Patti Smith

In a packed Brighton Dome Concert Hall, on tour, promoting her 11th studio album ‘Banga’, an ecstatic audience hung on Patti Smith’s every word.

An amazing live act, tender, articulate and passionate, at 65, Smith is still getting the major artist treatment from her record label and still making her own brand of poetic rock: at times tough, thoughtful, sensual, uncompromising and anthemic.

So often referred to as the high priestess of punk, Smith still has that electrified presence, that raw aggressive passion – but she is also so quirky, so elegant, her dancing so fluid and carefree, her literary and cultural influences so wide. Her poetic side is ever evident: in her incantatory style, her incredible literary context, and her careful respect for words.

Her sensitive side was at the forefront at first, with a sweet version of ‘Dancing Barefoot’ but this soon gave way to a solid rockier sound – thanks to a brilliant backing band featuring long-time side-kick Lenny Kaye and Smith’s son Jackson Smith – as the pace built through soulful renditions of ‘This Is The Girl’, her tribute to Amy Winehouse, and the classic ‘Pissing In A River’ to the sexually-charged ‘Because The Night’, a powerful, stomping version of ‘Gloria’, the anthemic ‘Power To The People’ and finally a suitably crazed version of ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger’.

In between songs Smith was effortlessly charming and spoke warmly of Brighton and the beach.

An amazing live performer, a force of nature, an intellectual heavyweight and a class act. Quite brilliant.

Concert Hall, Brighon Dome, 12 September 2012
Rating:
Fiona McTernan