Better known as the frontman for San Francsico cult band Red House Painters, Mark Kozelek gives new meaning to the word "solitary". While his band (not split up, just resting) took themes of broken hearts and 1990s existential angst to extremes, a solo Kozelek gig is a relative jamboree.
Kozelek's nervous composure almost scuppers the set, however. His stage presence is virtually non-existent, yet whenever he sings he fills the venue with a distinctive, sharp voice that cuts through any lack of charisma. Clearly influenced by former American Music Club's Mark Eitzel, Kozelek's material is open heart surgery: not pretty but necessary for survival.
He peppers the set with songs from Red House Painters: Grace Cathedral Park, Uncle Joe, Mistress. He sings the title track of his new solo album, Rock'n'Roll Singer (an AC/DC song!), and throws in a surprising, enthralling if somewhat abrupt version of Whiskey In The Jar.
At the end - despite the lacklustre persona, the overriding moroseness, the strained humour and the occasional longueur - you feel as if you've just returned home from two weeks in an unpleasant but compelling country. But, then, that's Kozelek's intense, tough terrain for you - a great place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there.
