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Four decades after releasing his debut album, Elvis Costello was back at Newcastle City Hall with The Imposters.
Not that you’d know Costello has aged 40 years, judging on the quality of his voice alone on Monday night.
Long-term collaborators and former Attractions Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas formed a tight band with Costello, while the addition of singers Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee added an uplifting injection of energy and soul.
Costello’s voice really warmed up after the opener. By the time the band kicked in to "I Don't Want to Go To Chelsea," there was no mistaking who was behind the trademark tones and little suggestion that 40 years on stage had taken much of a toll on them.
A stripped-down version of "Accidents Will Happen" saw Costello sing alone, with only Nieve for backing. While that’s a departure from the recorded version, it worked well mid set and showcased Costello’s ability to mix it up. He was as comfortable singing softer ballads as shredding out blues-tinged solos on his guitar.
Costello saved the bigger hits till after a short interval.
Returning on stage to play alone with his backing singers, and then with Nieve, Costello paused to introduce a song which he feels divides his crowd: his 1999 version of "She," recorded for the rom-com Notting Hill.
The 63-year-old Londoner joked that half his audience hate the song, and suggested a coin toss to settle whether or not he would play it.
"Heads again," Costello told the crowd, without looking too closely at the coin, before gently easing into the ballad, and nailing it.
The second half featured sure-fire crowd pleasers, although with some twists. "Oliver's Army" began without backing, before the Imposters kicked in.
Thanking — and introducing — his band throughout, Costello closed on a very lively version of "Pump It Up."
The two-and-a-half hour show had enough in it to entertain the most casual Costello fan, while tweaked versions of classics prove the multi-award winning songwriter is not content to just churn out old hits without a thought.
Costello looked genuinely pleased to be on stage, telling the crowd he loves being in Newcastle and evoking memories of his first show at City Hall 40 years ago.
If his energy on Monday night was anything to go by, it won’t be long before you can expect to see him in town again.
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