ROBYN HITCHCOCK | LIVE REVIEW

The Globe, Cardiff, Sun 5 Nov

For the last four decades, psychedelic powerpop folk icon Robyn Hitchcock has been making these wonderfully surreal solo gems. From The Soft Boys to the Egyptians, Hitchcock has a back catalogue of albums any music veteran would admire. In recent years albums such as Love From London and Tromsø, Kaptein split the dreamlike whimsies of Syd Barrett with the strong folk roots of Bob Dylan.

Touring off the back of his self-titled 21st studio album, Hitchcock took to the stage in the most casual and unassuming way, as if an old friend walking into a crowded bar you’re drinking in. The sit-down gig was a welcome surprise, allowing you to soak up the sweet acoustic sounds washing over the crowd like waves. I was surprised just how tight and musically proficient Hitchcock was; it can be tedious and self-indulgent seeing a nostalgic act playing their back catalogue acoustically, but he never leans on nostalgia or self-indulgence.

His renditions of I Often Dream Of Trains, I Want To Tell You About What I Want and I Pray When I’m Drunk were highlights of the evening. These powerful, pop-infused folk ballads were just a delight to hear live and Hitchcock’s guitar skills on Autumn Sunglasses threw you into a trance: you don’t often see an acoustic guitar solo that you can only compare to Eddie Van Halen.

After Hitchcock finished his set he came back on stage ending the night with two covers, Bob Dylan’s She Belongs To Me and Across The Universe by The Beatles. A really sincere cherry on the top of a powerpop pie. If we’re lucky, Hitchcock will keep turning out interesting albums and powerful live performances for the next three decades.

words JAYDON MARTIN