From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
—
|
Costello
Bradford Univ. 7th Feb. '80
Nick Toczek
|
The Horace Barlow Band — a late 3rd act on a sold-out bill headlined by Rockpile (with Dave Edmunds & Nick Lowe) & supported by US bluesband The Fabulous Thunderbirds — turned out to be, as rumoured, Elvis Costello & The Attractions.
This was a try-out of the set they’d lined up for their forthcoming tour & it featured most of the numbers from their new album Get Happy.
They took the stage amid loud cheers & immediately launched into their 1st number. A good clean sound with the band really tight & sharp. Costello, not always the most cheerful of guys, was obviously in fine mood: "Hello, how are you?" (cheers) "This is Horace Barlow..." (nods towards guitarist) "... & this is a number called "The Beat." He gives brief thanks to Rockpile for this guest spot, plugs the album & they go into "Possession" which earns loud approval. They go straight on into another typical E.C. number with a powerful dms/kbds intro & a slow build-up into a pounding rocker. Again, no announcement — it’s 'Less Than Zero' — a good punchy version, but I always feel ít's just a bit slow. "Thank you. Like to do a new song for you now. It’s called '5 Gears In Reverse'." This could make a fine single. It‘s got some good gtr/kbds work that's reminiscent of their earlier hit "Pump It Up." Good rhythm changes too. "This is a great town!" And he jokes about Top of The Pops which he‘s just been watching "... dancing away to The Nolan Sisters in my hotel room... & The Buggles... & Gary Numan ... c'mon, let's hear it for Lena Martell!" (Loud cheers) "Anyway, this is for my great (!) friends The Jags — it’s called 'The Impostor'!" Next up is his own version of a song he wrote for Edmunds "Girls Talk." It’s followed by the final number — their recent hit "0liver's Army." This has been a great set with the excellent Attractions providing subtle back-up vocals as well as the immaculate instrumentation. The audience goes crazy for an encore & they're back for one number — their new single — "I Can't Stand Up For Fallin' Down." "Thank you. That's it... Good night!"
A great rock-song writer, E.C.’s rapidly becoming a star-quality singer & performer — if he can hold the pace, he'll be up there for a good few years. If you missed this one, make sure you one, make sure you catch him next time around.
|
|
Page scan.
Cover.
|
|
|
|
External links
