Review of David Gray Live

Introduction

Some people think he’s Welsh, but they’re wrong. Others think he’s Irish, but they’re wrong too. David Gray is actually from Manchester but the misapprehensions are understandable. He moved to Wales when he was 8 years old and, I guess, considers himself Welsh. Also, up until the recent success of "White Ladder" and "Babylon", his biggest fan base was in Ireland where, I guess, people wish he was Irish.

The Irish link is important here. There is no doubt that when he couldn’t get a gig in Britain, in Ireland he was regularly selling out medium sized venues. The Irish have always been good to David Gray and he has rewarded them by using his famous gig at the Point in Dublin as the basis for his first live DVD.

However, fame in Ireland is all very well but without the attention of the listening public in UK and USA, it is unlikely we’d have this DVD. And David Gray made it big with the album “White Ladder”. Recorded in 1998, after splitting with his record label, it is a mixture of his trademark acoustic rock and some beats for texture. After its release it picked up a number of influential fans (including Dave Matthews who released it in the US on his own label). In December 1999, the album was just about to break in the UK. Of course, Ireland knew about it first and when Gray announced an Irish tour, the concerts sold out almost immediately.

The Irish tour finished at the Point in Dublin and the DVD captures that magic night and, in an extra documentary, the atmosphere of the complete tour.

Video

Video is presented as a 4:3 transfer and is very good indeed. At the time of the concert, Gray was funding himself without the backing of a record label and, to be honest, I wouldn’t have expected the video to be as good as it is. But it is very good. The image is sharp and detailed. Colours are beautifully reproduced and blacks are black. You can see the occasional glint off stubble, the detail is that good.

As well as being a superb transfer, the director has tried to make the performance a little more interesting by playing with colours and effects. Occasionally, some arty blurring and unusual camera angles are thrown into the mix and, by and large, this works well. I am a great David Gray fan but 90 minutes of a Gray head and shoulders would not make interesting viewing. This is. The eye is always entertained.

Audio

Two audio tracks are available: a PCM stereo and a DD 5.1. Both are very good, presenting the music in a forceful, yet accurate way. The DD 5.1 is, as you might expect, the better of the two. Sound is clearer and more spacious. Bass is well used and is not overpowering. The rear channels are used almost exclusively for crowd noise and stadium ambience but this is done exceptionally well. Instead of the usual amorphous crowd noise, you can hear individual claps and, occasionally, people singing along. The crowd detail is excellent and gives a real sense of place. The only downside is that you can sometimes hear some vocal sibilance in the rear channel although this may be an accurate representation of the venue acoustics..

Gray’s sound is simple, basically guitar/piano and voice and this soundtrack serves him well. His voice comes through clearly and with just the right amount of roughness, perfectly reflecting his lyrics.

As good as the sound is, the performance is even better. Among fans, this Dublin concert is known as one of his best ever. Every song is sung with passion and affection. Gray is a confessional singer and here, more than ever, he lets the audience see into his soul. He is obviously enjoying being back in Dublin (where he has always been well received) and he shares that enjoyment with the audience. They, in turn, clap, cheer and sing him on to greater heights and what must be one of his career highs.

The set list covers all his albums from the early days of “I’ll Lead You Upstairs” to the new “Flame Turns Blue”. All are perfectly performed but the highlights for me were “Babylon” (of course), “White Ladder” and the epic closer “Please Forgive Me”.

Superb.

Features

There is only one feature, a 50 minute documentary on the Irish concert leading up to concert at the Point that is featured on this DVD. As documentaries go, this is pretty good. You get to see the various concerts and promotional spots that Gray did in the days before the Point concert. This is interspersed by the occasional interview and performance. Some of the acoustic performances are excellent, like the solo version of “Babylon” played in a Derry record shop or the cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Let It Be Me” from a Dublin radio interview. The interviews with Gray are not particularly revealing – although you get the impression that he is a decent, down to earth bloke. More revealing are the interview with various fans. This is less about Gray than about the fans’ experience of his art. And that’s a perfectly valid way to spend 50 minutes.

Also worthy of note are the menus. I have rarely seen a better designed set of menus. They consist of a sparse and elegantly arranged set of images boxed in a slim row with some text and a small image of Gray strumming at the bottom of the frame. This is superimposed on a black background and it is perfect. For once, the menus look as if they have actually been designed and not just thrown together as quickly as possible.

Sure, I wish there were more features; maybe some videos. But, overall, a good showing and everything here is high quality.

Conclusion

Even if he wasn’t a Gray, I’d be a fan and White Ladder was one of the best albums of 1999 (and 2000/1, for that matter). This DVD captures a sublime concert with Gray among some of his most devoted fans. The material is drawn from all his albums but focuses on “White Ladder” and these songs really shine. Gray is obviously enjoying himself and his enthusiasm is infectious. Based on the DVD, the atmosphere at the concert was fabulous and, if you couldn’t be there, this DVD is the next best thing.

You get a great performance, well presented with excellent sound and vision.

Sure, I’m biased but I feel that this is the best musical DVD of the year so far and it’s going to have to be something really special to top this.

If you don’t like David Gray, feel free to reduce the ratings, but I urge you to give this disk a spin. I think you’ll like it.