As Barack Obama flew into Cardiff along with the rest of the NATO conference goers, another American also paid a visit to the little Welsh capital, bringing with him his own whirlwind of crazy to the Clwb Ifor Bach. Ezra Furman may not be anywhere near as internationally renowned as the US president or have the same volume of retinue, but he definitely had a big impact on the adoring crowd.
The bill included support from the lone voice of Tender Prey and another solo gig from Simon Love, who’s band couldn’t make the trip from London, but that didn’t stop the preview of his upcoming single, Elton John, from sounding very impressive indeed. They were added to by the early Kasabian inspired Stalin’s Street Party, who did their best to bring a bit of action in the build up to the Ezra Furman set with live drum machine tapping, but they’ve still got some way to go to win over crowds.
Ezra, however, has the majority of the audience at his high-heeled feet from the get go as he takes to the stage in a lovely red flowery dress and a little leather jacket; eyes looking slightly maniacal and also a little self deprecating. Referencing that other American in town with a certain level of whit and socio-economic awareness, it isn’t long before he launches himself and his band mates, The Boyfriends, into the the full force intensity of their set.
Vocally he’s right on the limits with a solid range, unique twang and a tendency to yell and screech out the lyrics like he’s trying to level all comers from the comfort of the stage. It’s an attacking set from the entire band, with all of the tracks being played heavier, faster and louder than they are on the album.
There’s a lot of firepower under the hood of the guitars and they’re cracked up to overdrive for the majority of the songs, giving Ezra and his Boyfriends a significant impact on the crowd and livening up the Thursday night brilliantly. As with his albums, saxophone blasts are a big part of the live set and while they’re not quite as dominant in the mix as they are on their recorded music, they’re still a crucial element of what makes the band work as well as they do.
The best tracks of the set included My Zero, And Maybe God Is A Train, Day Of The Dog, At The Bottom Of The Ocean and Tell ‘Em All To Go To Hell, but in all fairness most of the songs were delivered with enough drive and intensity to keep everyone hooked. All of the tracks on the set list were introduced with a darkly ironic flair that makes Ezra and his boyfriends incredibly endearing, highlighting both the fragility and rock ‘n’ roll bravado of the lead singer.
Seeing Ezra Furman live leaves you with the feeling that you’ve seen a full-on proper show, which is impressive in itself for a small venue like Clwb Ifor Bach. With elements of Pixies at full tilt and touches of madness around the edges, it’s as much a wild spectacle as it is a great showcase for the music and while there could be more light and shade variation in the songs it was a crowd pleasing set.
If you’re looking to catch the band in the last legs of their UK tour, they’ve still got a stop off in Manchester at Band On The Wall on the 22nd September 2014 before finishing up at London’s Scala on the 23rd. As their last album Day Of The Dog was released in October 2013, we’re expecting Ezra and The Boyfriends to go back to writing and recording new material after the UK tour finishes up, but to honest you can never quite tell with a man with eyes like Ezra.
Ezra Furman live review: 3.5/5
