Gig review: Kevin Devine

Published on Wednesday 9 December 2009 19:56

CAPTAIN'S REST, GLASGOW ***

AN APPEARANCE on the right quirky American indie movie soundtrack might be all it takes for Kevin Devine to make a breakthrough.

An affable chap with a droopy ginger fringe, this Brooklyn singer-songwriter's jangly tunes are a loveable blend of off-the-wall romantic introspection and political ire that suggest a heavy diet of Elliot Smith and the Shins. Yet he remains a relatively obscure figure even after five albums.

That's not to say Devine doesn't have an audience – the Captain's Rest was bustling with a young, rowdy, studenty crowd. They sang back many of his tumbling, wordy verses and choruses word-for-word.

He tested their patience at first with recent single Brother's Blood – a slow, gritty minor-key grind – before giving up the goods willingly with a slew of characteristically winsome numbers that wear upbeat melodies and reliable chords like a comfy old jumper.

Brooklyn Boy saw Devine dole out an abundance of "hey, heys" and "yeah, yeah, yeahs" – a large quota of which are pretty much a prerequisite from an artist of his ilk. Just Stay – perhaps his best song – wound up to an affirming refrain of "I'm OK, I'm OK" and a coda full of spirited wordless cooing.

He covered Leonard Cohen's Bird on the Wire, and signed off with a seasonal song – Splitting Up Christmas – about trying to find equal time for all your friends and relatives during the festive period. Here's hoping he finds a movie soundtrack request in his stocking this year.