Julian Cope

22nd February 2020

Gorilla, Manchester

Now in his 63rd year, there appears, thankfully, little evidence of the Archdrude slowing down.  Two years ago, as if in celebration of his 60th birthday, Julian Cope resurrected his Skellington persona, releasing a third batch of written-and-recorded-in-a-day “acid campfire spirit” tunes.

He is presently out and about supporting the release of his 34th (or 35th, depending upon your source) solo album: Self Civil War.  Not that we got to hear much of the new stuff.  Just two songs in fact:  My Facebook, Your Laptop - which appeared to be a diatribe on the plague/gift that is social media – and Immortal.  This last-named explored the notion that the quickest route to a girl's heart, is to impress her with your ability to imbibe as many and as wide a range of drugs as possible, without falling over, passing out or dying.

“I will take every pill in your hand
I will snort every powder in your handbag
I will smoke all the pot in the land
Just to show you that I am your man.”

It is never a tactic I have used.  Although given my singular lack of success with the opposite sex over the decades, perhaps I missed a trick.

For much of the rest of the set, we were presented with a selection of the man's (pre and post-Teardrops) hits and near-hits from the Eighties, plus a judiciously chosen selection from his later (often more challenging) solo work.

Although just as much time appeared to be taken up by Julian's between-song (and occasionally, during-song) ramblings.  Not that many folks minded, (a few light-hearted "Get On With It" aside), for he really is a witty raconteur.  

For The Great Dominions, his faithful guitar tech was invited on stage to “play a few deep bass notes” on some modern keyboard or other, whilst Julian performed on that old battered-looking string synthesiser he purchased from Hungarian eBay a few years back.

And speaking of eBay, Mr. Cope announced this evening, he was now a Crown Prince of Pomerania!  He having purchased the title online, for the princely sum of 200 euros.  A bargain!!

Julian Cope - Manchester. 2020

Set list

Soul Desert
My Facebook, Your Laptop
Read it in Books
The Greatness & Perfection of Love
Autogeddon Blues
They Were On Hard Drugs
Passionate Friend
Immortal
The Great Dominions
Cromwell in Ireland
Treason
Paranormal in the West Country
World Shut Your Mouth
Pristeen
Sunspots

Encore
Out of My Mind on Speed and Dope

Support act for the evening had been one Keeley Forsyth, who in her day job, I learned, is an actress.  She having graced such programmes as Casualty, Holby City and, grail of grails for a Manchester born actress I would have thought, Coronation Street.

Keeley Forsyth - Manchester 2020

She arrived on stage wearing the clumpiest looking pair of shoes ever seen outside of the set of The Munsters, and performed her set with a baseball cap viciously pulled down over her face.  Accompanied solely by a chap playing one of those pedal harmonium thingies, her beguiling trance-like sobbing and bleating soon won over the audience.  Her performance put me in mind of Nico at times, and then The  Cocteau Twins and even French chanteuse Suzy Solidor.

Forsyth performed a set of about half an hour, which took the form of either one long suite, or a bunch of songs which merged seamlessly into one another.  It was hard to tell, but it really was rather beautiful.  

Not that it seemed to do much for the chap at the mixing desk, who just sat head down playing with his phone throughout.  Nice work, if you can get it.