Momus, The Elder Statesman (11th March perf review)

Set List (based on notes and faulty memory) ______

Pierre Au Lune Day They Invented the Car The Donkey Love Me Tree Mistaken Memories of Medieval Manhattan Dream Schomburg/Schubert Heliogabalus Frilly Military Lucretia Borgia

Encore -------- The Penis Song Coming In A Girl's Mouth Nikeasu Complete History of Sexual Jealousy

This wasn't your Mama's music....

Joe's Pub, small by New York venue standards, was the perfect setting for Momus' farewell show (before swanning off to Tokyo for three months). An intimate space, it is split-level with a bar cradling plush red couches. Framed in a semi-circle and dimly lit, the stage is clearly the focal point. (If you were brave enough to sit at the closest tables, the performers could have leaped onto your lap.)

As this would be the last chance I have to see him perform before moving to London, there was no way I was going to miss his performance. When I got there at 11:00 pm, the place was already filling up with eager young pretties. Unsurprisingly, most of the audience was Asian. (I was curious to see if there would be any other Black folk taking him in; happily, there WERE a few brave souls.) I picked a close spot on the couch, grabbed a glass of wine and waited.

The opening band, Uband, were an interesting duo. Their "instruments" consisted of two large comp setups and microphones. It was clear that they just were playing for the joy of doing it. Unlike much of the crowd, I was actually listening. Dressed in regular clothes, their stance seemed to be, "We're tech junkies, and proud of it, dammit!"

However polite the audience was during Uband's set, I could tell they were eager for Momus to jump up there. Dressed in grey wool, topped by a short fur coat (with the usual eye patch), he looked like a relaxed pirate;> Accompanied only by his IMac, he proceed to enjoy our enthusiastic response. Unlike me, the audience already had their fave songs picked out; I'd take whatever he was willing to dish. For the uninitiated, his mix of sarcasm, historical fact and overtly sexual lyrics might be off-putting. No surprise that radio airwaves wouldn?t be ready for "The Penis Song" and "Coming In A Girl's Mouth". (Indeed, two audience members I was sitting with had asked me to describe his music to them; I said he was an acquired taste.)

Never having seen his act live, it was cool to see that he is rather active. During "Memories of Medieval Manhattan", his Scot shuffle nearly made him fall off the stage. He would chat between songs like your gossipy aunt, such as revealing the inspiration for "Frilly Military" (written for Kahimi Karie) and for "Pierre Au Lune" (written with another of his ex-wives). The songs range from the orchestral with "Day They Invented The Car" to---truly---country with "The Donkey". He even touched on rap (sort of) with "Penis Song".

As with all good things, the hour fifteen set seemed too short. Even though some of the couch crowd left halfway, the rest of us were digging it. Hell, he even earned a declaration of love from one chick;> The encore was worth doing, and he knew it. We weren't going to let him out of the building, otherwise. At a fiver, it was a cheap date that was *actually* worth it.