It can often be challenging for artists who were thrust into the limelight during the height of
Britpop to break free from its shackles. Many opt for the anniversary tours, parading old
music from decades ago, but not Gaz Coombes. Will Griffin reflects on his recent intimate performance at Rough Trade, where he proved that being a part of that 90s scene does not define your career.
Gaz emerged on stage alone with an acoustic guitar, to close off a weekend of in-stores and
media appearances. Coombes has returned this year with fervour, delivering another
album that many have hailed as his best solo work so far. What becomes clear through Turn
the Car Around, and his performance upstairs at Rough Trade Nottingham is that
Coombes’, is more confident and more in command of his sound than ever before.
Whilst the set was sparse, comprising just 6 songs, Coombes demonstrated the strength of
both the new album itself, and his older solo work, a continuity emphasised by the sole
acoustic guitar on stage.
Despite the aforementioned sparsity of the set, the same cannot be said for Coombes
himself. Wielding just an acoustic guitar, he never allowed the set to feel like a cursory
in-store to drive up sales. There was a genuine feeling of gratitude on Coombes’ behalf for
the turnout on a cold Sunday night. Whilst clearly exhausted, he was on form in between
songs, in almost constant conversation with his audience.
The set began with the first three singles from the new album, Sonny the Strong, Don’t Say
It’s Over and Long Live the Strange. Amongst an obligingly silent Rough Trade audience,
Coombes conveyed the beauty of the new album early on, with the family dedicated Don’t
Say It’s Over and the tender sadness of Sonny the Strong, the semi-fictionalised account of
Randy Turpin, a former British World Championship boxer.
"...even with just the sparsity of softly strummed acoustic guitar underneath, Coombes’ vocals never falter."
However, Coombes' set was not one defined by a sense of lost potential. He is an alumni of
the Britpop generation yet his new work is distinctly removed from any sense of 90s
nostalgia. His vocals are almost Thom Yorke-esque in their range, and even with just the
sparsity of softly strummed acoustic guitar underneath, Coombes’ vocals never falter.
Moving onto the rest of his solo discography for the rest of the set, his more recognisable
tracks emerged. He continued with The Girl Who Fell to Earth, then closing with Detroit, both taken from 2015’s Matador, but not before treating us to This Love, another track from the new album. The Girl Who Fell to Earth was strong in particular, the subject matter dealing with his relationship with his daughter.
Throughout his performance, he was in total control of his audience, and whilst the majority
of his audience were of an age where they would have witnessed Supergrass’ first rise to fame, there
was an unshakeable feeling that Gaz is far from a Britpop leftover.
Will Griffin
Edited by: Izzy Morris
Cover and in-article image courtesy of Gaz Coombes on Facebook. Video courtesy of Gaz Coombes on YouTube.
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