John Frusciante, as you probably know, is one quarter of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the most successful and innovative rock bands on the planet. He is also, however, a solo artist of limited success and, quite clearly, a strange guy.
"Thanks for coming to see me play," he grins modestly upon his arrival, here to plug new solo album 'To Record Only Water For Ten Days'. Not that he needs to pander to his audience, who eagerly lap up the meagre offerings served up. Sure, it's great that a rock star feels that an acoustic baring of the soul is what the fans deserve, but, on tonight's display, catharsis has never been less fun.
With a freshly shorn crop of hair and light beard Frusciante hasn't looked better since the days of 'Blood Sugar Sex Magic', but the days of narcotic-fuelled funk rock mayhem seem well behind him.
What do you mean you haven't heard his two previous solo albums and two more "That I just gave to my five friends"? Trust me, you haven't missed out. Frusciante's voice is fine, but his heartfelt pleadings tend to be accompanied by sub-Dylan tunes leading nowhere. Apart from an impressive 'My Smile Is A Rifle' the best songs tonight are all covers. Syd Barrett, Bauhaus, Iggy Pop and Joy Division all get strained through the Frusciante blender, with the latter's 'New Dawn Fades' the evening's highlight.
For a man used to playing arenas around the world, his stagecraft is woefully unprofessional. Sat on a stool throughout with an box of effects by his side, Frusciante's tendency to stop half way through a song to change the echo setting on his voice quickly becomes less than amusing, especially as he begins each halted song again from scratch.
His edginess becomes positively uncomfortable when the sound of conversations from the bar drifts onto the stage. So, as the performance splutters from song to song, only interrupted by continual swigs from an assortment of bottles and some barely comprehensible tales, it's only the true faithful that leave with smiles on their faces. Emotion's one thing, but it's nothing without the quality to back it up.
IMAGES: ANGELA LUBRANO
