Newcastle Journal - Wed 23rd Oct
The sultan of suave comes home Oct 23 2002 By Neil Mckay, The Journal Rock commentator Charles Shaar Murray recently described him as "The only upwardly mobile Geordie, apart perhaps from Sting." True, he sends his sons to Eton and only lapses into his native dialect "when he's angry" according his Jarrow-born drummer Paul Thompson. But Bryan Ferry, the former Roxy Music front-man and the son of a Washington miner, has a fiercely loyal following on his home turf. And last night they were out in force to give their favourite son a rapturous welcome home. And they weren't disappointed. Wearing a black dinner jacket and white open-collared shirt Ferry's presentation was as smooth as a nightclub Lothario's chat-up lines. Flanked by a 10-piece band, including three white-suited, white-hatted dancers, and backed by the every reliable Tommo pounding the skins, he raced through a repertoire of classics. "Falling In Love Again", "Carrick Fergus", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Slave To Love", "The Thrill Of It All", and a host of others, Ferry oozed a silky-charmed charisma throughout. `Why in the world are you so cool?' The sultan of suave sang during one of his numbers. Why indeed? Once again his loyal fans afforded him a deserved standing ovation as he left the stage after another triumphant homecoming. NEIL McKAY