Ed KuepperEven with a setlist from yelled requests from the faithful, you still got a fair idea of an Ed Kuepper history of popular music: from turn-of-last-century Delta blues, through Johnny Cash, via Tim Hardin, to The Kinks and even The Monkees (yes, really) as well as offerings from various of his own guises – The Saints, Laughing Clowns and various of his solo incarnations all getting a run.
The imposing presence of Johnny Casino has a history of his own, particularly round this town. Slinging a battered Telecaster that may well date back to his Asteroid B612 days, he wrenches a fearsome racket out of it, with some modern touches like some made-on-the-spot loops to mark him as more than 'that big bloke with the guitar'.
Sir Edmund Kuepper then strolled on stage, took a seat, sipped tea (maybe) from a china cup, selected one of the three acoustic guitars by his side and out tumbled his often hypnotic swirl of sound. This solo Kuepper now banters drily with the punters, and himself – musing on 'Mickey Dolenz really sang high, didn't he?', as his run at The Monkees' Steppin' Stone happily collapsed midway through. He teased, playing the familiar intro to I'm Stranded, before a smirk and a 'Nah'. But then the silly to the sublime – the not-often-played Horse Under Water offered to a pin-drop silent crowd. Messin' With The Kid churned hugely. But then completely invoked audience participation as we 'sang' the trademark brass parts of Know Your Product, and even the choo-choo noises for Last Of The Steam Powered Trains. Calls for other Kuepper classics like Eternally Yours ('Really, you want to hear it this early in the set?') and Everything I've Got Belongs To You were answered, and everybody went home happy.
