German review:
https://dervinylist.com/2022/05/29/justin-sullivan-uberzeugt-in-bensheim-als-solokunstler/
Really appreciated and enjoyed the review. Thank you so much for posting, sam37!
For those of us who don't read or speak German, I've reposted an English translation below (translated by a computer feature on this laptop). Hopefully there aren't any mistakes. I'll be correcting the setlist above, as it appears to have many errors, according to the one included in Ms. Krüger's review. Not sure what happened, but I am especially thankful for the crucial update, setlist clarification.
"Justin Sullivan convinces in Bensheim as a solo artist"
by Ada Krüger
"On 26.5.2022 Justin SULLIVAN, also known as the frontman of the British indie band New Model Army, met at the Hessian Bergstraße in Bensheim. And just as it took Justin Sullivan 42 years to play a concert in Bensheim, it took me decades to attend a sit-down concert. And it was beautiful!
Singer and songwriter Justin Sullivan has been on the road as a solo artist for a long time, for the first time in 18 years, to be exact. I've only seen him with New Model Army so far and was very excited to see how Justin would present himself as a solo artist.
And so it was: a guitar, a few pedals and a chair, nothing more. Justin said that he was asked that it was nice to give a concert so "pure", so pure. From this he asked himself the question of how "pure" we all were and the answer is a clear one: not so right. Bad Old World followed as a song. His music and voice are amplified by the personal explanations between songs. The question of how big we are in relation to the universe and time is easy to answer: tiny.
It is important to Mr. Sullivan that there is no we/her (us/them), no demarcation, but the togetherness. All this, especially in the great context of world politics. Loyalty is the issue. He differentiates between sub-areas: loyalty to the family, to the area, to the club and to the flag. I found his penchant for reading graffiti funny. He saw a message abroad 30 years ago: I am sorry. "Who writes something like that?" he asks. Then 30 years later in England another graffiti: I am really sorry. Was it the same sprayer?
My personal highlight as a New Model Army fan was Ballad of Bodmin Pill, and I couldn't help but dance. But I was taken along and enchanted throughout the evening by the ballad-like songs, carried by the intense voice of Justin Sullivan. Overall, everything is a bit more set than NMA, but simply wonderful. Two hours flew by. With Amundsen, Coming With Me, Stone and Heather, Unforgiven, 28th May and Rip Tides, he played songs from his solo album Surrounded from 2021.
According to Justin, there is still a good club culture in Germany. We should keep this as long as possible. The Rex in Bensheim is also a beautiful, small club with bars, bar tables and a stage. I felt very comfortable there.
The audience is like a New Model Army concert at a more set age, the fans of the past, the fans of now. In fact, there is also a young girl in the audience. The fans of tomorrow? Below is the official setlist. If I heard correctly, the song Strogoula was missing. But Headlights and Over the Wire did not stick to the planned order.
Overall, it was a beautiful, entertaining evening to listen to, for some also to dance. Thank you! I will come back to solo artist Justin Sullivan. But I'm also looking forward to his tour with New Model Army in autumn through Germany."
