Sunday 21st August 2022
Aside from The Crookes, I think I have now seen Milburn and Good Cop Bad Cop frontman Joe Carnall Jnr live more than any other artist. The first time was at a record signing in Sheffield in (I think) 2008. I still have my signed vinyl of ‘Cheshire Cat Smile’. That was almost 15 years ago. In that time, I have got married, become a teacher and bought a house. And yet, I still find myself returning to Carnall’s work again and again. This is the power of music. It soundtracks our life and becomes a constant in a way that nothing else can. To see him in such an intimate venue is truly a privilege…
The Greystones is a lovely Thornbridge pub a couple of miles out of the centre of Sheffield. A cracking venue. It’s important to note at this point that I may have sunk a few small beers before the show had even begun (what of it), and there is no denying that by the time Joe walks onstage joined by multi instrumentalist and all round lovely fella Adam Crofts, I am ready for action. And action is what I get.
Traditional set opener ‘Well Well Well’ sets things off nicely, and it is intriguing to hear songs that are so familiar reworked on an acoustic guitar and a keyboard. The crowd are in good voice, particularly for ‘Cheshire Cat Smile’ with its irresistible riff taking on the timbre of a football chant or perhaps a religious incantation. Late era Milburn single ‘Midnight Control’ sounds great as does ‘Lucy Love Me Not’ with backing vocals enthusiastically provided by the crowd. So far, so good.
From there, the hit parade is in full swing. ‘Storm in a Teacup’, always one of Milburn’s best songs, has become an ever-present in any Joe Carnall set, and as good as it sounds acoustically, this song does make me long for the full band treatment. Good Cop Bad Cop calling card ‘Silk and Leather’ follows, a song that is silky, but is not leathery, before ‘The Genius and the Tramp’, a track that actually benefits from the softer touch of an intimate venue, leaves me with something in my eye. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
The set closes out with a spirited ’17’ and the always triumphant mass singalong to ‘Roll Out the Barrell’ before a timely cover of ‘Summer Loving’ and the always incredible ‘What You Could’ve Won’ – a song that I love so much that I have listened to it at least once a week for 15 years. Seeing it live is forever a moment for me, a moment that I always mark by calling my friend Mike to sing down the phone at him. He’s very understanding.
Carnall and Crofts leave the stage to rapturous applause and they graciously put up with me and my even drunker friend accosting them in the bar afterwards. A pair of gentlemen both.
So, another year. Another Joe Carnall Jnr show. Life rolls on and yet some things remain a constant. Roll on the Christmas show. These are the facts.