Lloyd Cole
It is hard to believe that thirty two years have passed since Perfect Skin gave Lloyd Cole and the Commotions their first hit single. In a year when Frankie Goes to Hollywood were welcoming us to their pleasuredome, and Nena was letting off her red balloons Cole released Rattlesnakes, the first of three gold selling albums before launching his solo career. Still a prolific songwriter, Lloyd Cole can now choose from so much material that on this latest tour he is able to perform an entire set based solely on his output from 1983 to 1996 – what is referred to as his Classic Songbook.
This evening's gig is at the Nick Raynes LCR at Norwich's University of East Anglia, usually a heaving mass of 1500 sweaty bodies but tonight transformed into an 'intimate' seated venue for around two hundred devoted fans. Well, I say devoted fans. There are a lot of middle age couples here tonight. One wonders whether there might be more than a few male partners that have been coerced into accompanying their better halves.
Cole looks older and greyer than I remember from those halcyon days, but then again who doesn't? It is just him and his guitar up on stage. He is sporting the double denim look, and begins his set with Patience, an early track from the Rattlesnakes album. Between songs he welcomes us, musing on the passage of time, and admitting that his hair now looks even greyer on the days that he washes it. He wears spectacles to tune the guitars, and admonishes restaurants that use small print on their menus – 'They might as well put up a sign saying over 50's not welcome' he quips.
He doesn't smile a lot, and chooses his words carefully and economically, but there is a tangible connection with his room full of fans. And when he sings they hang on every note - the voice is clear, the guitar playing gentle and the songs are absolute gems. I will admit here that I am hearing most of these for the first time. I certainly wouldn't be expecting to mine any Pointless answers if asked to name the Top 40 hits. But numbers like Pretty Gone, Butterfly and Lonely Mile are utterly enchanting. The first half of the set ends with Jennifer She Said, the most up tempo song so far, during which we are encouraged to sing along 'but not clap or play drums'.
After the break, Cole introduces his son William onto the stage to join him on guitar for the second half. He is the spitting image of the 1980's version of his father, and provides much more than token accompaniment, taking the melody line on many of the songs. And it is the second set that provides more of the best-known songs. Perfect Skin understandably gets the biggest reaction, followed by Cut Me Down, but my favourites are still the likes of Charlotte Street and 2CV – again, new to my ears.
There are acknowledgements to both Prince and Bowie in tonight's performance, with Cole producing a beautiful cover of Sometimes It Snows in April during the first half, and closes Brand New Friend at the end of the second half with a refrain from Sorrow.
The encore is a chance for a final two hits, Lost Weekend and Forest Fire, and then the evening is over. Cole has performed a total of twenty nine songs and kept us enthralled from start to finish. And hasn't even touched the material from the last twenty years. A true master.
