Damien Rice - Live
[Glasgow SECC]

Treating his performance in Glasgow’s S.E.C.C more like a dictatorship than a concert, Irishman Damien Rice would do well to remember his fans shelled out £25 per head to watch him perform songs from albums “O” and “9”.

With a series of bizarre and iron-fisted rules in place, under no circumstances can you arrive at a Damien Rice concert late; he will storm off stage. There should be absolutely no talking when Damien Rice sings - everyone should be directing their attention to him and him only.

Best of all, though, by order of Mr. Rice, no paying customer shall be permitted to enter the arena until a song is finished.

A few key points about Damien Rice and his performance

* Rice is, as rumours suggest, utterly self-obsessed and egocentric
* He talks far too much between songs
* He has obviously listened to, and admired, Sigur Ros from afar, judging by the way the likes of “Amie” and “Elephant” were transformed into epic’s that aped the Icelandic troupe’s glacial accumulations of sound.
* Damien Rice does possess a vocal range that defies belief
* He has the ability to break thousands of hearts at any given moment
* “Blower’s Daughter”, “Amie”, “Elephant” and “Cannonball” are all wonderful compositions full of yearning melodies and spine-tingling harmonies.
*Be wary of a particularly cringe-worthy Sinatra –meets- drunken Irishman rendition of “Cheers Darling”, though.

A word in your ear Mr. Rice; the introverted genius angle is already well and truly occupied by Thom Yorke. It is all about the fans and the music, not you.