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Elvis Costello recently described his current tour with The Attractions as "a cross between 'Five Go Mad in Devon' and 'Last of the Summer Wine'.
The band may look lice a Candi of patchy, cuddle aged beer boys better suited to playing Working Men's Clubs than student venues but they proved at the LCR that they we stet capa-ble of producing an exuberant set that wand put most of the current crop of NWONW pretenders to shame.
The show opened with 1 Want You', a haunbng and bitter song charged tvdh sexual obsession that Sways threatens to burst with the barely suppressed violence at its centre.
Costello and the band then tore into the rocket:00y caner of '13 Slain Lead Doan' to lighten the MOO But the highlight of On first part d the show came with Deep Dart Truthful Mirror
-Listen to these words* Elvis simpered. before producing a stnpped down version of the song that Smelled from the lac* of •mbelksh-merits that had blunted the power of the recorded track.
What came over throughout the evening was gust how mucti the band seemed to be enjoying them-selves In between songs Elvis had a nice line in audience fnendly banter about, amongst other things. the band's age. "This S the twenty-first trine we've played UEA in forty five yen', and the 'Fine City itself. 'I'm rekably informed that Norwich is a state of mind Finn), it's sad but true The first pan of the two hour set was mainly devoted to songs from the last few albums whist the second half was more of a sang-along greatest his at
Many of the older songs were given fresh arrangements to give them a greater urgency and Costello s voice dunng the entire gig seemed more powerful and assured than it has been at any point in his career
Altogether it was a rnasteilui performance armed with drama, with and tension in roughly squat parts After such a great night it was even possible to forgive the three encore showbiz theatrics
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