Pulling on the Red Chord

I recently discovered this wonderful site Moshcam which allows you to watch gigs that have been filmed at different venues around Sydney over the past couple of years. There are hundreds of bands to choose from - from Ben Harper to 78 Saab. I was drawn to a concert given by The Frames at The Metro in 2007.

The below video is the final song of their set. Look at the shining eyes of those in the crowd. In particular, check out the guy around 6:43 just standing there with his arms in the air letting the song wash over him. Look at Glen actually stopping playing to applaud the crowd and then jumping up and down like an excited child. It looks like an utterly religious experience. The rawness with which he treates the lyrics, "that pulls you back to me lord. YEAH!" - it gives me shivers. Check it out.



And just in case you thought it was a fluke, check out Glen creating the magic all on his lonesome, just him and a guitar. The guy is so talented it makes me want to give up now!



By way of postscript, Glen left school at 13 to start busking on the streets of Dublin. He did that for five years before getting The Frames together. It would be another 15 years until his big commercial break, the film Once, would come out. That is one hard slog. Imagine if he'd given up. We wouldn't have this man's beautiful, spellbinding music to spur us all on, to lift us all up.