What is it they say about patience? Oh aye, something that you need a lot of if you’re a Marc Almond fan.
Apart from a recent diversion into opera at the Edinburgh festival, it’s been six years since his previous Scottish shows, those being the first in ages, partly due to his recuperation following a life-threatening motorcycle accident. So you might say he’s earned the right to do what he wants. Even to the extent of sitting a couple of cuddly toys centre stage, or hand-picking performance artist Baby Dee as support.
So when he announces he’s going to play “some pop songs” you might imagine that we’re in for a trawl through the Soft Cell back catalogue – this tour after all, is plugging his forthcoming Pop Troubador hits album.
However, just like his 2007 shows, when he was doing mainly cover versions, we will have to wait a little longer for the actual ‘Hits’.
That’s not to say that Almond doesn’t have a vast array of tunes in his back catalogue. And as is always the case with former chart-toppers, you’d be surprised at how many you know – assuming of course, you are an aficionado of his work. However, an opening selection including album track ‘The Stars We Are’ and the #33-with-a-bullet melodrama ‘Hand Over My Heart’, it’s not a set for the casual observer.
Happily, the true fans are out in force tonight, singing lustily along with every obscurity and long-forgotten album track on offer. Certainly it’s not The Hits that are on parade in the first of three linked segments to the show – and even in this chamber-pop heavy first set there’s no space for ‘Black Heart’, ‘Stories of Johnny’ or ‘Tears Run Rings’, instead testing the audience’s memories with takes on ‘You Have’, ‘Ruby Red’ and ‘Mother Fist’.
The setting suits the music perfectly – the singer in a flowing black shirt, lit by an orangey-red glow. He looks better than he did last time – it may be that his recuperation left him a little gaunt, but he seems back to full health and full voice.
Ah, the voice. It’s still strong and powerful great 30 years on, never better displayed than the middle section, where accompanied just by piano, it’s as if this was the genre he was born to sing. Torch songs by any other name, so as well as ‘The Bulls’ there is, almost inevitably, a heart-wrenching ‘If You Go Away’. And there’s no-one who can put a song like this across quite like Marc Almond does.
We merge seamlessly into the third segment which brings the first of the Soft Cell tunes, ‘Home is Where The Hurt Is’ done more ballad-style before we get The Hits proper – the solo ones including ‘Jacky’, ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’ and ‘Pearly Spencer’ – ironically cover versions have given him his greatest solo successes.
And then, to ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘What’ which get the crowd dancing, and ‘Bedsitter’ has them swaying and reliving teenage dreams. An encore is a given but the response is rapturous, only matched for volume by the – for a Scottish audience, surprisingly tuneful – singalong on ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’. Though, perhaps as a celebration of life, Marc decides not to leave us with a farewell. It’s 35 years since namesake Marc Bolan died, so a full-band version of ‘Hot Love’ leaves the throng with smiles on their faces.