Patti Smith Live At Montreux

Dressed in the same loose-fitting white shirt and skinny tie that she wore on the iconic black and white cover of 1977’s Horses, this concert film suggests Patti Smith might be unafraid of referencing her celebrated past, but she’s far from in thrall to it.

This powerful set, a 2005 performance at Montreux’s famously eclectic jazz festival, makes a strong case for Smith as a vital, evolving artist rather than a nostalgia act.

It’s a no frills affair, focusing attention on Smith and her all-star band who include long-time collaborators and co-writers Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty on guitar and drums respectively, as well as television guitarist Tom Verlaine.

The lean set takes in ‘Not Fade Away’, originally made famous by The Crickets and a rambling, quicksilver version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. The song would be one of the key influences on Smith, with its ramshackle feel, poetic lyrics and sense of immediacy all being touchstones for her later work.

There’s also raw-boned versions of some of her classic songs, like the tragic romance of the reggae-tinged ‘Redondo Beach’ and the dirty blues of the gritty ’25^th Floor’.

Somewhat surprisingly, this is the first Patti Smith concert film, but the tautness and energy here leaves you hungry for more.

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