Has it really been 25 years since The Hour of Bewilderbeast was launched?

Reading Indie Life are not having a good weekend. Already on the Friday night a top line-up of metal bands at The Face Bar was missed out on due to an unfortunate incident involving a mobile phone dropping into a toilet. Now, having looked forward to this gig for ages we only just get there for the start after major issues parking. It puts us the wrong side of the dreaded Oxford 02 Academy sound desk, so no good photos from this one!

I remember clearly my first encounter with ‘Once Around The Block.’ Like Mercury Rev’s ‘Goddess on a Highway’ and dEUS’ ‘Sister Dew’ the video was introduced to me by Zane Lowe on his wonderful MTV Gonzo show that evolved my musical taste more quickly than anything before or since. The freewheeling guitar rhythm over almost syncopated drumming, the fragile but tuneful vocals over the top. I got the album as soon as it came out amazed by the mix between polished brilliance and rough and unsmoothed tracks, almost demo like at times. It was a thing of delicate beauty.

25 years on Damon Gough is playing the album in full on a tour round the country. ‘The Shining’ starts things off in great fashion, meanderingly one of the best tunes on the album. Everything follows in order, the bigger tracks like ‘Another Pearl’ and ‘Once Around The Block’ eliciting the strongest responses. Gough provides commentary around a few of them, sharing insights, such as, “This is the title track Bewilderbeast. It’s an Instrumental because I couldn’t be arsed to write any words.” A couple of technical issues intrude. Microphone feedback derails the start of one song three times. Gough’s tetchiness threatens to emerge, and a few audience members visibly hold their breath wondering if the whole thing will unravel. However, this version of Gough seems a touch wiser and calmer than he could be in his peak fame days. ‘Epitath’ finishes off the first set. This album recreation was enjoyable but never really soared for me. Workmanlike, rather than inspired.

In the second set, taking a short tour through the rest of his work he is in even more of a mood to share. Introducing ‘All Possibilities’ Gough says, “This was probably the high point of my career as it was used on an advert for Comet, a kind of white goods utopia with a voice over from Lauren Laverne. It’s all been downhill since then.” Whilst there is humour here it feels like it is also hiding some genuine pathos. Gough struggled with his rapid rise after the About a Boy soundtrack went huge and he seems to have equally struggled with his inability to complete work over the last ten years and slide from the bigger leagues.

It starts to feel a bit like TMI, “This song is about how my sister and her partner split after ten years together.” Then of final track ‘Promises,’ ” This song is about my brother who died when I was 51, I’m 54 now.” Whilst of course major life events are essential to shaping an artist and providing inspiration for work, Gough feels determined to prove he has had a harder time in life than you have. Which of course can seem somewhat demeaning when that life has taken in major Glastonbury moments, world tours, and events many bands would kill for if it meant they could experience them. Given how much so many have suffered in recent years between austerity and covid, it suggests how insular Gough is to effectively stand up on stage and have a moan about how bad he has had it.

Like the first set the second is enjoyable without ever igniting. It isn’t a bad gig, but it feels lacking when compared to the last time Reading Indie Life were here for Fat Dog. Will we see a new Badly Drawn Boy album soon? Gough suggests he has huge amounts of half completed tracks but whether he can pull it together to get them completed remains to be seen. He suggests he has a very strong dislike of going into the studio.