Cambridge Corn Exchange
Marc Almond arrived on stage at Cambridge Corn Exchange a diminutive figure in black, to the beautiful opening aria of the title track from his sumptuous new album Shadows and Reflections. Now with 40 years of showbiz under his belt, he certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing and his stage presence is still as mischievous as ever. Informing the audience his knees were suffering from years of wearing heels and the fact he had to drag his own stage furniture as they couldn’t afford anyone to do it. He is, as one might imagine, a great raconteur.
With a set list of new material, 60’s covers and old favourites, including: I’m Lost Without You (Billy Fury cover), Not for Me, Blue on Blue (Burt Bacharach cover), How Can I Be Sure, Torch and the haunting new single Embers, this is a show stopper of a tour!
Marc has become king of the torch song. His voice has a timbre and fullness that has withstood the test of time; if anything he sounds better than ever and his ability to sustain a note is staggering! The passion and fun he injects into his show, is matched equally by the orchestra and vocals of those around him; which he acknowledges and showcases throughout the performance.
The interaction and audience participation seems as important to him as his own performance, during songs such as; I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten, The Days of Pearly Spencer (David McWilliams cover), Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart (Gene Pitney cover), My Hand Over My Heart.
The stunning acapella version of Scar and the beautiful rendition of The Sun Will Rise, which has become something of a gay anthem of hope in Ruissia, sends a shiver down the spine. This is a rollercoaster of heart wrenching ballads, to full on party. With the audience on its feet and definitely wanting more Marc Almond closed the show with Find Myself a Party/Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (Soft Cell song) and everyone joined in. This is a show worth seeing.
Opening for Marc Almond was American singer Galia Arad who describes herself as “a true Midwestern girl, minus her values and domestic abilities.” Her song writing is a mixture of semi autobiographical interspersed with brilliant wit. From slating of a certain president, to covering Toxic (Britney Spears). And sharing with the audience that one of the the worst days of her life was when Elvis Costello emailed her and she called everyone she knew, and then she found out it wasn’t Elvis, it her really mean friend Bob who was pranking her, so she’s wrote a song about it…one to watch for!
[envira-gallery id=”89859″]Images © Tranquil Soul Photography
