Dirty Three

Dirty Three

Four songs into Horse Stories and Warren Ellis is stumped. "What's next?" he asks of his bandmates, who exchange shrugs. A resourceful fan checks the tracklist on his iPod and relates it back to Ellis, who admits he doesn't own one as, "I don't want people to think I'm a cunt", before apologising (to my girlfriend) for the profanity. The Dirty Three play 'I Remember A Time When Once You Used To Love Me', and it's stunning.

This moment alone propels the show – at a mostly empty bar at a family resort on England's west coast – from memorable to legendary. The venue is where British promoters All Tomorrow's Parties hold their biannual festivals at Butlins Minehead, and the low attendance is attributed to the 100 diehards who decided to stay onsite between last weekend's My Bloody Valentine-curated “Nightmare Before Xmas” and the upcoming “10 Years Of ATP” next week.

After warming up with '1000 Miles', Ellis decides that they'll play their 1996 album Horse Stories in full, to the surprise of drummer Jim White and guitarist Mick Turner. While the band recently announced a series of “Don't Look Back” performances of Ocean Songs in January 2010, their unfamiliarity with Horse Stories results in a rare opportunity to witness the trio outside of their comfort zone. The unique occasion induces sheepish grins from the usually stoic Turner, who is unable to recall the chords for 'At The Bar', even as Ellis holds the fan's iPod up to the microphone. (While the song plays, the band admit that they probably could've shortened the sparse introduction.)

'Red' slays. Ellis teaches Turner the chords to 'Warren's Lament' on-the-fly. White - regularly reliant on Turner's rhythm to track his own - is put off by the guitarist's uncertainty, which results in a few tense moments. But the wheels stay on, and Turner's more comfortable during 'Horse'. Among it all, Ellis saws with vigour, alternating between intense musical concentration and coarse, casual banter. He's the same lovable jester who addressed thousands from a main stage headline slot two days prior.

By now we've reached 'I Knew It Would Come To This', and as Ellis holds iPod to microphone once again, his bandmates carefully slink off. Though they've opted to pass on the album's final eight minutes, we've been treated to a sublime, intimate performance. Bring on Ocean Songs next month.

by Andrew McMillen