Venue:
The Stables
Date: 12/05/2023
Peter Cox, the singer with Go West?
Playing The Stables in Milton Keynes, traditional home of the Go West Christmas gig?
With the engine-room of the brilliant Go West band, plus four other talented musicians and singers, on a Friday night?
Yes, please!
PC has a new solo album to promote and has promised a few songs from his solo career, plus some GW bangers, to accompany the tracks from Seaglass, his best music since 1997’s solo debut album.
The foyer is full of The Faithful, friends from so many Go West gigs, and the atmosphere is excited and thick with anticipation.
The band take the stage dead on 8pm, as advertised – Phil G and Vincenz Benjamin, on drums and bass, (trust me, as tight a rhythm section as Kirke & Fraser, Heyward & Gradney or Thompson & Edwards,) with the incredibly talented duo of Todd Blackmore on guitar and Rob Taggart on keys, and Kelly Barnes and Hayley Williams on backing vocals – a Rolls Royce of a band, followed by the man himself, smiling and happy to amongst friends.
The new songs work perfectly on stage and are melodic and memorable. Too Far Gone and Dream Burning Down sound great alongside GW fave, Call Me. He pleases everyone by singing the best ballad from his first solo album – If You Walk Away – and a hot & sweaty first half closes with We Close Our Eyes.
Part two follows the same pattern but ups the intensity, new songs shining alongside trusted oldies and a blistering cover of Allen Stone’s Sleep blows the roof off, (and blows away the original,) before King of Wishful Thinking brings down the curtain.
Peter returns with Rob, who plays his beautiful piano arrangement of the new song, November, and my world stops. Sometimes, a song captures the moment, hits the spot, sums up your life. On first hearing, I tweeted that it was my favourite song on the new album and this night, in the dark, with Pete’s achingly beautiful vocal, tears start to fall, inexplicably. Two minutes and thirteen seconds and I didn’t breathe once. At the end, Pete, leans out of the spotlight to find me in the front row, and give me a thumbs up. Its as much as I can do to give him one back.
The band all come back for the anthem, Ain’t Gonna Cry Again and the gig is done. Afterwards, Pete is chuffed to see us all, and is pleased to hear our reaction to the new songs, chatting for ages.
Peter Cox possesses one of the great voices to ever come from these islands. I would even say that it has aged beautifully and now sounds like a glass of the best vintage red, a premier cru of a voice. If you get the chance to go and see him, take it. You will not be disappointed.
The audience:
A packed house of Go West fans, up for a proper Friday night out.
It made me think..
Paul R, Frankie M, Jess R, James D, Peter C – How lucky we are to have one of the great voices still singing and still touring.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.