KOKO (The Guardian) - Fri 10th Jun
KOKO (The Guardian)
10 June 2005
Adam Sweeting
Friday June 10, 2005
The Guardian
As a warm-up for their Isle of Wight appearance and subsequent European dates, the refurbished Roxy Music took themselves for a test drive in front of an audience of fans and friends. There was no Brian Eno, but the core of saxophonist Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera, "the Great" Paul Thompson on drums and the totemic Bryan Ferry was present and correct, along with a mostly female supporting troupe of additional musicians. In the audience, members of Spandau Ballet and Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour rubbed shoulders with survivors of the 1970s style wars and refugees from the party pages of Tatler.
Any doubts about the band's match fitness were dispelled by a display of sustained expertise, as they roved across a shrewd selection of songs and stretched out into lengthy passages of impressionistic improvisation.
Manzanera's blipping and shrieking guitar was balanced by the earthier, bluesier tones of Chris Spedding, while Mackay's powerful saxophone gave many songs a lethal cutting edge. Blasts of electric violin lent a patina of the avant-garde. Meanwhile, Ferry skipped between keyboards and centre stage, uncannily resembling his 30-years-younger self.
Perhaps there's a cloning factory churning out new Bryans, but as he ran through his familiar poses and postures (not least his celebrated impression of a man digging up rhododendrons in slow motion) we could have been back in the golden age of Stranded or Country Life.
Jealous Guy, Love Is the Drug and Oh Yeah represented the international chartbusting Roxy Music, while Ferry sat at the piano for a macabre In Every Dream Home a Heartache, and skilfully recreated the vocal eccentricities of Virginia Plain and Editions of You.
Prairie Rose is the nearest Roxy will ever come to country rock, and Both Ends Burning was the cue for the appearance of dancing girls in short, sparkly frocks.
The showstopper was A Song for Europe, taken at a forbiddingly stately pace and brilliantly straddling tragedy and parody. Rumours suggest there may even be a new album. Might be marvellous.
• Roxy Music play the Isle of Wight Festival tomorrow.