overlap

Sometimes a gig is an obligation, and sometimes a gig is a long-awaited pleasure. But it's not so often that a gig is a life-affirming experience at a level above and outside the music. With a number of outstanding obligations out of the way, this was a gig I'd been looking forward to, wondering about and considering my options in equal measure. Having not taken a handbag out somewhere in some time, I'd tried to get some stuff out of the way in plenty of time, and by the time I'd done my make up I was only a bit later in leaving than I ordinarily would be. Cue a couple of laps of the block looking for the odd parking space that hadn't already been taken. Ended up in a space three foot longer than my car, simple enough, even in those heels.

Walked round to the venue to be met by a wall of bodies just inside the door and enough assembled body heat to feel the make up sliding down my face almost immediately. No point fighting my way through this dense a crowd to the bar, and happily it wasn't long before the band took the stage, rolling through some instrumental work while Edwyn Collins was helped onto his stool at centre stage. Listening to a recent radio session means I'm familiar with three of the newer songs, with the understandably recurring themes of losing one's place in the world and losing control of one's circumstances.

The new album Losing Sleep features a number of collaborations from various names you might recognise, and that aspect chimes with the joyous spectacle where everyone in the room wishes Edwyn well, and this is anything but a sympathy gig. While the stroke means guitar playing is no longer much of an option, he still has his voice, in more than one sense. Backed by ex-Pistol Paul Cook on drums, Boz Boorer on bass and the younger pair of guitarists, it's a pretty tight unit that propels the evening musically while Edwyn's clearly in control of his vocal performance, from recent tracks like What Is My Role? (see that theme I mentioned?) all the way back through to Rip It Up and Blue Boy.

I've been in gigs where the atmosphere has been sombre after people close to the band have have died, and where the atmosphere has been taut due to events in the world outside, but the best comparison I have to offer is the time I saw All About Eve and Julianne's voice was going; she was clearly doing her best, all the crowd were clearly aware of how hard she was trying, encouraging her on and on her side, and willing her to pull it off. As it happened, Julianne's voice gave out after half a dozen songs and the rescheduled gig a month later was nowhere near as special even at three or four times the length.

But where that was a one-off, this was more a proper return to the stage doing normal gigs, and as such I think everyone was delighted to see how Edwyn's coming along, to be a part of an event celebrating his ongoing recovery (both medically and of his musical activities) and to enjoy a fine selection of songs new and old, in roughly that order of importance.

All that and home at the sensible hour of not long after 11.30, Springsteen multi-hour sets probably being a bit beyond what anyone wants to see Edwyn put himself through right now. It's more than enough that the gig happened at all, and while Neil Hannon was arguably a better show, this was undoubtedly a better experience of human warmth and supportiveness.

A few days into the new album, I'm really enjoying the different colours that the input of others' brings to it and more than anything it's just refreshing to listen to straightforward pop music with proper guitar solos to the fore - rock on, Edwyn!