Friday 12 September 2014, 8pm
In an affectionate act of tribute to his greatest songwriting heroes and influences, Momus is presenting an exceptional mini-residency at Cafe Oto this autumn in which he devotes two consecutive evenings to the songs of Howard Devoto and David Bowie.
At the Friday night show Momus will appear in the persona of "Harvard Momoto", singing an hourlong selection of material performed by Howard Devoto during his time with The Buzzcocks, Magazine and Luxuria, as well as from the solo album released under his own name. The songs will be accompanied by "scratch videos" concocted in Osaka by Momus, with musical backings all freshly performed and recorded.
Devoto's songs have a thrilling darkness to them, a jaundiced yet sweeping vision, a mixture of cruelty and vulnerability. Sung against backgrounds of sarcastic fairground music, icy pomp rock, nervous neo-punk chugs, Dylanesque ballads and staggering drunken strums, Devoto's lyrics are peerless, turning cliches on their heads, shining bright torches into realms of madness and disaster, and sketching out acerbic love scenes that live on in the mind.
"An Evening with Harvard Momoto" promises to be a magical homage to a man Momus has described (in a tribute song he'll also be performing) as "the most important man alive", an artist accorded far less tribute and attention than he deserves.
NB: No other acts performing. Momus on from 9pm.
imomus.com/
Nick Currie, more popularly known under the artist name Momus (after the Greek god of mockery), is a Scottish songwriter who lives in Japan. He also writes fiction and reviews contemporary art.
A veteran of British indie labels, Momus is currently in the midst of a re-release program which will see all his early material reissued by Cherry Red. His latest LP of new compositions is Scobberlotchers — a response to Brexit and Trump — and his latest novel is Popppappp, the tale of two graphic designers captured by fanatical followers of Mark E. Smith.
