Blog: Chris T-T

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The Wheels On My Bus and I went OUT last night, and part of our going out involved going to see Chris T-T playing at The Borderline. He was BLOODY GRATE!

I've seen Chris play MANY times, and it's always felt like watching a Possible Future version of ME. He's always been a few years further ALONG than me, and seemed to be doing a couple of years BETTER than me (if you see what i mean), but it felt like he was WITHIN REACH... however last night it became clear that he was FAR FAR AHEAD. He's always been LOVELY onstage, but last night he was BRILLIANT, PACKED full of charisma, PASSIONATE, sounding ACE, and obviously CHARGED UP on the new album he's got coming out.

He started with "Giraffes", which is one of the best! songs! EVER! and then went UPHILL from there. The new stuff ROCKED EXTREMELY HARD - I was looking forward to "The Huntsman Comes A-Marchin'" because Mr Ray Dann had told me it was GRATE, and he was not wrong. I've tried not to say this, but it MUST be said: with the hair standing up on the back of my neck, my entire MIND going "YES! RIGHT ON!" and my innards full of the urge to RUSH THE BARRICADES, it couldn't fail to remind me of how it USED to feel going to see Billy Bragg, before he went all WOMAD. I suspect I will not be the only person to make this comparison...

And while I'm at it - I'd ALSO been eager to hear "Preaching To The Converted", and had sort of expected it to be a sort of quiet, introverted End Of An Album, more a song he was singing to himself. I was thus SURPRISED when he announced it as his last song, then AMAZED at what a HUGE SLAB OF ROCK it was. It was - GET READY! - the 21st Century "Waiting For The Great Leap Forward".

It really was though! Honestly, comparing someone to Billy Bragg is usually the province of THE DULLARD and THE MUSIC HACK, it gets said about EVERYONE who sings a song on their own, in a regional accident, when the BPM gets about THIRTY, but in this case it is VALID. Chris was PASSIONATE, INCISIVE, RABBLE ROUSING, FUNNY, and BLOODY RIGHT! I stood watching feeling EXCITED, but also, i must admit, a little DEPRESSED - I'd thought of myself as in the same LEAGUE, but it was very clear to me watching him that i WASN'T.

I felt this afterwards when I went to say WELL DONE. Previously it's been like going to chat to a COLLEAGUE, a fellow TRAVELLER on the ROAD OF ROCK, but this time i felt more like a FAN... and anybody who's seen me in ACTION will know my track record of embarrassing myself in these situations! He really DID need congratulating though, it was a STUNNING performance and i RECOMMEND everybody to go and see him as soon as you get the chance. It was FANTASTIC!

posted 20/10/2005 by MJ Hibbett

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