David Knopfler ~ Manoel Theatre, Valletta, 11/12/2010

{Published in The Sunday Times of Malta, 19/12/2010}

Sultan of Storytelling

It would be fair to say that if not for the “former member of Dire Straits” tag behind his name on promotional posters, David Knopfler would have probably been playing to a pretty empty venue over his three-night residence at the Manoel Theatre. Having released nine solo studio albums since his departure from his brother Mark Knopfler’s band in 1980, most of which fall under the mawkish synth-soaked and reverb-drenched music genre to be found at a record store near you, the majority attending hardly knew what to expect.

Selected especially by the headliner himself, Saturday’s entrée was prepared by local based band the Creepers, who cooked up their own raw acoustic vintage American blues. The Creepers opened with a smoothly mellow Lonesome Road Blues and gradually turned up the mojo over their six number set. The four-piece sounded as slick as their clean-cut suits and gelled-solid hairstyles, showing they can talk-the-talk just as well as they walk-the-walk.

Shortly after 8.30pm, David Knopfler stumbled out on stage almost as if by accident. Waving to the tiered audience, the singer-songwriter wandered leisurely towards the mic to say hello, before retreating to pick up the wrong acoustic guitar on stage, consequently having to switch to the correct one a few seconds later. Nonplussed, Knopfler ensued to calmly tune-up, leaving the audience quietly whisper among themselves in bemusement for a few more minutes, before finally departing station with a gutsy performance of Steel Wheels, immediately showcasing that his similarities to his brother extend in voice as well as in looks.

Knopfler followed with a well-received rendition of Dire Strait’s classic Wild West End, a song he described cheekily as being written by “Mark something or other.” However hopes for more were altogether futile.

Throughout the concert, Harry Bogdanovs accompanied Knopfler on guitar and piano duties. The two musicians certainly made for a rather bizarre aesthetic combination. Knopfler appeared bedraggled in his unadorned creased shirt, shabby jeans and unkempt hair. Only his orange tinted sunglasses hinted at rock ’n’ roll glamour. On the other hand, Bogdanovs came across as the archetype bohemian Dandy; attired in smart blazer and scarlet cravat, his silvery hair blow-dried into contemplative wispy waves.

Musically, the two of them could not have been more intertwined. This was made particularly explicit on the beautiful King of Ashes, where the two musicians, both wielding guitars, melodically morphed into medieval-esque maudlin minstrels.

In between songs Knopfler did one of either two things. If holding his guitar, he felt the need to constantly retune it, a habit that needed to be fulfilled in borderline OCD fashion before continuing with the next song, leaving the audience in silence for minutes at a time. When at the piano though, he was freed of such habitual burden and went on to share casual memories of his life, explaining the inspiration behind certain songs. His work experience as a social worker spawned the elegant Southside Tenements, which dates back pre-Dire Straits.

He also shared how one morning he found his young daughter drawing on the floorboards of a $175,000 house he has just recently bought in upstate New York, she had simply written, “I love home.” This inspired the enduringly charming Here In Genesee, a sweet lullaby of a tune that sounded exquisite in its uncomplicated piano-guitar format.

With each song played, the audience response got louder and more appreciative. On Tears Fall, Knopfler invited local singer Fiona Cauchi on stage for a duet; a gesture that went down particularly well with all present. He finished off with his bluesy Easy Street, a song the singer described as being his “Faustian pact moment” and dealt with his 1st hand experience of quick fame and fortune in the music business.

Returning for an encore there was only one thing on the entire audience’s mind, “will he play Sultans of Swing?” Knopfler was aware of the expectation but quickly pulled the plug on such wishful thinking by announcing that he wouldn’t be caught dead playing that song, before delivering another one of his solo efforts. There was an almost tangible dip in the mood around the venue.

But in truth Knopfler has no real prerogative to play any Dire Straits material, as he simply did not write any of it. The reason he does keep on recording and performing clearly is not to relive the glory days as a rock star in one of music’s great bands, but to be able to share his own written material with new audiences no matter how modest in number.

After the show, Knopfler met waiting fans, signed autographs for them and of course shared more stories, telling one in line how his brother Mark used to whack him around the head to get him to practice guitar when they were young. No matter how trivial, Knopfler made you want to listen to his rambling tales, and by the end of the night you kind of felt you knew the man enough to convincingly get away with calling him an acquaintance; “You know I met David Knopfler once, really down to earth sort of guy. He spent an evening playing me his songs and telling me about his life. Great bloke. Just don’t ask him to play Sultans of Swing.”