Steady Raconteurs in need of a few more barnstormers

Published on Wednesday 27 August 2008 10:33

The Raconteurs *** Edinburgh Corn Exchange FOR a couple of hours last night a little bit of Nashville descended upon Edinburgh as Tennessee group The Raconteurs played to a near-capacity crowd at the city's Corn Exchange.

Such was the buzz surrounding their appearance that a lengthy crowd was still snaking around the building as the gig started, undaunted by the drizzle that almost certainly didn't blow in from Music City, USA.

A rowdy welcome from the audience, skewed towards males in their mid 20s to early 30s, led to an energetic opening from co-founders Jack White (The White Stripes) and Brendan Benson. This section was mainly to be a showcase for the band's recent second album, Consolers of the Lonely, fusing Nashville influences with some seemingly tongue-in-cheek soft-metal riffs.

Memories of Sunday afternoon's watching too many Spaghetti Westerns were surely recalled for many by The Switch and the Spur, a song which saw the audience start to sway, seemingly holding back their real energy for later.

More echoes of the old Midwest were evident in the melancholy Top Yourself. With the stage lights turning a dusky orange and the country rock gradually rising in the background, this finally put Benson's vocals to good use, backed up by White.

After a run of quieter tunes, the audience's patience was rewarded with the next song, the rousing Old Enough. Take every Western musical cliche, throw in some more fiddle music and add some thought provoking lyrics and you've got a hit single waiting to happen.

A lively cover of Van Morrison's Baby Please Don't Go led into a slow rendition of Store Bought Bones, easily the most mellow performance of the evening, again showcased the vocal talents of both White and Benson.

With the lights bleaching the venue in pure white, the amps turned up to their limit and headbanging in evidence around the hall, the mosh pit was finally open for business with Broken Boy Soldiers. A final guitar solo was received with rapturous applause from a crowd now remembering what it was that made them fall in love with the group back in 2006. It was back then to the new album, with Rich Kid Blues bringing things down to Earth with a bump, the tempo only rising thanks to some enthusiastic handclapping.

After a short break it was on to the heavy rock of Attention before the quieter, more repetitive Many Shade of Black. Mostly silent, speech-wise, up until now, White did offer some comment to the fans on how great they were before launching into radio-friendly hit, Steady As She Goes.

Predictably, this was the one everyone was waiting for, the band indulging the crowd with an extended version utilising all of their talents and showing what they can do when needed.

Closing with the calmer Carolina Drama, the contrast between the final songs was typical of the night as a whole: while often threatening to raise the roof, too often things went a bit too quiet again too soon. A few more barnstormers next time, please.