måndag 14 Apr 2008, 20:14

José González @ Manchester Opera House, 8 April 2008
http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/

José González’s pulsating, minimal, folk is by its nature never going to make an exhilaratingly energetic gig, but with the lights off over the plush seats of Manchester Opera House and the booming, clean sound of fingers on frets chiming out, there is an intensity to his performance. A seventeen-song set ran through most of the material from his two albums. It is true that some numbers are a bit on the brief side, betraying his love of a simple riff above all else, but a gradual build to an aching finale with Teardrop left the audience cheering and he soon returned for four more, including a rendition of Kylie’s Hand on Your Heart. The privilege of the night was to see his imperious guitar playing stumble in an intro, revealing José’s human side – the man behind the guitar.