Badly Spoken Boy vents spleen

Musician Damon Gough, also known as Badly Drawn Boy, hurled abuse at his American fans in an onstage meltdown before telling them he would "never play live again".

Playing at the legendary Los Angeles venue the Troubadour Club to complete his tour of North America, Gough complained of sound trouble in an often-interrupted set before beginning to swear at the crowd.

The Dunstable, UK-born singer rose to fame in 2000 when he won the Mercury Music Prize for his debut album The Hour of Bewilderbeast. He is promoting his latest album It's What I'm Thinking Pt 1 - Photographing Snowflakes which dropped out of the British charts in October.

"I am going home. This is the end of the show for me. If these c**** keep saying s***, I am f****** off. Anyone else want to say any s*** to me? You think I enjoy this? Being away from my two kids to do this s***?"

The artist described the sound as "swampy" and "terrible" after walking on stage. The problems persisted, causing him to become increasingly angry. "Anyone who doesn't want to be here, f*** off," he told the crowd.

After getting only one verse into his song The Shining, Gough threw his harmonica to the floor. "You can shut up!" he shouted and then disappeared for a cigarette before returning 20 minutes later, by which point half the crowd had left. "I am trying my best, LA twats. You need to get a life."

The audience responded with laughter and applause. "Give us our money back," said one audience member. "Do I need to be here? You are killing your fan base." Another can be heard on a YouTube video saying: "He is moody tonight."

The musician switched from guitar to piano before becoming even more agitated. "After tonight, I'm never playing live again. Seriously, do you think I want to be here? This night has been a complete disaster for me."

As fans left in disgust, Gough dedicated one of his last songs, a cover of Madonna's Like a Virgin, to those who had remained.

- INDEPENDENT