A goldfish with a Freddie Mercury moustache, kitchen cockroaches and catching fireflies: an evening with Kristin Hersh offers plenty you’re unlikely to find elsewhere. At Cardiff’s Acapela venue, these stories provided an engaging route into the distinctive world of an indie hero whose band Throwing Muses came up through the same late-80s Boston scene as the Pixies.
Tom Crow (without his band The Ghost Riders in tow) opened with a short set rooted in history and human connection. Faded Red, about Aneurin Bevan, and a song dedicated to the Aberfan disaster brought a Welsh perspective, while Static And Stars looked towards Ukraine. Its account of Ukrainians in the UK communicating with relatives back home via satellite was a particular highlight, finding an affecting personal story within the wider devastation of war.
Hersh delved deeply into her extensive catalogue, touching on Throwing Muses without reaching for their best-known material. Your Ghost – from 1994’s Hips And Makers, and probably her most recognisable solo song – offered a familiar landmark, while Dark Eyed Junco brought us up to her latest album, Sugar On Blackstone.
The stories between songs were an attraction in themselves. Now living in New Orleans, Hersh introduced City Of The Dead by discussing its above-ground tombs and the watery practicalities behind them. Death, domesticity and absurdity proved close companions throughout the evening.
Bywater came with the memorable image of a goldfish sporting an immaculate Freddie Mercury-style moustache; another recollection involved a journey home with her four sons and an encounter with Amish girls catching fireflies. These glimpses of family life gave the songs a personal context, bringing their imagery closer without explaining away its mystery. Palmetto took us into her kitchen, where getting up to write late at night meant disturbing the resident cockroaches: a wonderfully unglamorous account of the creative process, delivered with the humour that made Hersh such engaging company.
The only gripe was the duration. At 65 minutes, this felt a little brief for something billed as “An Evening With…” and another few songs would have been welcome. Her gruelling itinerary might offer an explanation: 38 shows in 37 consecutive days, around the UK and Ireland with a handful of dates in France.
She at least spared us time spent going through the motions of an encore. Asking us to imagine her exit and return, Hersh stayed put before finishing with traditional folk song The Cuckoo. An appropriately unassuming farewell from a funny, engaging artist whose songs and stories could comfortably have held us longer.
Kristin Hersh + Tom Crow, Acapela, Cardiff, Wed 21 Oct
words KARL ELLIS & ALI ELLIS photos KARL ELLIS
