Travis Review :Arts At The Armory 11/1/09

By cmcduffie on Sun, Nov 8, 2009 10:53 pm

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If every band could seamlessly pull off a rather intimate show the way Travis did last Sunday, the world of music would be a much different place. The Glasgow natives, equipped with just two members (frontman Fran Healey and guitarist Andy Dunlop), gave their audience a treat by playing all of their songs acoustically for a two and a half hour show--with no opener.

Healey's demeanor was completely down to earth, and to reiterate the feeling of closeness, for the duo's first song, "20," Healey jumped into the middle of the crowd and belted out the lyrics while playing only his guitar. 'I want to get down here since this song was written by me, in my room, when I was in my 20s," he explained. 'I want you to feel that.'  

The boys went on to play some of their biggest hits ("Turn," "Sing," "Side" and "Why Does It Always Rain On Me") in the order that they were written, completed with individual stories and a slideshow with images of: Scotland, handwritten lyrics ('Flowers in The Window' was written on an envelope in a hotel room), the band through the years, and of course, Noel Gallagher. That half of the '90s supergroup, Oasis, as Healey explained, was instrumental in the chords and lyrics in "Writing To Reach You." What stuck with everyone in the room (which contained about 300-400 people) was the genuine nature of Travis, especially when Healey asked us to put our cameras away because he wanted to put up a photo of his son, Clay, on the screen, as he introduced us to the touching ballad about him entitled 'My Eyes.'  

The evening was brought to a close when the band asked the audience for requests, and then announced they were going to work the merch table because having a third person on tour who was not a member of Travis in this particular setting would be 'a little weird.' With it's small setting, hilarious stories, and stellar acoustics, this is Travis' best tour to date.