CHRIS SHIFLETT // QMU, GLASGOW
Foo Fighter star, Chris Shiflett, looks comfortable as tours his quirky album Lost at Sea.
★★★★★ (5/5)
CHRIS SHIFLETT PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S QMU
PHOTOCREDIT: CALUM BUCHAN
Holding the gauntlet as the lead guitarist in one of the world’s biggest mainstream rock bands, Foo Fighters, has got to come with a huge shadow. Chris Shiflett has the impossible task of fighting the beast of comparison while striking out in his solo career and critic will always be ready to find something to throw at him.
Chris Shiflett joined the Foo Fighters in 1999, replacing the band’s guitarist Pat Smear. Shiflett had previously played with other bands including No Use for a Name, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. He was invited to join the Foo Fighters by Dave Grohl after a recommendation from a mutual friend. Smear re-joined in the band in 2010 and plays alongside Shiflett as Foo Fighters continue to surprise and delight their fans.
How does a musician go on to separate themselves from something as monumental as Foo Fighters? Shiflett has the answer, you just go with it. His sell-out set in Glasgow was at the under-the-radar Queen Margaret Union and the cosy, student-y, venue was transformed with some big rock star energy without the almost mandatory ego.
It was a full house and attendees were merry. Although Shiflett’s reputation precedes him, the crowd was a room full of people in the so-called ‘here and now’ and energy of excitement was in the air. There is also something in simply just being a space filled with such of openness, where strangers are receptive of one another and people are grateful.
The night’s focus was on the hard-edged, county class album Shiflett released last year. The work is a treasure trove of irresistible numbers with diversity and a distant framework of cohesion. There is sense of effortlessness in the album and in Shiflett’s performance, suggesting a musician who is the grove of the music they love.
The set is strong from start to finish, as one would expect with a fine tuned, craftsman. Shiflett and his minimal band fill the stage with a confident glow. Opening tracks Dead and Gone and Lair’s Word have that gun-slinging, western depth and pride. The swing your hips, rock and roll number Carrie Midnight Queen got the crowd riled up for party.
Shiflett’s guitar playing was tight an effortless and he kept up with tempo changes of the varied Lost at Sea. He nailed the shred of Black Top White Lines and smoothly transitions style to the UB40 rhythm of Damage Control. Shiflett experience shows constantly, specifically as deals perfectly with crowd emergency, unfazed and empathetically.
The musicians radiate with chemistry on stage and bounce off each other. Shiflett shares a genuine appreciation for Glasgow and the evening’s he has spent here. He runs a joke through the set about his love for sausage rolls and it’s these little moments that can often be the most special. Shiflett shared how the brilliant song Welcome to Your First Heartache is written about his teenage son and it is certain his son would only cringe at the thought.
Unique and cherished moment is what live music is about and Chris Shiflett knows how to make it happen. He does not let his achievements stop him from working on music that he is passionate about and he knows how to keep a crowd happy.