Daniel Johnston

You can almost forgive the existence of the IndigO2 – its shiny floors, garish blue neon lights and £4 beers clear indicators of its devotion to corporate opulence – solely for playing host to tonight’s gig. Daniel Johnston, the cult anti-hero’s hero, and his musical friends (Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, Scout Niblett, James McNew of Yo La Tengo, Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, and Jad Fair of Half Japanese) jar somewhat with their swanky surroundings, but, set against such fakery, it makes their words and music sound seem even more real and sincere.

To begin with, the supporting players take it in turns to perform brief solo sets in the run up to the main event. There are awkward pauses between both songs and performers, but the music itself is a good precursor to Johnston’s arrival, brief introductions to the band that set the tone for the rest of the evening. When Johnston first appears, onstage, any audience awkwardness immediately disappears – the crowd moves in closer to the 47 year old and cheer rapaciously. He plays two songs alone, just him and his guitar, before cheekily grinning ear to ear and announcing his imminent return with his band. It’s difficult to know exactly how he must feel up there by himself – perhaps a strange mixture of fear and elation – but it’s clear how everybody else feels, because the awe in room is so thick you can almost taste it.

When he returns with the band, Johnston seems a little more comfortable, though his left hand shakes continuously from start to finish. This happened back at the Union Chapel show just over a year ago too, and it’s difficult to know whether this is a result of terrified nerves or a symptom of his mental difficulties. Either way, seeing him shake, despite his humorous banter with the crowd and that grin again, is a little difficult and disconcerting. Johnston is without doubt an extremely talented songwriter, but regardless of his talent, there’s surely a morbid fascination involved in watching a grown man with his disabilities perform on stage. It’s not the only element, but it certainly factors into the equation.

The songs, though, are as moving and real as they are on record; fragile, disconcerting stories brought to life by the childlike, naive and nervous demeanour of the man singing. ‘Walking The Cow’, ‘Casper The Friendly Ghost’ and_ ‘Hey Joe’ are the definite highlights, though ‘Living Life’ _is notable by its absence. On the whole, it’s not as amazing a show as the aforementioned Union Chapel gig (which is set to be released on DVD sometime in the future) – it’s not as intimate and the surroundings not so magnificent – but the ‘all-star’ band more than do Johnston’s songs justice. Johnston himself delivers them the only way he knows how, with a child’s heart and imagination. And despite any ethical reservations there may be about Johnston performing, he seems to enjoy it almost as much as the crowd.

Whoever would have thought that the Millennium Dome would ever be the setting for such a culturally left-field event. Even if it wasn’t as good as it could have been, tonight is likely to be one of the best gigs the IndigO2 ever sees.

Photo (from Flickr): Joshua Kritzer