Now I know I'm a little bit biased. Regular readers will know I'm fond of Edwyn Collins.But this was a truly incredible gig.
It was less emotional than the 2008 gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow that I previously reviewed here and here (with a video clip here). But somehow, it was so much better.
Last night, Scotland's favourite bard and the godfather of all that is post-punk in Caledonia demonstrated that his remarkable recovery from the illnesses that so nearly took away his life continues apace. This was a 75 minute set complete with two encores. Edwyn made his way to and from the stage only with the help of a walking stick and not leaning on the arm of his wonderful wife Grace or one or other of his band. Edwyn stood up and sang at the mike for one song. Edwyn's voice was stronger and better than it was some 9 months ago.
And Edwyn got a reception from a packed ABC that clearly meant a great deal to him....
In some ways it was a bit of a risk opening with the show with three classic Orange Juice songs given that many in the audience would probably have come along more in the hope of hearing these than any of the solo stuff. What it did mean was the gig got off to the best possible start, but not once did it ever fade away to anything less than perfection (although someone afterwards did suggest there was one bum note on a guitar solo.....).
There were far too many highlights to mention, and we were also privileged to hear a brand new composition, one written in its entirety since his stroke entitled I'm Losing Sleep. And if its a title that makes you think its just another acoustic ballad, well you can think again as its something akin to Keep On Burning, his tribute to Northern Soul.
Just like last time out, some special praise has to be given to Edwyn's band, all of whom added so much to the night with their professionalism and their joy at sharing a stage with such a pop god. But inevitably, Roddy Frame has to be singled out for his virtuoso work on guitar. I can't really say anymore than that as words alone cant do justice to his performance.
I was at the gig with Ed from 17 Seconds and we met up inside with Drew from Across The Kitchen Table as well as two other non-blogging friends of mine. We were unanimous with our view that we had seen something truly special - Ed will be giving his take on things over at his place in the next day or so.
And thanks to Ed, here's the full setlist:-
Falling And Laughing
Poor Old Soul
What Prescence?!
Home Again
Make Me Feel Again
You'll Never Know My Love
Hope And Despair
Rip It Up
The Wheels Of Love
One Track Mind
I'm Losing Sleep
A Girl Like You
Encore One
Searching For The Truth
Low Expectations
Blueboy
Encore Two
Don't Shilly Shally
As I said too many highlights to mention. But here's a couple of them:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Hope And Despair
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Don't Shilly Shally
I had the camera with me, and although I was a stupid boy in not having the battery fully charged, I did capture 95% of one song.....I'll hopefully post the clip over the next few days.
Happy Listening.
8 comments:
It was something to behold.
Watching Edwyn and Roddy on stage it was clear that there is a great friendship and mutual admiration between these two giants of music. Nearly enough to bring a tear to this old cynic's eye.
oh and the Bluebells were no bad either, what I saw of them.
Lucky lads. Thanks for sharing the review.
I woke up in Sydney this morning with 4 lengthy voicemails on my mobile from couple of mates who were there and just let me hear a few minutes of it. Gorgeous stuff. My two heroes on stage together. would have sold my season ticket for that. Maybe. This effectively returned the compliment as i'd called the lads from Sydney having taken in My Morning Jacket, Arctic Monkeys then Neil Young at Sydney's 'Big Day Out' festival. A rather brilliant day for music the world over...(but would've still preferred to be home for Edwyn and Roddy). Peace and love. Stevie.
Great to hear Edwyn's in such fine fettle but I'd love to hear more about the Bluebells set.
Phil
Tel Aviv
Bluebells were good, Phil, fun if not life-affirming like Edwyn Collins' set genuinely was.
Thanks for a great night out folks, will post my take soon...Ed
I wish I'd been there but I had my dose of Celtic Connections last weekend, as you see from the Jocknroll Blog.
Glad to see he's getting better all the time.
THanks for the review. I reember being shocked to see him in my local park a year or so ago looking so frail.
Saw Edwyn last night at Buxton Opera House, and everything in the review above is completely spot on.
We got there early, and as we headed to the bar, I heard "Falling and Laughing" coming from the auditorium. It sounded so crisp, so sharp that it took a few seconds to realise it wasn't the single being played on the PA, it was the band.
Then Edwyn's voice kicked in, that wonderful crooning baritone strong and floating over the beat as it always had. It was going to be a great gig.
Then when they kicked off ... oh goodness. What a band. With Ruffy making the beat swing, the Postcard material scampered along yet packed a real wallop.
Roddy played lovely, tasteful guitar, keeping an eye on Edwyn and matching the mood perfectly.
Edwyn perched on his Peavey amp for the whole gig, but it's a long, long time since I've seen a performer put so much heart and expression into a gig. All the time his vocals were just ... unmistakeably Edwyn. No ifs or buts, no need for qualification. The voice is there.
All the wry intelligence was there too, the love of the music ... it was truly moving. I had "something in my eye" several times, none more so than in a beautiful "Home Again".
The new song, I'm losing sleep, is an absolute stormer, and an all-time Edwyn classic.
Then straight into "A Girl Like You", which started like rolling a stone down a snow-covered mountain ... Ruffy and the band holding the beat steady, then picking it up and letting it accelerate as Roddy came to front of the stage and launched into an absolutely blistering solo that climbed and climbed and climbed until the avalanche of sound shattered.
Then into the encores, and a climactic "Blue Boy" that had every ounce of the spry energy of 28 years ago.
The band's communication was fantastic, and a pleasure to watch. All credit to the bassist, second guitarist and keys / sax player whose names I didn't catch.
Downsides? The opera house was only about two-thirds full.
But Edwyn's doing more than just recovering, he's making music that's the equal of anything he's ever done.
As said above, truly life-affirming. There aren't many gigs about which I can say "I was priviledged to see that." This was one.
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