Tell Me if You’re Coming to Rock City

I have been to more gigs than I can count this year, and so many stand out. However, Baxter Dury at Rock City this week has certainly made its mark as gig of the year.

I had only been introduced to Baxter this year, and was blessed enough to hear his music for the first time live. After seeing him, I did realise that I already had ‘Lucifer’s Grain’ in my liked songs on Spotify, but I didn’t realise at the time who he was.

The first time I saw Baxter, he was supporting Primal Scream back in April, and as soon as he strutted onto stage, my jaw was on the floor. I was in complete admiration of his performance style, and he successfully evoked this from me again in Nottingham. His spoken word, his half-taking-off his jacket, and his poses on stage were all things I had never seen from an artist before: he is not just a singer, but a true performer.

This was one of my most anticipated concerts of the year, and it genuinely went above and beyond to exceed my expectations. We queued early for about an hour, almost being blown away by Storm Claudia, but it was so worth it, because we made it onto the barrier! Being that close to the stage for a Baxter gig was an experience in itself.

The crowd was not just mixed in age, but also mixed in who they came to see. The incredible Joshua Idehen was the supporting act, and we spoke to a lady next to us in the crowd who said she came for him, and didn’t even know Baxter’s music! I found it so refreshing: some gig-goers that I know admit to only going to watch the main act, and not giving the support any time, which I personally don’t agree with. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen incredible support acts, but I’ve also seen some not-so-incredible ones. Despite this, the ticket that you’ve paid for is to see all the acts that are playing, not just the main one! Some of my favourite bands, such as Desperate Journalist, Feet, and Bad Nerves, have become my favourite bands from seeing them as support acts! And the same occurred at Rock City: I had never heard of Joshua Idehen before, but came out of that gig as a new fan.

Idehen works alongside Ludvig Parment to produce dance music characterised by a delivery of spoken word to sing about a range of themes: from politics and culture, to friendships and overcoming bad moods. The duo exemplified the ease of spreading awareness and sharing messages through the medium of music. My favourite, and I’m sure was everyone else’s also, was ‘Mum Does the Washing:’ a piece that defines political and cultural concepts through the analogy of your mother doing the washing. For example, “Communism: your mum does the washing. You do the washing. Every night you salute a picture of your dad.” As the song progresses, he goes on to describe feminism (“your mum insists you to grow up and do your own washing”), and then concludes with my favourite lyric.

“Surrealism: the washing does your mum.”

I think it’s a genius concept for a song! It’s been on repeat on my headphones since. Joshua was also so interactive with the crowd, getting us to shout different words to him to build a song, and prompting us to do the “Nigerian wave” (a Mexican wave, but going from front to back rather than side to side). He even came into the pit and shook every single person on the barriers’ hand, telling us, “you are good.” I really appreciated this, because it broke the divide between the artist and the audience, and instead put us on the same level. However, I found the juxtaposition between Joshua and Baxter’s performances quite amusing. Idehen was warm, welcoming, and took his time in his set… whereas Baxter was very intense. Especially during Jason Williamson’s part of ‘Almond Milk,’ where he was shouting, “fuck this fuck me fuck you FUCK THIS.”

Despite the intensity, Baxter was beyond incredible. I didn’t think it was possible for him to exceed his performance the first time I saw him, but oh… how wrong was I? His band walked onto stage first, including backing vocalist Fabienne Debarre (who I am a HUGE fan of), and the intro of ‘Alpha Dog’ began to play. I look to my right, the stage door swings open, and out walks Baxter. As soon as he took his first step, that stage was HIS. The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers, and as he stood centre stage, Dury held out his arms and welcomed us all.

Some concerts I go to seem to be over in a blink of an eye, but this was not the case. In the best way possible, it seemed to go on forever! I had noticed that some of the songs had been swapped around in order in comparison to his other shows, but I think it was the best set and running order yet (I should know- the setlist is on my wall now, so I look at it all the time…)! We were gifted with ‘I’m Not Your Dog’ as the third song, which I wasn’t expecting until much later on, but I’m so glad we got to hear it. The violins will forever give me goosebumps.

I remember reading an interview that Baxter had done, and he claimed that his album ‘Allbarone’ was his “Brat era,” and I can’t help but agree. I love that he’s going down a more dance music-esque route with his music at the moment, especially since his collaboration with Fred Again in 2021. Looking at videos of the tour so far, before the Nottingham show, the crowd looked so active, almost as though they were at a rave, and I completely felt that when I was in the crowd myself.

I was disappointed that some of my favourite songs weren’t played, such as ‘Other Mens’ Girls’ and ‘Dirty Water,’ but who cares? He still put on an extraordinary performance. Every half jacket strip, every jump into a pose, and every wave of the microphone stand left me in awe. I don’t think I have been so mesmerised by an artists’ performance before. Like I said, Baxter isn’t just a singer, he is a performer. Time and again, he asserts his presence as soon as he steps on stage, and every stride he takes as he struts back and forth just emphasises that the space belongs to him.

From the way things are going for him, we can expect nothing but more outstanding work from Dury in the next few years, and I can safely say that we will not be disappointed. Let’s just hope he tours again soon, because my post-concert depression is severe…