British Rocker David Gray Blows the Roof Off of Tsongas

Author: Suzanne Mozes

David Gray's performance on Thursday, Jan. 30, at the intimate Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass., sustained the mounting hype surrounding his U.S. tour.
Soloing on piano, Gray opened with "The Other Side." However, with an unexpected sweep of the red velvet curtain serving as a lush backdrop, three other musicians joined him mid-song in an electrifying culmination.
This first song foreshadowed the power of the band's performance that evening.
Although the drum beat dominated in "Real Love" and both "My Oh My" and "White Ladder" came across a little coarse due to his stressed vocal cords, Gray's magnetic and rich voice created too many highlights during the show to be obscured by these insignificant weaknesses.
"Be Mine," accompanied by flashbulb lighting effects, energized the audience. "Flame Turns Blue" was complemented by video images on a backlit screen, which kept the technical wizardry going.
Already a decidedly soft, gentle and engaging performer, this 33 year old made it all too clear that he loves his art and his career. During "Late Night Radio," his wobbling head bobbed because he lost himself in his own song, and his dancing leg could not stop kicking because the beat radiated through his body.
He did not seem able to step back from his own music. He was incorporated into the song, he was encompassed by his own voice, he was overcome by his band's sound.
Just as Gray's flying arms and legs have become a signature of his style, so have his drummer's unbuttoned Hawiian shirt, wild twirling and puppet-like playing.
Gray's worn, striped rugby shirt, shaggy haircut and scuffed Converse sneakers have meshed with the band's laidback, un-pop star attitude and style.
Alternating between the piano, guitar and synthesizer throughout the concert, Gray did not leave the crowd unsatiated.
His encore included the other half of his performance, beginning with an acoustic set and finishing with the crowd on its feet, waving its hands to the beat of "Please Forgive Me."
The band seemed to thrive on its sense of humor. Minor mistakes during Gray's performances have been cited in past reviews.
Nevertheless, the pattern of imperfections humanizes each of the performers, giving the audience something to hold onto in an endearing appreciation of the musicians.
Even after entering too late on his own cue playing acoustic guitar during "Hold On," Gray could not but help to laugh at himself.
His humor laced the concert between songs with comments such as "Bush is a twat."
The graceful black and white videography complemented the band's jesting.
The shuffling live images adhered to Gray's image while unifying the entire concert.
Born in Manchester, England but brought up in the Welsh fishing village of Solva, Gray began his songwriting at age 17.
First releasing "A Century Ends" (1993), "Flesh" (1994) and "Sell, Sell, Sell" (1996), he self-financed his fourth album "White Ladder" (2000).
Gray recorded the tracks for "White Ladder" in his London bedroom with the windows wide open, trucks rumbling past and construction workers drilling below on the pavement. This recording situation gave the album a distinctly urban texture.
Gray explained to CNN, "I recorded at home, in part, because I didn't really have any money, but also I like the sound of it.
"I thought there was a kind of character to the stuff that we were doing. It sounded very natural." White Ladder achieved tremendous success, spending over 100 weeks on the UK Top 40 charts, going platinum seven times in the UK with sales of over 2.2 million and providing many tracks for the film "This Year's Love," starring Kathy Burke, Dougray Scott and Jennifer Ehle.
Due to the limits of his bedroom/recording studio, the album had to be kept within a certain "sphere."
Maintaining artistic integrity, Gray did not try to release his next album "A New Day at Midnight" (2002) as a way to supersede his past success.
"The task I faced was to get past all that, and get on with the job of writing and recording some music that articulated how I was thinking and feeling in the here and now," he explained.
Gray prefers "the instinctive feel of things," which seems to unite his body of work.
His intelligent lyrics, usually deliberating on relationships and spirituality, soothe his "decidedly young, mature, cute couply audience" that appears at most of his concerts, according to Micheal Osborche.
However, Gray's astute wit and intellect failed him following the concert due to an inevitable exhaustion from his high-energy, high-caliber show.
When approached at the afterparty, his kindness, however, carried him through the autographs, pictures and smiles in a very low-key, candle-lit environment.