the beautiful south
june 4, 1997 • batschkapp, frankfurt, germany


review: Ed Ball, just as when he supported the Boo Radleys here two years ago, appears on stage only with his guitar and harmonica. His best song is the very personal "Love Is Fragile" --- a tale about Edward and Lucy which reminds me irresistibly of the glorious Trembling Blue Stars. He closes with the poppy "Mill Hill Self Hate Club," but has almost blown it earlier by dedicating a song to "his friends" Noel and Liam Gallagher.

The Beautiful South are quite simply ace. And that's just on record --- live they're even better! The six "proper" band members are joined by a keyboardist, a percussionist and a three-piece brass section, but it's the vocalists who hold the attention, replete with their lyrics on music stands in case they forget the words! Dave Hemingway and Jacqui Abbott (who's pregnant again) sing every song pitch-perfect as does band-leader and all-around ace bloke/superstar (!) Paul Heaton. He knows he's the center of attention and revels in it --- dancing like Michael Jackson one minute, the Karate Kid the next. And his voice has such staggering range --- from the Tom Waits-growl of "Liar's Bar" to the perfectly executed falsetto in encore "Lean On Me" (a cover version --- and no, not of the Housemartins song!) The latter instantly provokes the thought, "You've not sung that high since that unfeasible note in "World's On Fire" on the Housemartins' second album!" Fun, fun, fun and out of 17 songs played, no less than 12 have been singles. As I left, I realized that I'd been waiting for this moment since I first heard "Song For Whoever" on the radio in my parents' car when on holiday near Mablethorpe in 1989...and it was worth the wait. (andrew.2001)