Birmingham Symphony Hall - Wed 20th May

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by Jon Griffin

It is scarcely believable that it's now 43 years since Bryan Ferry, the epitome of cool, first strutted his inimitable stuff as frontman with 70s rock band extraordinaire Roxy Music.

The decades may have passed in the interim but the Geordie miner's son has endured as an artist of undisputed renown, with a back catalogue spanning artschool stomping rock to haunting ballads, and soul to R and B.

The Symphony Hall and Mr Ferry were made for each other, oozing style, elegance and timeless artistry which continue to defy the passing years.

New material from Ferry's most recent album was mixed up with the old, whilst the obligatory female backing singers conjured up images of those famous early Roxy album covers from 1972 onwards.

Ferry's long career has frequently seen him reinterpret the work of other artists, from Dylan to Lennon, The Byrds to Smokey Robinson and Sam and Dave.

But, first and foremost, he has also been a great songwriter down the years and it was marvellous to hear the Symphony Hall rock once again to the strains of early Roxy numbers including Beauty Queen and Ladytron, as well as Ferry's solo work including Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Slave To Love.

Inevitably, it was Roxy classics including Virginia Plain, Do The Strand and Jealous Guy which shook the venue to its foundations and left a sellout audience, mainly of a certain vintage, reliving their youth in nostalgically memorable style.

A night to savour from a true rock survivor.


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