David Thomas Broughton is certainly unique, his shows being an exhilarating mix of musical improvisation and performance art, underlined with raw unpredictability. And he is back in Glasgow very soon, with support from Kitty Whitelaw, otherwise known as sealionwoman, at The Old Hairdressers on 29th March 2019.
David spoke with The Fountain about his performances as well as the reception he generally gets from the Glasgow crowd.
TF: You are performing in Glasgow next month with London-based sealionwoman, you must be stoked?
Yes, really looking forward to it. Kitty has a great voice, jazz and folk elements are right up my street.
TF: Have you performed with Kitty Whitelaw previous to this?
I haven’t ever played with Kitty, looking forward to meeting her.
TF: How do you find the Glasgow crowd, how do they receive your performances?
Glasgow has always been very good to me, and I’ve made a few friends over the years. I think its inevitable in a place with such a fertile scene, great arts community and a good bunch of gig-goers .
TF: Some might say that despite your records being great, your performances are the notable aspects to DTB, what would you say to that?
Sure, it’s the place where you can see the obstacle course I set myself up for. So I agree that the performance and being able to see it is the main part of what I do. It is also pretty much the only place I get to play – so every show is a part of my developing sound and never a polished item which can be replicated.
TF: And what has been the most unique reaction to one of your gigs?
I’ve had a range of reactions – a number of times there’s been absolute outrage, there’s also that time someone fainted (I like to think they were overwhelmed with emotion, but it seems likely the heating was on too high). There’s been a couple of demands for money back after the show – a Scandinavian band on a visit to London were advised to come to my show, but complained to the promoter that I was ‘just taking the piss’ and demanded a refund. I also had the PA turned off by a sound engineer before.
Photo courtesy of Eugene Cheah.
David Thomas Broughton is performing at The Old Hairdressers on 29th March 2019, 7:30pm.