Jay Brannan (24/10/10, Fibbers, York)

Last night we were in York for an evening's entertainment from Jay Brannan. Unfortunately, not many people were doing the same thing, which must have been a bit disappointing for Jay, but he never showed it - and I enjoyed the more intimate feel of the gig. To begin with, me and Andrew sat with our drinks, waiting for the singing to start (this time we'd got to the gig minutes before the doors even opened), when who should walk in but Jay Brannan himself! He asked us if we'd mind moving so he could sell his CDs (brought with him in a carrier bag) from the bench bit we were sat on. Of course we were happy to move.

Once the support act, Marbled, started, we moved nearer the stage and sat at the side, and then Jay Brannan sat by the side to watch too. I wonder how many acts watch their support before going on? The support wasn't bad, but I thought his lyrics were a bit lame. He sounded best when he came down off the stage with his guitar into the middle of the club, in order to try and encourage everyone to move forward towards the stage. 

Once Jay came on, we did move forward, although the 'crowd' must only have been about 50 or so. Armed with just a guitar, Jay sang beautifully, emotionally and perfectly for a full hour, covering album tracks, a couple of covers and some new stuff. Between songs he was charming, witty and had a very cute laugh. I had an utterly wonderful time. After his set, Jay then came back to sell his CDs - I'd bought myself another copy of Goddamned earlier and now I got him to sign it, and me and Andrew both got our photos taken with him. Jay said his music is sad, but his emotive voice and skill with a guitar make me feel uplifted and reassured, and his lyrics are often witty and fun. A perfect evening.

Here's my attempt at a set list, though not in the order he played them, and probably with omissions:

1. Can't Have It All
2. Half-Boyfriend
3. Soda Shop
4. The Spanglish Song (a new one)
5. Housewife (a personal favourite of mine)
6. Goddamned (another favourite)
7. Black Boys on Mopeds (Sinead O'Connor cover)
8. Zombie
9. Beautifully
10. Ever After Happily (I think, could've been a new one!)