Once you've heard the heartbroken baritone of Stuart A. Staples, you will instantly fall under Tindersticks's spell, and your soul will feel empty until you can fill it up again and again with the desolate beauty of the sound of this Nottingham band. You can hear that voice again on Friday when the band returns to Dublin for what promises to be a pin-dropping musical experience.
The new album, Simple Pleasure, is a short but bittersweet selection of songs, and features the poignant new single, Can We Start Again? Tindersticks came together in 1992, avoiding the usual Britrock cliches and Fred Perry chic. Instead, the band wore crumpled grey suits and crafted dark, downbeat tunes with echoes of Brel, Serge Gainsbourg and Nick Cave. Expect such dirt-encrusted gems as No More Affairs, Tiny Tears, Travelling Light, Bathtime and Ballad of Tindersticks. Slo-mo your way down to the Olympia next Friday night (8pm)
