It’s a grim wet Wednesday in Nottingham. People hurry between pubs with out of control umbrellas, girls meet boys in shop doorways, trams crawl along like luminous centipedes and at the imposing and prestigious Theatre Royal, there is a performance of Sister Act by the bleedin’ Carlton Operatic Society. Fortunately for us just across the road on this overcast sullen evening a little bit of pop sunshine broke through the clouds of mediocrity and neon lit drizzle.
Not one but two, veritable legends of songwriting, both from the school of late seventies new wave post punk, both erudite and passionate performers with back catalogues to die for.
Glenn Tilbrook
Up first is Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook, he takes to the stage, slightly out of breath, he explains he didn’t realize it was an early show! He should have been on at seven but was fifteen minutes late, anyway armed initially with his acoustic guitar he took us on a brief whirlwind romance, opening with ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ featuring some very dextrous guitar work, and the evergreen ‘Up The Junction’, onto the deeply personal ‘Persephone’ a song he wrote with his sidekicks The Fluffers.
Then with minimal fuss he picks up his black stratocaster and gives us a short sharp slap of ‘Still’, proving yet again what a great guitar technique he has, finally playing out with a bouyant ‘Slap and Tickle’, which is so fantastic it would even put a smile on a depressed Lib Dem who’s just lost his seat.
Graham Parker
The place suddenly becomes full of people, a very small, well-dressed Graham Parker takes to the stage, (I think he’s shrunk since 1977) complete with the tightest funkiest band you ever heard, namely Brinsley Schwarz on guitar, Bob Andrews keys, the huge towering figure that is Martin Belmont on second guitar, Andrew Bodnar on bass and Stephen Goulding, drums.
They race through a huge set of his classic tunes, at times you thought they might spontaneously combust, such is the ferocity of their playing. Parker possesses one of the greatest white soul voices this land has ever produced. He sang his heart out on ‘White Honey’, a blistering ‘Coat Hangers’ from the new album, but then going back to his roots with ‘Hotel Chambermaid’, ‘Howlin’ Wind’ and ‘Discovering Japan’.
Parker even previewed a brand new number, ‘Wall of Grace,’ which he announced was being ‘played for the very first time in Nottingham!’ It was a stonker ! Icounted 22 numbers in total andhe finished in triumph with ‘Hey Lord, Don’t ask me questions’ and ‘Soul Shoes’. Beat that Carlton Operatic Society!
Words by John Haylock, pictures by Arthur Hughes
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