Content Not Volume
Artist: Brian Houston
Label: Direct ( www.brianhouston.com)
Length:  15 + 14 tracks / 68 + 10 mins 
 
Of all the artists that were appearing at last year’s Greenbelt Festival, from Kanda Bongo Man to Delirious? it was Brian Houston that I particularly wanted my family to see. I had relished the treats of Sugar Queen and was looking forward to seeing him play songs like the title track and the mighty “Childish Things” (especially the bits where you want to kick your foot in the air). I also knew how well he relates to an audience - he could almost charm Bin Laden into taking on the role of public relations for the West in his spare time.
 
Content Not Volume captures his character superbly, letting out that natural charm and Irish wit that he exudes so easily, to complement the warm precision of his studio work. 
 
To produce a live DVD is a difficult ask for a solo performer. Apart from the obvious budget restrictions (unmissable in the lo-fi approach to this video) there is the matter of how to keep visual interest in a single man playing for over an hour, mostly with just an acoustic guitar for company. The cover tells of how Houston learnt to make his shows more interesting on stage, but additionally, his solution here is to break up the live tracks with hand-held black-and-white interview sections, which have a laid-back, conversational feel. This way virtually every song gets an introduction with background facts. It’s also yet another way of showing his chatty cheeky chappie persona. 
 
His brother Mark joins him on stage for several songs, playing assorted humble percussion (including tea-chest) and offering backing vocals. The duo sings a lovely version of The Everly Brothers’ “Let It Be Me,” capturing that distinct harmony sound.
 
Apart from recent single, “Days of Pearly Spencer,” most songs come from Thirteen Days in August and Sugar Queen. “Kid in the 70s” mixes nostalgia and observation; “Practical Reminder” pens his sensitivity to women, along with a couple of other tracks that show his support for the women in his family who need a boost. “Scared of Falling” is the ideal complement to the wit he shows on stage, shot through with vulnerability. It’s the observational touches in songs like this that show the true ability of a songwriter.
 
I had found myself so attached to some of the Sugar Queen songs that newcomers like “Oranges” almost felt like interlopers, but soon its sheer insistence that you sing along won me over.
 
Visually, for some people the unpolished, LD appoach will be distracting, but that is surely what the title is hinting at: don’t go for the surface appearance, look for the quality of the song-writing and the richness of the engaging performance. There’s a neat visual gag with the audience early in the set that the DVD editing treats well, and the shadowy figure criminally taking a comfort break during “These Days” offers Houston an ideal You-set-them-up-son-I’ll-knock-them-down’ moment.
 
With this good value double package you also get a live CD with a similar track list in a different order. This running order surprises me as it begins with the Frank Ifield-esque vibrato falsetto of “Scared of Falling,” which in audio terms is not the best introduction to Houston’s voice. One bonus is the way the disc climaxes with “Childish Things”. The DVD has a performance of it as a bonus video that captures the extra expression that makes a live show special. Unfortunately it suffers from a distorting bottom end, so the CD version compensates well.
 
Houston is soon to release a new studio CD, which is something to look forward to. In the meantime, this is the ideal complement to Jesus and Justice and Sugar Queen.
 
 
Derek Walker