Mark Lanegan at The Academy, Dublin, 17th January 2015

There are two things you should not expect at a Mark Lanegan gig. The first is any movement from the singer, and the second is any crowd interaction, other than the occasional “thank you“. Sometimes you might get a “thank you very much“. If you bear this in mind you will have a very enjoyable evening. If not, you could end up disappointed.

It’s a sold-out Academy that greets Lanegan and his band as they arrive on the stage in punctual fashion. This is first of two consecutive nights in the Abbey street venue, the first show perhaps unexpectedly selling out. Looking at the rest of Lanegan’s tour schedule there are no other European cities scheduled where he will play more than one night. Whether this is due to venue size or a special affinity that we have for Lanegan in Ireland is anybody’s guess (he played Galway and Belfast before coming to Dublin).

Lanegan has barely reached the microphone by the time the band have kicked off with Gravedigger’s Song, the opener from ‘Blues Funeral’. It sets the tone for an evening where heavy, synth-laden tracks from his repertoire take precedence over the doom-balladry at which he also excels.

From there it’s into Harvest Home, the opening track from last year’s ‘Phantom Radio’, and then a big cheer for classic song One Way Street from 2001’s ‘Field Songs’. All throughout Lanegan retains his standard pose, with a vice-like grip on the mic stand, as if he’s afraid it might fly away if he lets go.

Although ostensibly a tour in support of ‘Phantom Radio’, previous album ‘Blues Funeral’ gets just as much of an airing, with Gray Goes Black and then Quiver Syndrome (which gets a particularly enthusiastic reception) featuring alongside new tracks No Bells on Sunday and Floor Of The Ocean. The trance-like, hypnotic beat of Ode to Sad Disco, with the call and echo of vocals and guitar, is beautifully rendered. However during Seventh Day it becomes clear that Lanegan is quite conspicuously reading the lyrics off the front of a stage monitor, not least because his glasses have slid down to the end of his nose in school teacher fashion, as he peers at the front of the stage.

It would be unfair to begrudge the man the need for an aide-memoire when he is so prolific. It’s hard to know how he finds time to tour between his own output, collaborations with Isobel Campbell (with whom he has recorded three albums), Duke Garwood, Greg Dulli (as the Gutter Twins), as a member of Soulsavers, occasionally appearing with Queens Of The Stone Age, and knocking out a covers album for good measure (2013’s ‘Imitations’).

Elsewhere, Hit The City from ‘Bubblegum’ sounds totally reinvigorated live, full of punchy energy, Riot In My House is even more raucous than it sounds recorded, and Torn Red Heart‘s plaintive refrain of “You don’t love me, what’s to love me anyway?” shows that Lanegan can do heartbreak with the best of them. He’s also not above delving into his formative years with Screaming Trees and dishes up Black Rose Way for the die-hards.

The encore, like everything about Lanegan, is without fanfare. He walks off stage, re-emerges a couple of minutes later and gives us one more. Methamphetamine Blues’ industrial beat provokes the most audible crowd sing-along of the night.

Most people probably only need to see Mark Lanegan in a live setting once. His performances are predictably workmanlike, not because he is lazy or disinterested, but because that’s what he does. No frills, no thrills, but great songs, a great voice and that Lanegan intensity go a long way.