GINGER WILDHEART AND JON POOLE
The Lexington London.
Fresh from taking what seems like a much needed Wildhearts hiatus,, Ginger returns to the stage to promote his recently re-released solo offering, ‘The Pessimists Companion’. The swapping of the head melting power and full-on intesty of a ‘Hearts gig to an intimate acoustic show seems to be a seamless crossover for Ginger (along with the ever infantile Mr Jon Poole). The pair hold an amusing spell over the sold-out crowd and they naturally feed of each other and the encouraged audience partcipation. Opening with the ‘Theme From Taxi/Cheers’ puts an already onside crowd firmly in the party atmosphere. Next up title track ‘The Pessimist Companion’ is a wonderful composition, as is ‘Boxes’ and my (and many of the Wildhearts community) clarion call ‘Paying It Forward’.
A cover of John Cooper Clarke’s ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ is followed by Hey! Hello’s ‘Punk Wars’, and if there is a band that needs reviving, then it’s gotta be Hey! Hello! A grinning and Stella swigging Ginger shares tales and quips with the joyous crowd before Jon Poole takes on lead mike duties resulting in a few laughs, toilet runs and sing-a-longs. B-side ‘Bad Time’ and a Lindisfarne cover ‘Run From Home’ are eclipsed by the heartwarming and eye moistening crowd sung ‘Geordie In Wonderland’. The heartfelt ‘Why Aye (Oh You) is dedicated to Jane Graley before their young son Taylor steps up, along with Sinner’s guitarist Neil Iverson to belt out ‘Cover Of The Rolling Stone’. Sadly our train times meant we missed a show-closing ’29 x The Pain’. Whether it be acoustic or electric Ginger Wildheart always delivers and tonight was a cathartic tonic for both man and fans alike. Welcome back Ginger, it’s great to see you smiling again.
Ginger & The Sinners head out on the road for a handful shows in June. The list of dates and band information can be found at their Facebook page (link below).