Dan Michaelson's voice is unique. So low that at times you can almost hear the individual wave forms of the notes. If he sang any lower it might just become inaudible to the human ear! His singing style however fits perfectly with the melancholy sentiment of the songs. Most songs centre on heartbreak from relationships and when Dan announced the next song "would be about heartbreak" someone called out “no sh*t!” to Dan and everyone’s great amusement.
He has a fine band in The Coastguards. A four piece guitars, bass, drums, with constant musical companion 'Horse' who played a steel pedal guitar to great effect adding a country widescreen feel to some of the songs. The band had an uplifting affect on the songs themselves which otherwise, might have been a bit too sombre for a Monday night.
Lost Map's Rozi Plain had the first turn on stage; she sung gentle songs accompanied with her guitar. The emphasis is on her fine vocals which were enhanced by the harmonies sung by Kate and Rachael who joined her for the set. Her new album is recorded and will be released next year. Rozi is also appearing with Rachael Dadd at St Pancras Old Church on 29th September.
The Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell London is such a good venue. In the basement of the pub the space is small and intimate and was named after the pub in the cult film 'American Werewolf in London'. It has the bonus of some excellent real ale and after the gig we also discovered rare single malt from Islay called 'Kilchoman Machir Bay'; a perfect finish to a perfect gig.
In our recent interview, Dan told us told us “My records are in their own world and you have to go there. If you don’t like it, I’ll make sure you get home safely”. So you can rest easy at any at any Dan Michaelson gig.
Ken
