Nick Lowe

12th June 2019

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Nick Lowe, now a sprightly seventy-years young, with not a spare atto-gram of fat on his bones and sporting the jauntiest of jaunty grey quiffs is still, I am pleased to relate, doing his stuff.

After paying his dues (and how!) as a young pup with Brinsley Schwarz, Lowe came into his own during the mid-Seventies, when his stripped-back power pop sensibilities allied to his “Bash it out” production philosophy found a resonance within the Punk/New Wave scene of the time.  It is often forgotten his So It Goes was the first single ever released by the nascent Stiff Records back in 1976.

When he linked up with Dave Edmunds to form Rockpile, the outfit enjoyed a deal of success, their output generally released (I assume for contractual reasons) as either Lowe or Edmunds' solo recordings.  


This evening Lowe presented us with tunes from across his forty-plus year career, with a few of the renditions having to bow down to his advancing years.  Most notably Heart of the City, which used to act as Rockpile's 100 mph show stopper, was performed at no more than a brisk jog this evening.  The show as a whole, was very slick, very professional, without, it has to be said, scaling any real peaks.  I Knew The Bride was fun, but there is a good reason, I would attest, why Dave Edmunds', rather than Lowe's version enjoyed chart success.

Tokyo Bay was a new one to me, but had apparently been a hit of some sorts somewhere – although quite what constitutes a hit these days, I am unsure.

Nick Lowe - Glasgow 2019

Los Straitjackets

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets  - Glasgow 2019

Lowe was backed throughout by Los Straitjackets, a US surf/garage instrumental group who, rather alarmingly, perform in what I took to be wrestling masks.  At times they came across like some Sixties season Outer Limits' aliens house band featuring Abel, a Luminoid and perhaps a brace of Ebonite guards thrown in for good measure.

It certainly made for a striking image when the three guitarists lined-up onstage during one of their numbers.  The lads played an instrumental set in the middle of proceedings, including a rather jangly arrangement of I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass, plus a rendition of My Heart Will Go On which just stayed the correct side of schmaltz.


Set list

So it Goes
Ragin' Eyes
Without Love
You Inspire Me
Shting-Shtang
Raincoat in the River
Somebody Cares For Me
Tokyo Bay

(Los Straitjackets alone)
Kawanga!
My Heart Will Go On
?Driving Guitars
Itchy Chicken
I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

Half a Boy and Half a Man
Sensitive Man
Love Starvation
Blue on Blue
Here Comes the Feeling
Cruel to be Kind
Heart of the City
I Knew The Bride

Encore
?Church Key
When I Write the Book
(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Support act  Dawn Landes had an absolutely divine voice, perfectly suited to her C&W influenced songs.