Tom Waits War Songs music review: Stories of shared suffering
Waits' protest music is tied together with immersive storytelling, in this crucially topical reflection on past and present war trauma
Full disclosure: this review comes from a fully clued-up Tom Waits obsessive, the kind of man who wants ‘Anywhere I Lay My Head’ played at his funeral (just as the casket is going down; there won’t be a dry eye in the house). So, loving Tom Waits War Songs was almost a foregone conclusion, but the weight of its success can’t be quantified in fandom alone. It’s a lesson in how to give the old growler’s back catalogue a contemporary, accessible flair.
Threading together songs of war, soldiers and homecomings to create a collage of traumatised men, an animated backdrop helps bolster the feeling of an unofficial concept album. The full-band arrangements are bracingly urgent, particularly on the apocalyptic ‘Hell Broke Luce’ and the heartbreaking ‘Boots On The Ground’, which now draws direct comparisons with the horrors of ICE’s descent on contemporary America. Lead performer Michelle McGregor is the centrepiece, her powerful vocals teasing out supple melodies that Waits himself often seemed intent on hiding, embodying his theatrical pizzazz without ever feeling like a tribute act. One for Waits fans, or for the Waits curious.
Tom Waits War Songs, Just The Tonic Subway, until 30 August, 12.30pm.