Paul Young - Songs and Stories
An interesting evening, although 'Stories and Songs' might technically have been a more accurate title for the show.
Norwich, as we know, has a thriving music scene, and some wonderful independent venues, but it is sometimes nice to break out of the city and head somewhere different, and for a county lines fix of live music, comedy or theatre. I have visited the Corn Hall in Diss on several previous occasions, and always get a warm welcome. Run as a charitable trust, and staffed largely by volunteers, it often punches well above its weight, managing to attract some well-known names that Norwich venues sometimes miss. With a direct rail link to Norwich, and with the recently-opened Long Stratton by-pass shaving time off bus and car journey times, there has never been a better time to visit Diss Corn Hall.
I made the journey South for a night of 'Songs and Stories' with 80's blue-eyed soul singer Paul Young, in a packed-out Corn Hall, and a lively audience of fans, some of whom had paid up to £80 for special 'meet and greet' packages. Paul Young may now look a few years older than he did on the cover of his million-selling debut album 'No Parlez' (released in 1983), but the original black taffeta jacket that he wore on the cover photo is hanging on a stand at the side of the stage, and Young takes pride in trying it on, and proving that it still fits.
Amongst the stories, video clips and early photographs of the first half of the show, we also get live acoustic versions of 'Love of the Common People', 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' and, from the 2023 album 'Behind The Lens', a lesser known song called 'Angel'. Young is accompanied on guitar by long-term friend and musician Jamie Moses, and, on 'Angel', by a drum machine that is given the nickname 'Roger Taylor'.
The second half picks up the story in 1984, and the release of the Band Aid single 'Do They Know It's Christmas (it was Paul Young who sang the opening line), and stories about the following year's Live Aid concert. !985 also saw the release of 'The Secret of Association', Paul Young's second chart-topping album. There are stories about spending time on motorcycles with Bruce Springsteen in the California desert, and of getting Stevie Wonder to play harmonica on a version of The Chi-Lites' 'Oh Girl' for Young's 1990 cover album 'Other Voices'. We hear about his involvement with the Freddie Mercury tribute concert, and of his partnering with Italian singer Zucchero for a single release of 'Senza Una Donna'. In 1993, Paul Young formed the tex-mex band Los Pacaminos, whose line-up included guitarist James Moses, who is our host tonight.
The 'Ask Paul' segment of previously-submitted audience questions reveals few surprises, and the final two songs, 'Everything Must Change' and 'Come Back and Stay' perhaps reveal more clearly the limitations in Paul Young's now deeper, and rather gravelly, vocals. Fortunately, James Moses is on hand to take up the slack, and to hit the high notes.
It has been an interesting evening, although 'Stories and Songs' might technically have been a more accurate title for the show. However, it is always a pleasure to visit the Corn Hall in Diss, and the audience, many of whom were on their feet for the finale, had clearly enjoyed themselves. And, as I listen to a CD of 'No Parlez' on my drive home along the A140, I was able to appreciate what a privilege it had been to see the man himself, performing live.
