Take a bow
Thankfully, you can’t hear the whistling while reading this.
MATTHEW BECKER
ROXY MUSIC
VENUE
THE O2 ARENA, LONDON
DATE
14/10/2022
Roxy Music may well be regarded as second only to David Bowie in the influencer stakes but that margin was always separated by only the thinnest of rolling papers. And while Bowie finally broke through in 1972 after years of reinvention with his fifth album, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Roxy Music – who released their eponymous debut album on the very same day – arrived fully formed with a manifesto and aesthetic wholly their own. Moreover, with guitarist Phil Manzanera sporting his bug-eyed glasses, Brian Eno’s outrageous feather boas, singer Bryan Ferry resembling a 50s greaser emerging from an explosion in a glitter factory flanked by sequined saxophonist Andy Mackay and drummer Paul Thompson, this was an art-rock band that looked like the advance party of aliens who’d already been on Earth waiting for Bowie to arrive.
Crucially, Roxy Music had the edge when it came to being properly out there. Devotees of The Velvet Underground, they created music that was at once sinister, alluring and oddly romantic despite flirting with narcissism as they simultaneously bound together the disparate twines of rock and pop. And even when they moved into sleeker and more chart friendly sounds with one eye on celebrity in the latter half of their career, it was their eldritch quality that kept them as a cut above the rest of their peers, who gradually fell away into obscurity and irrelevance.
What becomes immediately evident tonight is that Roxy Music still retain that sense of weirdness. Though they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary with the release of another ‘Best Of’ compilation, this is a performance based less on concession and more on the motivation that powered them in the first place. Plugging right back into their origins, opener Re-Make/Re-Model is played with a sincerity that sets the agenda for the evening. Manzanera and Mackay don’t so much ‘lock in’ as ‘collide’ to create a glorious squall of sound, with the song pausing and starting over again to remind of their influences – asnatch of rock’n’roll, a honk of jazz, the opportunities of noise and a sideways glance at the Beatles’ Day Tripper.
“This is a performance based less on
concession and more on the motivation that powered them in the first place.”
Bryan Ferry, clearly a man in need of a glove puppet.
SUZAN MOORE
Out Of The Blue and a wellpruned The Bogus Man swiftly follow. Augmented by three backing vocalists, an additional percussionist, guitarist and three keyboard players, the sound is deep and rich with the bizarre characteristics of the songs refusing to compromise or pander. Granted, Bryan Ferry’s once-velvet croon, if not crushed, is a little frayed around the edges, but for a man of 77 years his presence and charisma is as strong as ever. Witness In Every Dream Home A Heartache, an ode to an inflatable doll against a background of material dissatisfaction that continues to unsettle and perturb. Ferry exudes a creeping mood of menace with music that shimmers and twists before exploding with Manzanera’s six-string catharsis.
A moment of joy at the keyboards.
MATTHEW BECKER
Elsewhere, Andy Mackay displays his central role in Roxy Music with a dizzying mastery of his saxophones and oboes. His solo during If There Is Something is simply exquisite as it unshackles itself from its origins to reach out and take flight. Haunting and utterly beguiling, this is music that soars into distant skies and beyond.
There are of course caveats. Ferry’s vocal shortcomings are in evidence during Oh Yeah with the backing singers covering his tracks at the upper register, while the inclusion of Jealous Guy – replete with some howling, out-of-tune whistling – is a cause of consternation, not least as it appears at the expense of their own material, unnecessarily slowing the climax of the set.
Yet for all that, Roxy Music triumph. Editions Of You – backed by a stunning visual display of digital Andy Warhol images that include the iconic figures of Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Onassis – is a stomping joy that sees a mass separation of backsides from seats, while Virginia Plain proves its timeless qualities despite being rooted in a very specific time and place. Closing with a thunderous Do The Strand, it’s hard to disagree that this fabulous creation deserves this celebratory victory lap. That Roxy Music continue to do so on their own terms is a testament to their original vision.
JULIAN MARSZALEK
Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay doing what they do best.
MATTHEW BECKER
Backing singers unite to give Ferry’s voice more oomph.
MATTHEW BECKER
Still smiling after half a century on stage.
SUZAN MOORE
Roxy Music rock on.
SUZAN MOORE
MUSE
VENUE RIVIERA THEATRE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
DATE 11/10/2022
Muse usually sell out arenas with their lavish stage shows but for tonight’s performance, promoting their new album Will Of The People, they’ve opted for a historic 2,500-capacity venue in Chicago’s theatre district, which they flood with their trademark sound and lights. Their careers began in small clubs, so this feels like a return to their roots and it’s amazing to see them in such an intimate setting.
They balance new songs with material from earlier in their back catalogue and there are plenty of extended jams for fans to get stuck into: Plug In Baby is lengthened, and instrumentals Nishe, The Gallery and Minimum are also played. Both Hysteria and Stockholm Syndrome even receive beefy Rage Against The Machine outros in the form of Know Your Enemy and Calm Like ABomb riffs. Throughout the set, singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy gravitates towards tones and techniques that Rage’s Tom Morello is better known for, giving their sound a heavier edge than usual.
Catchy riffs are a constant with the hit Supermassive Black Hole and the song is made even better with a little bit of Jimi Hendrix’s Foxy Lady sprinkled in. Although some of the band’s instruments apparently didn’t make the journey to Chicago, the packed-out crowd give them the energy they’re seeking, and there’s plenty of romping and stomping from the Muse faithful. Sometimes, however, their amps are a little too powerful for the size of the venue and at one point they joke they almost bring the building down.
Muse have always incorporated piano and synthesiser into their songs, and the new and quirky You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween features the haunting organ of Bach’s Toccata And Fugue In DMinor before plunging into a retro 80s synth. That retro vibe is also on display during Compliance, which pays homage to the theme tune of 80s TV show Knight Rider.
Tonight’s show is one of the priciest events in Chicago for quite some time, so it’s not surprising that devoted fans make the most of it and sing along with Bellamy whenever the opportunity arises. During Starlight, the venue lights illuminate the crowd, and the melodic tune turns into a full-blown sing-a-long with the lyrics, ‘Our hopes and expectations/Black holes and revelations’ belted out by all.
Penultimate song Kill Or Be Killed packs a frenetic punch, a heavy metal growl, and Bellamy’s best solo of the evening before culminating with the spaghetti western flare of the triumphant Knights Of Cydonia. It caps off a show heavy on themes that give the middle finger to overzealous world leaders and corporate greed. Make no mistake, despite the compact venue, Muse are still at the top of their game.
TREVOR WOODS