MUNDY

The Borderline, London

Standing centre stage before a throng comprised of an astonishing number of nubile young rock chicks and their “how-the-fuck-did-that-nerd-pull-her” boyfriends in the smoky bowels of Time Out magazine’s current live music venue of the year, Mundy radiates a hitherto unseen confidence. Comfortable in his skin, the nervous intros of yore are conspicuous by their absence, as are the bashful – bordering on apologetic – boyish grins that suggested here was an artist who couldn’t believe those gathered to hear him had nothing better to do with their time or money. His smiles now are of pleasure rather than fear. His hair’s been tidied too, along with his set. Errant lyrics of the folky “Hey-nonny-nonny-na-noo-nay” variety have been rightly jettisoned in favour of the homespun imagery so prevalent on Jelly Legs and it’s acclaimed follow-up EP, The Moon Is A Bullet Hole.

The sound is noticeably spikier too. Time was when a less worldly wise Mundy attempted to be all things to all men and risked getting stuck between a rock, a hard place, the devil and the deep blue sea. Now it’s hard rock, amps on 11 with colourful images of devils, angels, deep blue seas, skies and all the rest. ‘May Day’, ‘Rescue Remedy’ and the rapturously received ‘Mexico’ are breath-taking, intoxicating fret work-outs that leave those who last saw him murmuring softly about Springtown doing incredulous double-takes: “Where the fuck did they come from?” and “Please sir, can we have some more?”

Thankfully, Mundy’s transition from wide-eyed country boy to manic street preacher, hasn’t seen him abandon the worthier aspects of the approach that saw him hoisted on to a pedestal in the first place. ‘Drive Me Through The City Tonight’ adopts the softly-softly approach and is as good as the aforementioned ‘Springtown’ or anything he’s previously delivered: a mournful, soulful carefully polished gem. From the back catalogue, ‘To You I Bestow’ from Baz Luhrman’s Romeo & Juliet soundtrack is introduced as “my lucky song… it’s been good to me,” while firm crowd favourite ‘Gin & Tonic Sky’ receives a vigorous, hair-raising make-over in a rabble-rousing encore that sends us home happy and whistling a tune.