Thursday 14th May 2009 @ Thekla, Bristol

Shuffling on stage, scratching his head and sipping from a can of Coke, Graham Coxon looks more like a quirky art teacher from Grange Hill than someone soon to be headlining Glastonbury, but then this, combined with classic Coxonisms like mumbling into the mic as he stares at his navel, is a large part of what makes the man so endearing.

What has always made Coxon such a great guitarist however, is the subtlety of his playing; each note perfectly placed, no room afforded the purely decorative. This goes a long way toward explaining how he manages to blend the dusty folk-blues-and-beyond of Davy Graham with the alt-rock of Pavement so seamlessly. Tonight’s set is predominately made up of acoustic tracks from his new album The Spinning Top, but is punctuated with heavy, effects pedal driven electric guitar tunes (on one occasion even managing to sound something akin to early Smashing Pumpkins mixed so naturally with foot tapping folk; this is no mean feat). Look Into The Light wouldn’t be out of place in Nick Drake’s songbook, and he even plays a short clarinet solo during the acoustic stomp of Dead Bees. Ironic really that on the eve of a Blur reunion, Graham Coxon should reveal himself to be such an eclectic gem of a songwriter. Comparisons to Elvis Costello certainly wouldn’t over flatter.

Quickly loosening up, Coxon instigates witty repartee with the audience and even pokes fun at the sound man for his striking resemblance to former Oasis guitarist, Bonehead. Relaxed, and looking completely at ease with the laid back atmosphere of this small venue, his easy charm soon illuminates the stage. All very different from the wired neurotic of his Blur days. We can only hope that said reunion, and the series of mega-gigs that will presumably follow, don’t lead to a regression. It seems unlikely however, given he’s just released his most confident and accomplished solo album to date and looks every bit as comfortable in his own skin that someone like Coxon – a shy, paled faced bedroom boy at heart – possibly can be.

The show ends with a cover of the Davy Graham version of Babe, It Ain’t No Lie; finger-picked like a natural. There’s no Freakin’ Out but it hardly matters because tonight is more about chillin’ out. Well over a decade since the smash and ruin of Britpop, Coxon has carved out a nice new niche for himself as folk troubadour, it ain’t no lie.

www.grahamcoxon.co.uk

James Davey