Jason Lytle, Islington Academy, London

Anticipation bubbles throughout the room awaiting the return of Jason Lytle, ex-lead singer of Grandaddy. It has been almost six years since his last musical visit to the UK, and his whistle-stop tour (2 dates) in support of his debut solo record ‘Yours Truly, The Commuter’ has not come a moment too soon for many fans.

The show is opened by one-man-band The Voluntary Butler Scheme, aka Rob Jones. He sets the mood perfectly with his brand of sixties infused, Badly Drawn Boy-esque pop, and humorous between song banter “I feel a bit like Myleene Klass sitting here”. His clever use of a looping system to recreate his songs in a live environment is a fresh and interesting diversion from the generic breed of support acts, and the audience receives him warmly.

At 9pm sharp, Jason Lytle, accompanied by backing band, takes to the stage, and launches into gritty Grandaddy anthem ‘Chartsengrafs’ from the album ‘The Sophtware Slump’, which is very much an indication of what is yet to come. The set list mainly comprises picks from a vast Grandaddy back catalogue, which is a rare treat for the many Grandaddy devotees that make up the audience this evening. Only four songs from the solo album making it into the set, which is surprising considering the show being in support of Jason’s solo material. Unsurprisingly though, not many fans were complaining.

The set is a very laid back affair, feeling more like a garage jam than a top-of-the-bill show, but it works. Jason says very little throughout the 55 minute set, only pausing to converse and joke around with his band members. The lighting is basic, and there are no visual entities to look at. It is an appropriate reflection of the music captured on most of his back catalogue, both solo and Grandaddy – organic and atmospheric. Tonight is all about the music, and boy, does Jason let it do all the talking.

The audience seems very reluctant to get involved tonight – there is a restraint about them, perhaps it’s the close proximity of the venue combined with the sticky summer heat and the lack of air conditioning, which leaves everyone rooted to their individual spots rather than getting excited in the more frenetic songs such as synth-led ‘Stray Dog and The Chocolate Shake’, and ‘AM 180’.

The tracks lifted from ‘Yours Truly, The Commuter’ are the strongest songs on the album, and are well-crafted pop soundscapes. ‘I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)’ is haunting, interweaved with lush orchestration. ‘Brand New Sun’ is an uplifting, carefree anthem, with the audience taking on additional vocal duties during the choruses. Lead track ‘Yours Truly, The Commuter’ draws one of the biggest cheers of the evening, and lyrically is an appropriate choice for the setting – ‘I may be limping, but I’m coming home’.

The latter stages of the main set are marred by technical difficulties – the keyboards and synth being the main culprits, cutting short B-Side favourite ‘Our Dying Brains’. It’s all taken in good spirit though, with Jason changing the lyrics at the end of the song to ‘Fucked up synths, but they still mix’.

‘I’m back in London, playing this annoying riff,” Jason laughs during an impromptu version of Grandaddy favourite ‘AM 180’ - the culmination of a disappointingly short, 11 song main set, lasting just 55 minutes. It’s one of the only disappointments of the evening, alongside the reluctance of the audience. The audience welcome the familiar intro to ‘AM 180’ with open arms though, singing along dutifully.

After much bellowing and foot-stomping, Jason and band return to the stage for a fleeting version of ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot’ before disappearing into the night, leaving fans feeling slightly bewildered and disappointed. The bellowing for more starts up again and continues for a good, solid few minutes before the venue staff intervene and switch the house lights on, which signals the definite end of proceedings. It all adds to the air of mystery that surrounds Jason Lytle – he is unpredictable in the best sense - no two of his shows are the same. He’s certainly keeping fans on their toes – let’s just hope it’s not another six years before he makes another long awaited return to the UK.

Set List:

Chartsengrafs

Ghost Of My Old Dog

Yours Truly, The Commuter

Levitz

Brand New Sun

What Can’t Be Erased

Stray Dog And The Chocolate Shake

I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)

Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)

Our Dying Brains

A.M. 180

He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot