Grant Hart, San Francisco Bathhouse, reviewed by Aaron Watson

BEFORE Nirvana “pioneered” alt rock in the mainstream, there was a US hardcore band called Husker Du.
The first alternative band to win a major label record deal (just ahead of Sonic Youth), Husker Du was acclaimed for a combination of lilting melody and angry noise that scared most pop metal fans out of their black t-shirts. This was back when “alternative” was a separate bin in the record store and the only way to hear such bands was to buy records because radio and television wouldn’t touch them.
Thrashing the drums in Husker Du and writing some of the most beautiful tunes ever to bear the label “hardcore” was Grant Hart. This solo show with Hart on guitar was a bit like having a talented friend perform in your lounge. Very loudly.
There was something Dylanesque about the gig ­ an intensity-cum-cynicism, romance-meets-loathing quality driven by sharp lyricism and natural musicality. Hart’s genius has always been songwriting and his rare Husker Du hit Don’t Wanna Know if you are Lonely was as venomous as ever. It flowed into the moving She Floated Away with ease and both songs had the appreciative audience singing along.
The track 2541 from his first solo release was a crowd favourite while You’re the Reflection of the Moon on the Water, from his latest album Hot Wax (recorded with members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor), showed he has lost none of his compositional skill. I took my first Husker Du record back to the store because it was just too confrontational. Then found myself humming tunes I couldn’t place ­ until I realised they were Hart’s tunes, and had to purchase it again. That’s Hart’s genius. His songs are so good.