The bald spot is bigger but the style is still sharp and the voice and energy are still going strong. To play the Middle Eastern vibed songs of the new album 'Dust', Murphy has assembled a new, very capable, five piece band: Hugh Marsh on electric violin, Rob Piltch on electric guitar, Levon Ichkanian on various stringed instruments, Fergus Marsh on various basses and Mark Kelso on drums and percussion.
The just over 2 hour set included three encores and featured nearly all of 'Dust': "Fake Sparkle Or Golden Dust", "No Home Without Its Sire", "Just For Love", "Your Face", "Jungle Haze", "My Last Two Weeks" and "Subway (Epilogue)". I really have to hand it to him ... he could have very easily played just the new material - and I would have been happy with that alone - but they also interspersed many Murphy solo classics such as "Crystal Wrists", "Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem", "Gliding Like a Whale" and "Cuts You Up". The band proved themselves equally capable of the new and old styles. The 'Dust' material was very true to the album, right down to the beautifully plucked Turkish instruments. "Just For Love" in particular reached a Muslimgauze-like fervor in the extended jam breakdown. Murphy was elegant, part musician and part performance artist. His use of body motions, simple stage props and interaction with lights and shadows helped sell the songs.
But it wasn't all goth-icky stiffness. A sense of humor occasionally prevailed, most notably when Murphy poked his own bare belly button during one encore and giggled like the Pillsbury Doughboy. This will likely be one of the finest shows I experience in 2002. The tour swings through the South and up the East coast through Mid-June.
