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Paul Young and Go West

by 47 Comments

Venue:

The Anvil Basingstoke

Date: 27/05/2022

Travelling to Basingstoke, M4 to Junction 11 then A33 straight in since you ask, and following yesterdays’ Abbatar chat I couldn’t help but wonder that it felt like a lifetime ago that Paul Young was considered a big enough star to open the Band Aid song while Abba weren’t even considered big enough for an invite. How things have changed in the intervening nearly 40 years. While ABBA’s Voyage extravaganza redefines the way live music is perceived and delivered, here in Basingstoke Paul Young is the support act to Go West in a highly adequate Anvil theatre. Much to ponder.

We took our seats as the lights dimmed. The band were ready, was that the original Fabulous Wealthy Tarts? Could it be? Then on to the stage came the still lithe, instantly recognisable figure of Paul Young. Now this part of the review could go one of two ways but I’m going to seek out the positive while only describing what Paul Young will know already. His voice is shot, it’s incredibly cruel but the songs, the warmth of the audience, his spirit and cheeky boy grin gets him through. As my partner said afterwards “Mo Farrah can’t run forever, surgeons lose their eyesight. At least he can still do it”. And do it he does. It reminded me that No Parlez is so commonly found in charity shops because so many people bought it. It was huge. Come Back and Stay, Love of The Common People and of course Wherever I Lay My Hat were greeted rapturously. Paul’s vocal protected by the backing singers, a really good band, unfortunately minus Pino Palladino and enough love to stop it becoming a Pino noir. There were some moments that bought a collective gasp from the audience but the goodwill shone through even when they did Iron Out The Rough Spots, ouch. Closing on Every Time You Go Away there was some relief that he’d made it to the end but also a recognition that while his light shone between the Q Tips and Senza Una Donna here was a big star still plying his trade to a willing and mostly appreciative audience. I for one don’t begrudge him that. No need, nor parlez for that matter of a Paul Young avatar it was him they wanted to see.

A brief break and then Go West. Their eponymous first album for some will typify all that went wrong in the mid eighties. For many others it’s a collection of great songs that relied heavily on the technology available at the time but struck an absolute sweet spot of radio, video friendly, simpler times when liking what you like was ok. It was the same band with Richard Drummy and Peter Cox replacing Paul Young. Peter Cox, like Paul Young instantly recognisable. From the first note however things changed. Starting with Don’t Look Down that suddenly took on a rockier edge to the original, with keyboards still involved, it was incredible. Front and centre though was Peter Cox and that voice. The years have improved what was already a great pop / soul voice. Just remarkable, really remarkable. Both Cox and Drummy were self deprecating and charming between the songs. “Back to 1985 when we had our 15 minutes” for example. Some lesser songs from the first album, a couple including the wonderful Faithful from Indian Summer, a more recent song and a cover of Tracks My Tears that deserves a “spine tingling” all of it’s own. Then on to the three song finale we were all waiting for. Call Me and We Close Our Eyes took the roof off. A great song is a great song and these two in this environment with that band and that voice were brilliant. I’ve listened to the album this morning and yes it reeks of mid 1980’s and as you are well aware that is just fine by me. Dismiss the era if you must but to dismiss Peter and Richard? No, not having it. Go West for however short a time produced one great album with three or four phenomenal songs that stand the test of time and some. Playing them live takes great raw material and they become ageless songs no longer defined by an era.

I’ve not finished just yet. They finished on King Of Wishful Thinking a song they wrote for Pretty Woman, they really did have their 15 minutes. It’s a song that’s got better with age, much like Go West. In the spirit of @Bingo-Little ‘s Music Makes Life Worth Living post it was a moment to treasure. Without the need for a set up or prompt Peter Cox gave us an accapella “I’ll get over you” from his boots and the crowd sung the next lines straight back at him before the band took off with the song again. Yes, right there is what perhaps ABBA’s Abbatars may lack (I’m a big ABBA fan by the way). That connection, that feeling that communal music between audience and artist over a song and a moment can bring. I know I can be an over enthusiastic writer but it felt fantastic and I urge you to close your eyes and jump at the chance to see Go West do their thing live if you can. M3 and through Ascot home by the way….

The audience:

Usual for an 80’s night

It made me think..

Live music is great. There’s good in most music if you’re prepared to look for it

11

Comments

  1. Great review of our favourite live band. The musicians have been with GW a long time, (except for ‘Baby Ben’ Lochrie on superb guitar. His Dad is Jez Lochrie who was GW’s live bass player, in their prime,) and are the band at many of the Rewind Festivals.
    Glad you enjoyed Pete’s voice, Dave. I think it is one of the great British voices.
    They are two lovely blokes still plying their trade, still packing out theatres and still loving it.
    Who could argue with that?

      • Serious comment:

        A few years ago I was dragged along, somewhat reluctantly, to see los Pacominos (referenced elsewhere on the thread). It was a very enjoyable night, a kind of poor man’s Chicken Skin Revue if that’s not faint praise.

        There was a small posse of female, middle-aged PY fans in cowboy hats at the front. I thought this might be a problem but they clearly knew the drill with LP (ie no PY hits…not even Toast). He is very much just a bloke in the band making up the numbers – almost a Stuart Sutcliffe figure. I have no other example to hand of a star, and he was a big star for a long time, doing something like this except for one-off things, and I respect the hell out of him for it.

        PS. Tall, innee?

        • For a while, about 20 years ago, I knew Paul Young through my tall chum. He just does what he wants, including being a waiter in his Tex-Mex restaurant.

          In 1988, before my time on the Ents committee, someone booked PY to play the 1,000-capacity SU on his ‘comeback’ tour. The tickets were twice as expensive as most other acts, and a total of four were sold in advance. How the mighty had fallen.

          The gig was cancelled and the tickets repurposed for the Friday Night Disco.

          • I was, by demeanour, a bit like the crowd at the Blues Brothers at the Palace Hotel Ballroom. Stoney-faced at first, I’m here under sufferance etc, then two songs in…. “Actually this is rather good”.

            Even Mrs Moose liked it, and her standard review of most live music is “Nah. Crap”.

            No tequila was involved.

  6. I bought the first lp off the back of their appearance on The Tube; the late Alan Murphy was their guitarist, and he lost a string during one of their numbers. I still play it. It hits a certain spot. The second lp wasn’t as good, though I think the track ‘Little Caesar’ is rather good.

  9. Some idle lunchtime Youtubing and i found this. It’s everything that was great about Friday night except this is in a pre pandemic field not a post pandemic adequate theatre where it took on a whole new level of great. Love it…

  10. This chimes very much with the conversation I had last night with some chums who have also seen this tour, although on their night PY went on second. There are reviews of the Whitesnake/Foreigner/Europe tour which point out that the backing singers also do a lot of Coverdale’s heavy lifting while he gets on with fronting the band.

  11. Great review, Dave. As you say, it’s easy to forget what a big star Paul Young was in the 80s. Incidentally, my girlfriend bought an album from a charity shop last week…I think you can guess which one.

    • When I last popped into my local Oxy, they had seven copies of No Parlez in their 8 racks. I gathered them all together, ready to place them all at the front of the racks (and to then take a photo). But the grumpy member of staff came out from behind the counter to restock the adjacent DVD rack, and I bottled it.

      There were several copies of PY’s second album, too, and a lot of Howard Jones – I never knew he did so many.

      • They weren’t all upwards three quid, by any chance, regardless of condition? The one near me charges at least that much for absolutely all LPs, even the ones that will never ever ever sell to anyone ever (Klaus Wunderlich and the like)

        Charities trying to make money – scum of the earth etc.

        • They were all at the higher end of prices – at least a fiver. That particular Oxy only has music and books (plus related) and at least one member of staff has a deep knowledge of music. Sadly, they also have access to Discogs and set everything at NM prices regardless of condition.

          13 quid for a DONOVAN compo? Well, I might stretch to that… let’s have a look… oh, it is STF. No thanks!

    • I still like it and I wish he could have done it more justice on Friday. I don’t own a copy probably because of the whole charity shop thing. I’m going to pick one up next time I go vinyl shopping. If I can find it….

  12. I saw Paul Young about 12 or 13 years ago in Truro and his voice was shot then. Terrible shame but it must take some chutzpah to carry on doing it all that time.

  13. I don’t dislike Paul Young, he actually seems quite a good guy, but I do remember reading a letter in a music publication, circa 1983/1984, from a pupil at his former school saying she had a book with his name in it, and asking whether she should sell it.

    I think the answer the paper gave was: “No, you should hang on to it a bit, it might attain more value.”

    My thought was “Get your £20 now… Sell, Sell, Sell… for God’s Sake Lump On!!!!”

    This, of course, would have been VERY, VERY, VERY bad advice for a John Lennon or Paul McCartney inscription in a school book.

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