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Live Review
by SaschaS
8-10-2002
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| Bryan Ferry is still the stylish charmer |
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Live: Bryan Ferry
Royal Albert Hall, London
Monday, October 7, 2002
Bryan Ferry displays another class, again
The house lights go down and a solitary spot finds Bryan Ferry behind a bank of keyboards for mellow, emo-laiden opening of the concert. He’ll soon be joined by a violinist, keyboardist (to allow him to get front stage), a harpist and saxophonist for minimal, almost sketchy versions of songs like ‘Falling In Love Again’ and ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’.
Dressed in a suit with open-neck shirt (he’ll change thrice into different suits but always so effortlessly elegant) and by the time he gets to his rocking section, the onstage players have enlarged to total 11, including three back-up singers who all, originally, were dressed in a gear that could have been borrowed from Alicia Keys’s wardrobe. Later on two of the girls would dress as extras in ‘Moulin Rouge’ flick for no apparently visible reason but to strut some über-sexy skin. Man’s got style… (By the way, the blonde one is Jerry Hall-type of a woman although not Bry’s girlfriend but the brunette, Katie Turner.)
Ferry is promoting his current album ‘Frantic’ but these songs don’t ignite passion among all-standing (downstairs) fans who, naturlich, go wild when old favourites are aired: ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘Love Is The Drug’, ‘Let’s Stick Together’, ‘Shame Shame Shame’, ‘Do The Strand’, ‘Slave To Love’, ‘Tokyo Joe’… Each song is slightly altered (keeping it fresh for Bry), lengthened and, in the hands of this lot, sounding like walls damaging proposition on several occasions.
The band behind features Chris Spedding on guitar (whom Ferry introduces several times after mini-solos) and Paul Thompson, the only Roxy Music member still working with the singer. Ferry is in an excellent voice, moving between crooning, rocking, ballad-ing and funkying with an incredible ease. Mis-en-scene is minimally effective, just some Yuletide-like lights on the backdrop and multi-spots all over.
At the time when Will & Gareth can sell some 30,000 seats in London alone to fans who legally can’t buy a Lotto ticket, it is good to see that there is, at least, ten thousand (over two nights) of of ‘mature music lover’ who braved Monday night for high class entertainment.
Bry Ferry is cool and although never the Chairman of art-rock – Bowie’s scooped the crown – he’s been more consistent than ‘The Duke’. The latter recently needed three hours for a show, Ferry’s was a killer in ninety minutes!
SaschaS
8-10-2002
Bryan Ferry’s album ‘Frantic’ is out now on Virgin
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