Chris Isaak strides on stage with his Silvertones band, wearing a spangly Nudie-style suit and proceeds to seduce and slay a rapturous audience.
American Boy starts proceedings, and it encapsulates the show that follows. He resembles a Fifties Elvis and the alumni that followed in his wake out of the Sun studio in Memphis. The band play reverb-laden Rockabilly twang and end up sounding Outlaw Country.
What follows is as familiar as a favourite coat and it is executed perfectly.
Isaak’s heart belongs in that initial Big Bang of Rock’n’roll, and he is forever in that Red Room.
His music informs much of David Lynch’s oeuvre, as the filmmaker has used it extensively throughout the Twin Peaks series and many of his movies.
Isaak’s most memorable role was in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, where he plays FBI agent Chester Desmond, an alter-ego to Special Agent Dale Cooper.
There is a haunting nature to many of his songs of heartbreak and lost love. Of course it embodies Country Americana.
A similar artist is Springsteen, whose heart and soul dwells in the same place. Isaak doesn’t bellow, he has a cleaner vocal instrument than the Boss.
Both men idolise Roy Orbison, who was more a dramatic Pop singer than a Rockabilly artist that he was first presented as.
Pretty Woman and Only the Lonely are both covered. They are faithful versions with Isaak’s own skilful vocal nuances adding extra shine.
He can play on that dramatic Pop style with his own Forever Blue and Somebody’s Crying.
His best Orbie styled song is You Don’t Cry Like I Do, and the tears also come from the keyboards.
Of course, this band can rock out on a song like Go Walking Down There. Heavier electric guitar tones along with hard vocals and it ends in a breakdown. Country Rock?
The Silvertones are a superlative band, and they are as tight and seamless as a James Brown revue. More on that later.
I can reliably identify Kenney Dale Johnson drums, and Herschel Yatovitz lead guitar. Likely Rowland Salley bass and Timothy Drury keyboards.
Memphis style Blues licks abound on Speak of the Devil and Notice the Ring.
Harder Chicago Blues guitar on Big Wide Wonderful World. The lyrics come straight out of the Great American Song Book in style and intent.
Two Hearts has Tex-Mex rhythms and there is a little La Bamba mixed in there.
You hear Klezmer European Jazz rhythms on a song like Baby What Do You Want Me to Do. It is recognisably Country and quite theatrical.
Many songs feature his signature yodel. An adaptation of a blue yodel and a black gospel yodel. The sudden swoop to falsetto. Springsteen does it, but Isaak is smoother and can sustain.
He conjures up a worm hole when he softly croons My Happiness. The first song Elvis sang at the Sun studio, when he availed of its recording service to the public. He said it was a gift for his mother, but it was also his first attempt to try and get noticed by studio boss Sam Phillips.
It can be found on the Elvis Presley Sunrise compilation album, available on Spotify.
Soon after, he knocks off a perfect version of Can’t Help Falling in Love.
Mel Parsons has started the evening, and she has shed her band tonight in favour of going solo with an acoustic guitar.
It highlights her voice which has become a strong instrument with a nice deep quality.
She reminds me of the classic era of the Laurel Canyon singer songwriters.
Most of the songs are Folk reveries like Don’t Wait, which is a highlight tonight.
She does close with a faster charged folkie stomper, before telling us to visit the merch table where there are CDs, vinyl albums, memorabilia and four children (not for sale).
Chris Isaak is a chronicler of Americana in a similar manner to Ry Cooder.
He plays Blues Stay Away from Me, the Delmore Brothers classic, with minimal accompaniment.
Then to the other extreme of Baby Did a Bad Thing. Memorably featured on Stanley Kubrick’s last movie Eyes Wide Shut. Mixing gruff John Lee Hooker growls, surf guitar with the James Bond theme mixed in. One the Cramps should have covered.
He steps out of the rehearsed show towards the end to indulge his James Brown passion.
Introduced with a great little anecdote before launching into I’ll Go Crazy. Done with a little country flavour. Brown did record on the King-Federal label, primarily a roots Country and Bluegrass label.
Chris Isaak ends the show with heartbreak on The Way Things Really Are. A masterful performance from the whole band.
Rev. Orange Peel
Photography by Leonie Moreland
Chris Isaak
Mel Parsons
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