Chris Shiflett Brings his roots rock solo tour to a close with a bang in a packed London show.
Words & Pictures: Kahmel Farahani
Best known as the lead guitar player for a small American band called The Foo Fighters, Chris Shiflett has had a long and very rich solo career that covers 5 studio albums alongside various EPs and punk side projects. His latest album, last year’s `Lost At Sea`, is one of his strongest to date and thankfully it caused Shiflett and his band to set sail and travel to UK shores for a short tour.
Chris starts off by thanking the venue the catering for the Greg’s sausages rolls and the ones the crowds have been bringing along to the shows throughout the tour. “All I ever wanted to do was be in a band and make a rock and roll and release a record” says a smiling Shiflett, “and I did that in 1995”. Backed by a drummer and a bass player, Shiflett leads his light and lean trio through an almost 90 min setlist of original material.
Songs like `Goodnight Little Rock` and `Long Long Year` are brilliantly concise, catchy and laid back cuts of country flavoured rock and roll. It’s about one thousand miles from The Foos stadium anthems and crushing riffs and that’s a good thing. This is nothing like diet stadium rock – Chris Shiflett is very much his own artist and tonight it shows.
“I always tell this story about this song but today I’m not since it’s our drummer Robert’s birthday! I’m getting him a coach to tickets to America” The crowd sing a rousing happy Birthday to Robert and it’s followed by the roots rock, small town Springsteen flavoured `Welcome To Your First Heartache`.
Indeed it’s easy to compare most of Chris Shiflett’s to a Springsteen or a John Mellencamp but, just like those lofty songwriters, Shiflett’s material is simple and straight from the heart. `Overboard` and `I’m Still Drunk` are country influenced sing alongs that go over brilliantly. Following his story about trying to find Thin Lizzy t shirt to buy in Camden market, the trio play their sole cover song of the night and do a lovely, laid back rendition of Cowboy Song before taking their final bow.
A fine evening of original music from an artist who could easily lean on the Foo Fighter’s catalogue of hits and covers, Chris Shiflett took the road less travelled and gave the London crowd something special and very heartfelt. One can only hope he returns to these shores soon.
