DRY DRY DRY

Music Marti Pellow

SECC, Glasgow

HOWEVER you feel about the painfully long career of Wet Wet Wet, there's not much arguing with Marti Pellow's opening salvo. Even without the rest of the boys from Clydebank, the innocent white-soul teeny-bop triumvirate of Angel Eyes, Sweet Little Mystery and Wishing I Was Lucky still sound pretty nifty. But of course, everything was so much more innocent back in the Popped In, Souled Out era.

These days, Pellow is attempting to forge a solo career after leaving the Wets in a blaze of tabloid confessions about long-term drug abuse. We've become fairly used to the idea of a smacked-out Marti in the subsequent months, but it's worth remembering what an incredible shock it was when the story first broke in 1999. Camped out on Top Of The Pops for 15 weeks in 1994 with a buttock-clenching rendition of The Troggs' Love Is All Around, Pellow looked like he was, if anything, on some super-Prozac; a pony-tailed loon blinding the unfortunate teenage studio audience with his gleaming, beacon- like grin. Was he chasing the dragon even back then?

No reference is made to his addiction or rehabilitation on this, his second pretty-much sold out night in the cavernous Armadillo, save for a seemingly heart-felt note of gratitude to the audience. "Thank you for the support over the past months," he says. "You are my inspiration." And he's not looking too shabby, all things considered. The eyebrow piercing might be a mistake - also the purple suit/purple shirt combo he struts around in - but he seems sprightly enough. Backed by a muscular and efficient troupe of musos, Pellow ploughs confidently through the old hits and previews some of his own forthcoming material. Recorded in Memphis, the new songs are generally uplifting, ever-so-slightly schmaltzy and lightly gilded with gospel. There are no glaringly obvious references to his descent into drug hell, but then perhaps that's just as well; you get the horrible feeling that Pellow grappling with his demons musically might turn out more like Zammo from Grange Hill's Just Say No than Neil Young's seminal The Needle And The Damage Done.

Much to the delight of the crowd (once they figure out who it is), Pellow's joined by Wets guitarist Graeme Duffin for his first encore - including a decent run through Picture This - which perhaps indicates tensions are easing between the group of friends who ended up imploding so spectacularly. And even though the inevitable closer Love Is All Around is only just physically bearable, Pellow might be back on his way up. Perhaps he still needs to find the right channel for his undeniable vocal skill, but on this showing he probably won't have too much trouble keeping afloat.

Craig Stewart

Copyright 2000
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