Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan @ Cabaret JPR

The other day, I skipped out on the 2^nd half of my radio program in order to catch Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell play Cabaret JPR. Driving from CJLO studios to St-Laurent Boulevard took under ten minutes due to some speeding, whirling in and out of lanes and running to the venue from my parking spot. Totally worth it.

I missed the opening set by Willy Mason, which was a bummer since he performs lead vocals on a few great songs on the duo’s new Hawk record. One of them is a terrific cover of “No place to fall” by the legendary Townes Van Zandt. He played it a little later in the show, and I was all smiles.

So… You’ve got the lead guy from the Screaming Trees doing his third record with that sweet little pixie from Belle and Sebastian. The result: Dusty traveler storytelling and soft-hearted ballads. There’s more to it than that, and we can analyze it t’ill the cows come home, but it’s basically that. Lanegan’s voice is dark, and at times gloomy not unlike the baritone of Lee Hazlewood or that of Leonard Cohen. Put together with the delicate coo of Isobel Campbell, and you’ve got a surprisingly stellar duo now on their 3^rd LP, playing their first ever Canadian show in Montreal.

If you missed it, I’m sorry. It was pretty damn good. You got to hear all the best selections from their 3 albums with a hearty chunk of the show-dedicated Hawk which isn’t a far step from their earlier recordings “Ballad of Broken Seas” and “Sunday at devil dirt”. Although the show was brilliant in itself, much of it was song after song of twinkly, down-tempo heartbreakers. No problem with that, however the energy level midway through the set was pretty low. I was mesmerized by the performance, but I had to lean on something to stay standing. Hearing “Deus Ibi Est”, “Come walk with me” and “Ramblin’ man” from the Ballad LP were personal highlights that had me inching closer and closer to the stage. Campbell played a portion of the show on her own, playing “Sunrise” and “To Hell..” which had most in attendance smiling due to that awkward, soft-spoken charm she possesses.

Did I mention that people in attendance got a 2 for 1 deal? That’s right. The walls on the right side of the floor were trembling due to a performance by Helmet taking place just next door. Taking a breather in the lobby, you can hear the insanity going on through the common wall separating the two Cabaret venues. From what I heard, it was pretty nuts.

Nevertheless, Lanegan & Campbell were pretty crazy too, well… as crazy as one can get with an acoustic guitar and a violin. But in all seriousness, they’re the absolute perfect mix of sweetness and melancholy, and seeing it unfold in-person was just, brilliant.  Next time they come, don’t miss it… and bring a date. I really should have brought a date to this one.