The evening kicked-off with a short set by Ethel, who were really good musicians , and then Joe Jackson took to the stage. Had'nt heard much of his stuff before,only the obvious hits like 'Steppin' Out' and Is she really...', but thought he was great. Nicely crafted tunes and intelligent lyrics. I'll definitely have to give some of his later work a listen.
And so to the main event (I reckon it was a good 85% 'Todd audience'?). Resplendent in his smart black suit and white shirt, (Todd asked why nobody sells 'skinny ties around here?'), he launched into his set. Loved the versions of Black and White and Beloved Infidel, and Hawking was awesome.Nice that he includes some fun stuff like Viking Song and Lord Chancellors Nightmare as well. Absolute favourite on the night has to be Pretending to Care, backed brilliantly by Ethel. Real 'lump in the throat' material. Stood Up with JJ on backing vocals also ace. A great night,for me even better than the Liars gig at Manchester last year.
(The only gripe about the gig was some people in the audience who thought we'd all paid our ticket price to watch and listen to them shout and mess about. Wrong! Try auditioning for Big Brother instead.)
Hope Todd comes back next year. A Wizard, A True Star.
