Nottingham Evening Post, June 15, 2015: Difference between revisions
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It was a rough-around-the-edges night, but frequently a stunner. The unpredictability started when the support act — Atlanta roots band [[Larkin Poe]] — pulled out through illness. | |||
So Costello came on early, in front of a huge fake telly on which song lyrics, bits of his and his family's pasts and a series of daft Nottingham references — old Raleigh adverts, Douglas Fairbanks as Robin Hood, Cloughie — were projected. | |||
I've seen Costello with both The Attractions and The Imposters, on two-hander tours with loyal keyboard sidekick Steve Nieve and even in an odd classical-jazz hybrid with John Harle and Andy Sheppard. The last time he played here, he had cage dancers and a giant spinning game-show wheel to randomise the setlist. But I've never seen him look so relaxed as he did here, on his own. | |||
He sounded a bit under the weather, mind. The voice was slightly more ragged than usual, something he jokily blamed on the "lovely Cumbrian air" in Carlisle the night before. | |||
There were plenty of hits. "[[Accidents Will Happen]]" was taut and sharp as ever, even stripped back to one guitar. "[[Green Shirt]]" was stunning, as menacing as in the old days. "[[Oliver's Army]]," "[[American Without Tears]]," "[[Ghost Train]]," even "[[She]]" - on they came. | |||
But the less-well-known stuff was equally interesting. Ascension Day, his post-Leadbelly collaboration with Allen Toussaint, hailed the efforts of the people of New Orleans to rebuild their city. "[[The Last Year Of My Youth]]" - unveiled on the Letterman show last year, even though he'd only written it the day before - showed that his brilliant songwriting skill remains undimmed. | |||
Occasionally things hit the buffers, usually when he played the piano. He seemed ill at ease on the instrument, and an ill-advisedly jazzy Shipbuilding was dogged with a dragging tempo and some clunky playing. Later, a gospel reinvention of "[[I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down]]" was impeccable - but I was always relieved when he picked up a guitar again, especially for a magnificent, loop-powered "[[Watching The Detectives]]." | |||
There were laughs, too, with stories of his dad, a singer with the Joe Loss Orchestra, and a song from 1930 dedicated to his two eight-year-old sons. He even did "[[Side By Side]]," its opening "Well, we ain't got a barrel of money…" drawing further chuckles. | |||
For the encores, Costello was suddenly inside the giant TV for "[[Pump It Up]]" and "[[Alison]]," brandishing the guitar from the cover of My Aim Is True, before a rip-roaring version of Nick Lowe's "[[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?|(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding]]." | |||
He said he'd see us again next time. I wonder what he'll do then. Whatever it is, it'll be worth the money. | |||
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Revision as of 16:36, 15 June 2015
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