Harding Bares His Soul, Jovial Wit to Crowd at Go! Studios

John Wesley Harding
Tuesday, Nov. 13

John Wesley Harding playfully complained that he sweated blood for Tuesday night's Go! Rehearsal Studio crowd, and it was true -- he gave everything he had to the audience.

The dynamic British folk singer/songwriter put on a memorable show that showcased the best of Harding himself, not just his best songs.

His friend and collaborator David Lewis opened with a calm, quiet brand of British folk before leaving the stage open for "Wes."

Harding was alone onstage with his acoustic guitar when he wasn't being accompanied by Robert Lloyd on mandolin or accordion. The less-is-more aesthetic was in full effect.

Even without other instruments such as bass or drums, Harding by himself was more than enough.

His music covered a wide range of emotions, going from joy to gloom to cynicism to passion and back. His singing and guitar work did justice to his lyrics, and every one of his words and notes struck a chord with the audience.

It was refreshing to see Harding so devoted to the crowd; he even let some fans choose their favorite songs for him to play. A little way into the show, he quipped, "Is this what you want to hear? I haven't come not to please you."

The audience voiced their approval, and Harding continued to entertain without pressure.

He fired off jokes and amusing stories all night, but it was not the type of forced banter that some musicians use to kill time between songs. Every moment of warmth and humor was real.

Harding possibly could have satisfied the audience just by playing the stand-up comedian. But it was obvious that the crowd wanted to hear his music and that he wanted to play it.

The laughter and all other sounds from the crowd stopped whenever Harding began to strum his guitar. With every new ode to love, pain, death and human nature, the look on his face changed from a sly grin to a determined visage.

He put 110 percent into the songs, with a stirring take on the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" followed by his own "Sleeper Awake," which achieved an appropriate dreamlike quality.

He was proud of these tunes, and he had every reason to be.

Each one was a sublime example of poetic songwriting and blessedly simple melody. Not one failed to captivate the audience. Even songs filled with irony and biting criticism had their beauty.

It all made for a wonderful night, which was capped by the reappearance of Lewis.

After the two singers sang a number of pretty duets, they said goodbye to the Go! crowd. While the fans undoubtedly would have loved even more, there was still an air of great satisfaction.

The audience had gotten its fair share of John Wesley Harding. And his music.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.