Paul Draper - Performs the classics

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Mansun's loved songs

Paul Draper **** was the lead singer of Mansun releasing four full albums between 1997 and 2004. I first saw them supporting Sleeper at the Ilford Island back in December 1996 when they first getting known through early singles ‘Wide open Space’ and ‘Stripper Vicar’. I also recall that sadly somebody was shot outside the now long defunct venue. Now Paul Draper is back and playing solo material alongside the classic Mansun album ‘Attack of the grey Lantern’.

His stop at SWX in Bristol is pretty close to Sell Out!!!, and other dates on the tour have totally Sold Out!!! so there is still a market to hear the songs from the band that had quite a cult following in the late nineties. It is always a risk employing a support band that suits the style of your music, so to ensure everybody is warmed up to hear ‘Attack of the grey Lantern’ in full, Paul Draper has chosen somebody he implicitly trusts, himself.

So at about 8.30pm Paul Draper takes to the stage offering us a taste of his solo material mostly taken from his new album ‘Spooky Action’. Unsurprisingly it has quite a Mansun feel to thenew  material and not just in the vocal delivery. Ably backed by a full backing band he opens with ‘Don’t poke the Bear’ and we are also treated to the interestingly name ‘Friends make the worst Enemies’ and the first set ends with ‘Who's wearing the Trousers’.  It was good to see he still has his song writing ability, the songs are naturally matured as he has. It also must be said that he is perhaps modeling his new look on Luke Skywalker from the latest Star Wars films.

Most of the crowd were inevitably waiting to hear the main event of the Mansun album, though the solo stuff was well and respectfully received. When the first bars of the ‘The Chad who loved Me’ with its distinctive instrumental opening elicit a cheer and take me (and probably most the crowd) back about twenty years to our teenage youth. Nearly every song had a large portion of the audience joining in every word, probably more when we reached the first single track ‘Taxloss’ from the album complete with it’s seven minutes total instrumental ending.

As with these events the album was played in order which meant we got a glut of the hits one after the other from ‘Wide Open Space’ to the amusing but poignant in places ‘Stripper Vicar’ followed by ‘Disgusting’ and ‘She makes my nose Bleed’. At times it must be said there were times when Paul got the lyrics slightly wrong, not that it mattered he had a thousand or so back-up singers to keep it all on track.

The triumphant set was completed by an encore of ‘An open letter to the lyrical Trainspotter’ the secret track from the original album.  Overall it was a great night of nostalgia, and I hope that his solo material brings him the same success. In places I probably remembered it more fondly than it came across, but I think that’s just because I have such fond memories of Mansun.  

The one thing I do hope is that all these reunions/ classic albums are leaving room for the Mansun’s of the future to break through as we have Sleeper, Shed Seven, Ocean Colour Scene and even god forbid Toploader back on tour. This is no criticism of them and especially not Paul Draper, but something to think about, but of course I and many others loved the chance to relive a bit of our past.

Review by Jon Cooper, pictures by Steve Owen

Check Out! the Video for 'Stripper Vicar' Below...