The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger at Bush Hall

By Elin Berta

Thursday October 13, 2011

When I go to a gig and see rows of chairs in front of the stage, my first thought is usually “Oh no...”. I always feel it creates a distance between the performer and the audience when seated – and it usually make the gigs boring, impersonal and cold.

However, that was not the case on Friday night (October 7) when The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger took the stage in Bush Hall in Uxbridge Road.

In fact, my “Oh no” impulse was totally unnecessary as Sean Lennon  (yes, the son of legendary Beatle John Lennon) and Charlotte Kemp Muhl made not only me giggle throughout the show.

It began with Sean letting the crowd know he had just had a fight with his drummer, a fight that ended with Sean sacking the drummer. It set the standard for the rest of the gig as he made the audience giggle a bit uneasily, not knowing what was coming next.

The music was hard to place - it’s a strange mix of Belle and Sebastian pop with influences that make you feel like you’re at a travelling funfair from the 1920s if you close your eyes.

And suddenly, a drum solo is performed by Lennon that would blow me away. Or marvelling at seeing the pretty girl by his side, who clearly is not only a pretty face, pick up yet another instrument.

But, I’m sorry to say, this is a band who should be enjoyed live and probably not as good at home. Half the show consisted of the fantastic humour and quick comments to each other, as well as the amazement of seeing their music prowess as they - especially Kemp Muhl - kept on swapping instruments.

I couldn’t sense the presence of a ghost of a tiger though, but there was something almost spooky about the resemblance between Sean and his late father John. With the looks and voice of his father and the avant-garde artistic side of his mother, Sean Lennon is still very much his own. I guess you cant escape your genes, but unless you’re able to make something of your own with your heritage it won’t get you very far, And I have a feeling Sean Lennon will go quite far.

Instead of being a pretentious New York band on a high horse and a ridiculous long bandname – yes, I did have some ideas about the band before the gig - the GOASTT turned out to be very much down to earth and a lot fun. Being a talented model and the son of one of the biggest legends in modern music could easily be reasons enough to get you on those high horses.

Sean was even honest enough to let us all know just how nervous he was about playing that night, since it was the first time he played with both big brother Julian and mother Yoko Ono in the audience.