Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
It was an emotional send off for Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. at his last ever Liverpool show. But Getintothis’ Sam Banks is far from teary-eyed.
Shortly after arriving at the venue, we’ll admit, our scepticism had got the better of us. Of course, we have been aware of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.over the last seven or eight years, but the legendary cult status that Sam Duckworth bears had a lot to live up to on his ‘Farewell Tour’.
Singer songwriter Ed Poole began the show with an extremely pleasing performance. The tranquility of his composition was superbly complimented by the ambient lighting on stage. His voice projected throughout the hall, allowing the bundling inbound fans to get a thorough understanding of his lyrics – be it from the confines of the bar. Depressing to say the least. Ed Poole displayed promise and delivered the small wilted crowd with hope. This was a decent support slot for the Liverpudlian lad, the performance showcased his talent as a lyricist, it was just a shame about the turnout.
The Get Cape fan-base evidently started to descend on the bare landscape of EVAC. It was just a shame that they couldn’t turn up sooner to catch Ed Poole’s memorising performance. The young Southampton talent Sean McGowan took to the stage. It was reassuring to hear honest, heart-felt music. Sean’s songwriting style was extremely similar to The Streets ’frontman Mike Skinner, and resonated a strong argument amongst the Liverpool crowd, it was clear for all to see as to why Sam Duckworth had hand-picked McGowan to accompany him throughout the entire UK tour. A set that was littered with political digs done us the world of good. Just in time for the finale.
So, here it was. Get Cape’s last ever outing in Liverpool, which surprisingly struck the old-guard fans, many of whom began to get upset rather prematurely. The money and time spent on his stage setup was a drastic change from that of McGown and Poole. Nobody needed an introduction to the Get Cape’s persona…well, if they did we’re sure the copious amounts of smoke being plumed from the stage helped.
Golden-age hip-hop blurted from the P.A. system and began to ring from the sampler that lay on the stage. Sam Duckworth’s arrival was imminent. He appeared from the side of the stage wielding nothing but a beaten up acoustic guitar. A sweet little jam serenaded the crowd, and the set started off with a cracker. Material from earlier records such as The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager and Searching for the Hows and Whys filled the crowd with nostalgic joy. The set (for the most part) was filled with youth and immaturity, something you would expect from somebody who drew his namesake from a comic book caped crusader. The opening was surprisingly refreshing, basic and well, fun.
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
As the show progressed, things began to deteriorate, a long line of mistakes then led to the Get Cape frontman addressing the crowd as “Manchester”and perhaps half an hour into the set several emotions began to creep their way onto the stage. Duckworth’s approach to the microphone became somewhat erratic and aggressive, which, in our eyes had a genuine adverse effect on the audience. At closer inspection he looked detached, lethargic and fatigued. What began as a joyous occasion would lead to bittersweet emotions, yes, his talent was clear, but the passion that may have burned inside him once upon a time was quite clearly extinguished.
Pictures by Getintothis‘ Gaz Jones
