here onstage as Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks than he ever did the times I saw him with Pavement. A smart and funny story teller in song, Malkmus delivers such a wide variety of styles as part of the Jicks – a trick that makes his most recent album Wig Out at Jagbags sing with a vibrancy that puts it up there with his best work. Onstage, he veers from the wigouts of the album title, to more laconic guitar work, proggy excursion and even little dips into the world of AM radio rock. ‘Lariat’ skips along with even more bounce than on the album, ‘Cinnamon and Lesbians’ is a hilarious and disarming set opener to put us right at ease and the closer ‘Baby C’Mon’ is a slice of prime rock and roll. Malkmus makes everything look so easy; his onstage demeanour is utterly charming, he’s not fussed by shouts from the crowd….the man can do no wrong. He remains, effortlessly, the coolest man in indie rock.

What a fantastic show. Band was just the right amount of loose and playful. Seriously thinking about driving regionally to see them again. A great mix of solid new material and old chestnuts. (No Tan Lines!)