|
John Cooper Clarke was on stage at about 7:45pm and he was blackly brilliant, though he looked a right prat with his scruffy hair, spindly legs and non-stop gum-chewing
Next on at 8:10pm were Richard Hell & The Voidoids, one of whom looked like he would have been more at home playing Ronnie Scott's. I'd heard hardly any of their material before. They were very good.
At five minutes before nine Elvis & The Attractions hit the stage and launched into "Goon Squad." Elvis was wearing a white jacket and black jeans, with white (not red) shoes. He seemed fidgety and bad-tempered and hardly spoke other than to bark out the occasional song title.
The bass player looked like a bank clerk on a big night out. Keyboard player crouched like a demented spider over his wobbly set-up and punctuated the set with strange noises. The drummer was loud and relentless.
Other tracks played were "I Stand Accused," "Hand In Hand," "Oliver's Army," "This Year's Girl," "Chelsea," "Lipstick Vogue" (where the lighting was at its best: blue light streaming from beneath the drums with Elvis spotlighted at the front, then shifting into green all round with E picked out in red, all synchronised to the music), "Detectives," "Red Shoes" (red light), "Green Shirt" (green light), "Accidents Will Happen," "Big Boys," "You Belong To Me," and "Pump It Up," followed (eventually) by an encore of "Peace, Love & Understanding" and the inevitable "Radio, Radio."
A brilliant concert and excellent value for money with three very good acts. Elvis and the Attractions are a bit special. Elvis is not quite as good as Bob Dylan, but he will be one day.
|
