Great to be back in Glasgow - Tue 12th Jun
Great to be back in Glasgow
12 June 2001
September 1982 was the last time Roxy Music played Glasgow, they recorded it and released it as a live mini LP. That was in the now demolished Glasgow Apollo where some of the Viva album was recorded too.
Tonight they have come to the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre where Bryan played in 1988 and Bryan released some of that show on his CD singles in the early '90s, so what is it about Glasgow audiences??
As soon as the lights went down and South Downs played through the P.A. the crowd were chanting for the band almost as loud as any encore. The curtain opened to Bryan on piano playing Re-make/Re-model and the band joined in powerhouse form. Roxy are back. Bryan, in silver tuxedo style jacket, encompassing his wardrobe from the early bacofoil days of the space age, glam, glad rags, to the sophistication of the lounge lizard.
"Hello this is Roxy Music" he informs the crowd, as if they didn't know, and straight into Street Life, which saw the introduction of a troupe of Roxy Dancing girls dressed like a scene from Bryan's I Put A Spell On You video. Keeping with the early years, synth strings sounding like the Lunar landing fade in as Mackay's oboe creeps through which is immediately recognised by the crowd as Ladytron from the first Roxy album.
While My Heart Still Beating from Roxy's lush sounding Avalon album gets a rock workout with some fine guitar interplay between Manzanera and Spedding. The Country Life album was visited with Out Of The Blue, with a stunning violin solo from Lucy Wilkins.
Pianist Colin Good's Oxford University music education is shown with a beautiful arrangement of A Song For Europe. Andy Mackay who co-wrote this song with Bryan played his saxophone solo with perfection. Are these guys really in their 50's?
Bryan returned to behind the piano to open My Only Love. Chris Spedding,w earing what looked like one of Bryan's old jackets with long fringing on the sleeves, from Top of The Pops 1986, took centre stage adding another dimension to the show with some superb blues guitar.
It's like summer 1980 all over again, as the crowd join in the anthemic chorus to Oh Yeah.
Both Ends Burning was joined by the 'R'oxydancers, strutting their stuff as if the 70's had never gone away. Clad in short white boots, white mini shorts, skin-tight red laced up tops, over sized white buckle belts and blonde wigs. Bryan pulled out the harmonica, as he dueted with Chris Spedding on slide guitar, and Manzanera's solo beamed onto the backstage screen interspersed with lighting effect flames.
The stage empties leaving only Andy Mackay, Lucy Wilkins and Colin Good to perform the ethereal Tara which has been doubled in length from its recorded version. Lucy's violin intertwined with Andy's soprano sax makes this song one of the highlights of the show.
Avalon is given a new approach by Sarah Brown who provides the backing vocals and occasional percussion for the band.
If There Is Something really swings like a Cajun ho-down with its country feel. Bryan's voice sounds remarkably young and he even managed his famous shrill vibrato. Bryan says of the security, "Never mind these people, come down here" and the fans duly obliged.
Bryan is now in his third jacket of the evening after changing from the silver tuxudo to white then black. More Than This, arranged in a new key was well received by the fans who were now dancing in their seats throughout the hall. Makes one wonder why Bryan hasn't performed this classic single in any tour before now.
Mother Of Pearl is joined again by the dancers, only four this time, dressed provocatively with strands of pearls around their necks. These girls had seamed stockinged legs up to their armpits and the shortest of little dresses, they looked the ultimate in Roxy Girls. Is this Antony Price's creative input?
Jealous Guy, Editions Of You, Virginia Plain; all Roxy classics bring the show to a close. The return for the encore of the throb of the bass guitar from Love Is The Drug keeps the crowd dancing, and the Roxy Girls dancing now in red plumes, and sequins. Do The Strand closes the show as we have often seen, and Phil, Bryan and Andy suggest to the crowd that there will be one more if they want. Of course one more is wanted, so Paul Thompson, leads the band with the opening drum call of the title track to their classic album For Your Pleasure. A cacophony of treated instruments fade out as the band leaves the stage one by one, to the closing line of the song "Tara", Tara" No other band would get away with such an unorthodox finale. Lets hope this is not the last time that Roxy play in, what has obviously been one of their favourite cities.
The set :
Re-make/Re-model, Street Life, Ladytron, While My Heart Is Still Beating, Out Of The Blue, A Song For Europe, My Only Love, Oh Yeah, Both Ends Burning, Tara, Avalon, If There Is Something, More Than This, Mother Of Pearl, Jealous Guy, Editions Of You, Virginia Plain, Love Is The Drug, Do The Strand, For Your Pleasure.