In this cabaret Peter Straker paid tribute to Jacques Brel, Belgian songwriter and singer who composed songs that have been described as literate, thoughtful and theatrical. The lyrics often come across as poetical, although he denied he was a poet.
Adopting the persona of Brel, Straker spoke of the man’s life, loves and fondness for cigarettes and alcohol. His narrative was aided by projected film and images, on which Brel spoke of the power of having dreams and achieving them.
But it was the songs that made the evening. His love of Belgium was expressed in Flatlands and in the number recalling Brussels before the First World War. Amsterdam gave a vivid picture of the port and the rancid sailors who inhabited it. Straker’s interpretation was enhanced by his swaying dance movements.
All the songs were delivered forcefully – lyrics being roared and spat out as though Brel was the punk of his generation. In Carousel the words got faster and faster as if the fairground ride was out of control. With staring eyes, Straker often looked as though he was possessed, so deeply was he immersed in the lyrics.
Much of Brel’s work is dark and Next was a good example, with its declamatory style of his conveyor belt journey through the Army’s medical inspection and its mobile brothel. Death featured in two items, notably the one where he cynically visualises his own funeral and the hypocrites attending.
Straker proved to be a fine interpreter, providing both power and gentle lyricism.
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