John Cale and Band, Albert Hall. 24th August 2023

John Cale is an interesting artist, that’s a bit of an understatement, but truth told I don’t know that much about him. I’m just glad he’s still recording and playing live. This is my first Cale gig and I like it when more established artists keep working, it gives us late comers a chance to see them. Well maybe not with The Stones, they just belt out the same songs year after year. The same is not the case for Cale though. His catalogue twists and turns. Like my favourite album, Church of Anthrax which still sounds brilliant today. We won’t get any of that tonight though and if you’re here for Velvet Underground stuff, you’re out of luck. What there is though is plenty from his latest release Mercy which I’m here for, it’s a brilliant record. It’s all seated in Albert Hall, the first time I think I’ve seen that for a band, but this is a calm respectful sort of crowd, well for the most part. Taking the stage with his band all dressed in black, they launch into ‘Jumbo in tha Modernworld’. It’s not my favourite, but Cale it must be said sounds great. As does the thick organ bluster of ‘Night Crawling’ as the psychedelic kaleidoscope projection sears on the backdrop behind them. It all feels rather fitting on the Albert Hall stage with those big organ pipes reaching the ceiling. It’s the first of the songs from Mercy and is followed by ‘Moonstruck (Nico’s Song)’. It flows like a dreamy lullaby with its rolling bass, before it gets proper trippy in the coda. I’m going to struggle with some song titles here, but we get something a bit more jazz pop next and suddenly the drummers turtleneck sweater makes more sense. Someone screams “Yeahhhh!!!” as it closes, but it’s not for me. The next song, which I’m pretty sure is from Mercy (just listen to the whole album) is more my thing. Its dark string backing and drum machine underpins a haunting song, that allows Cale to inject some drama. It’s free form flow seems a bit much for some though as a few head to the bars and elsewhere. The always stunning Albert Hall sound struggles a bit too, with the right speaker sounding overloaded… although the crackle still sounds cool. As if to get everyone back in the room, they play ‘Not the End of the World’ next. With more accessible rock n roll swagger than you can shake a stick it, it’s a bouncy bugger, it could be Elton up there on Piano! Cale then abandons the piano and picks up his guitar for ‘Helen of Troy’. It’s a dirty blues banger that fills the room with glorious deep slabs of distorted swamp guitar. It sounds bloody amazing. The band all locked in to that amazing bassline as they extend and noodle away. Phenomenal. With a change in sound if not pace, they follow with ‘Out Your Window’. It’s got a metronomic hammer blow drum beat, that’s thick with layers of bass and piano, topped with Cales vocal. It’s more conventional, well for Cale at least. There’s a backing loop track for ‘Rosegarden Funeral of Sores’. That’s fine though, there’s a lot going on in this track and there’s only four of them up there. It really is rather beautiful, coming alive live, showing the full range of Cales ideas. We’re in that part of the set as things stay tranquil and drifty for ‘Noise for You’. The new stuff sounding sublime alongside the older songs. The eerie soundscape of ‘Wasteland’ is worth the ticket price alone. Its somber tones and squelchy crunches are packed with cinematic menance. Although I could do without the pillocks behind me talking. ‘Barracuda’ shuts them up, with its southern blues licks, the heads are bobbing. What’s evident in all these songs, is how much space they have to play with. It makes for an exciting set that I don’t really want to end. Although ‘Villa Albani’ does feel a touch laboured late in the set for some reason. It’s probably me, I only slept a few hours last night. Thankfully the encore brings more with bows being pulled over bass guitars during an unrecognisable cover of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. It’s gentle lament sending us back out into the night. It’s a twisty set as you might expect and utterly wonderful. He doesn’t play live that often, so this really was an absolute treat.