IT WAS almost a relief to see Daniel Johnston surrounded by so many supportive musicians – for the purposes of this gig, his "friends" included quirky singer Scout Niblett, Teenage Fanclub frontman Norman Blake, Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew and Sp
arklehorse's Mark Linkous.
For years, this cult Texan songwriter, who was championed by Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth, has battled with severe mental illness, the full extent of which was made public in the harrowing 2005 documentary The Devil And Daniel Johnston. But there was a calming, homely warmth to this ensemble set-up. It felt like a safe place.
Following brief solo sets from the various participants – with Linkous's spectral quavering providing the atmospheric highlight – Johnston took the stage, firstly solo and acoustic and then with his indie supergroup. He is still a vulnerable soul, shaking as he sang and occasionally unable to keep a steady rhythm as he scratched away at his guitar.
Though helplessly childlike and often plain twee, his songs can also communicate the pain and desperation of the blues and the simple truths of a good folk song. Some renditions were more accomplished than others: Speeding Motorcycle sounded like a Fisher-Price Velvet Underground, and the harmonising on a cover of The Beatles' Rain sounded like an alleycats' chorus, but Story Of An Artist, with its refrain copied from a TV ad jingle, was guileless and beautiful, and True Love Will Find You In The End was sweet and poignant.
Yet, even as the audience was charmed by the hope and innocence of these tracks, there was no escaping the underlying darkness and paranoia expressed in the closing a capella Devil Town, a noir nursery rhyme which lingered like a brooding cloud after Johnston left the stage.
The full article contains 310 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
