BRYAN FERRY | LIVE REVIEW
St Davids Hall, Cardiff, Mon 11 May
Mr Smooth returned to St David’s Hall after his previous sell-out gig, boasting an updated set with songs from beloved old albums and new – and he’s still sounding like velvet. His iconic floppy fringe in place and his charismatic presence has lost none of its shine given his 60 plus years.
An ultimate performer, the one-time Roxy Music frontman delved into his back catalogue and pulled out favourites such as Love Is The Drug, Virginia Plain and Do The Strand. What with these, the brilliant Let’s Stick Together, and of course Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, you forget how many truly outstanding tracks Ferry has performed over the years. A somewhat extended version of Stronger Through The Years was a particular pleasure to hear live.
Despite the dodgy sound at the beginning of the set – albeit technical rather than human – it soon improved; the audience warmed up and were dancing and clapping for more by the end of it. A big appreciation must be extended to Bryan Ferry’s backing band, especially saxophone player Jorja Chalmers, who was excellent. Genuine talent doesn’t diminish – it just matures, as does the fine Mr Ferry. Brilliant.
words ASHLEY HARRISON photos MATTHEW BECKER (WWW.LIVEROCKJOURNAL.COM)