Shepherds Bush Empire, Nov 11th 2008

A band named after a short story by a Russian novelist, a frontman graduate with an English Major and back to back albums called 'The Stage Names' and 'The Stand-Ins'.
 
Yes, this is 'literary rock' and Okkervil River's Will Sheff is not just the leading man, he's the playwright too. Taking the stage at London's ornate Victorian theatre turned rock venue Shepherds Bush Empire he looks anything but the rocker: suit, tie and bookish glasses perched awkwardly too far off his face. But here is one of rock's enigmatic and charismatic frontmen; the glasses are gone within two songs, jacket and tie shed long before the encores.
 
The songs are unorthodox, hard to pigeonhole, keyboard-led pop/rockers, a touch of country, a little more folk, broadly indie, but real growers, characterized by Sheff's love of the word and dense imagery. Hard work? It's not. Even though it sounds as if he swallows five novels a day with a dictionary for dessert, the 32 year-old Texas based songwriter can't just pen a lyric, he knows his way round a tune too. The melodies are frequently very lovely indeed and when it's not slow burners or big-building twisted ballads, Sheff is king of combustion, rocking out in a torrent of imagery like it's the final night of a five-year run, with tunes to boot. Rock shapes are thrown in every direction, even if most of them come on a beaten up old acoustic guitar.
 
Collectively Okkervil River are six-strong but Sheff is dominant, taking centre stage and exclusively using the space around him. The five others are ranged in a largely static half moon to the sides and behind, with trumpeter, like the bugler, bringing up the rear while the singer leads the charge.
 
Opening the set with a beautiful, controlled 'Plus Ones' the band work through much of what was initially conceived as a double album before 'The Stage Names' and its companion 'The Stand-Ins' became separate, staggered releases. Sheff's voice on the horn-washed 'Starry Stairs' is reminiscent of vintage Lloyd Cole, while the Commotion's cranked up with dark, bleeding rockers like 'Black' ('If I could tear his throat, and spill his blood between my jaws, and erase his name for good, don’t you know that I would?') and 'For Real' ('Some nights I thirst for real blood, for real knives, for real cries'). In print (and lord knows Sheff's digested plenty of that) it's dark and visceral, but don't be fooled, he's also capable of some beautifully touching moments. Sadly we don't get any of the lovely 'A King And A Queen', 'Savannah Smiles', or 'On Tour With Zykos' tonight but we do get 'A Stone' and 'Blue Tulip'.