Cover Stories

I hope you're sitting comfortably, this is a mammoth Marc Almond post...

 

On Wednesday 18th September, Mrs. K and I spent an evening in the company of Mr. Almond and band at the Bristol Beacon. I first - and last - saw Marc live in concert on 11th October 1988 (and wrote about it in 2022) so, at just shy of 36 years, it's the biggest gap between gigs that I've been to by the same artist.

In 1988, I had to miss the tail end of the show to get the last bus home (!). No such worries in 2024 but on both occasions it was a weekday concert with work the following day. Nearly four decades on, this can be a more grueling experience, especially as (for me, at least), it was my third gig in the space of a week. There were consequences later.

Having not been to the Bristol Beacon since it was renamed and relaunched in 2020, this was the third time Mrs. K had seen a gig there this year, after O.M.D. and Future Islands. This was notably different for a couple of reasons:

1) It was a fully seated show;

2) We had seats in the lower tier, rather than the stalls.

 

Due to the usual logistical challenges of crossing Gloucestershire to get home from work, grab a bite to eat with Clan K, then drive into Bristol, it was inevitable that the support act, Alex Lipinski, wouldn't get a look in. 

 

I've not (yet) heard any of Alex's music, but I'm always disappointed to miss an opening artist and we at least had the consolation that he joined Marc and the band onstage for a couple of songs later in the evening.

As we entered the venue, it was notably quieter in the foyer and up the stairs than on our previous visits and as I proffered the tickets for checking, the usher brightly but ominously said that we were welcome to swap our lower tier tickets for the stalls if we wanted to. We politely declined, but the whiff of an undersold show was suddenly apparent.

We made our way to our seats, a narrow and precarious front row with a higher row behind separated by a wired barrier. No such protection for us from pitching over the front and down into the stalls below. What we did get was a fantastic elevated and full view of the stage. Unfortunately, we also got a view of just how undersold the gig was.

There was a delay to the start of the show, presumably to persuade a few more audience members to swap their tickets. These gaps weren't much smaller as the lights went down, we had plenty of spaces in our row, and it didn't look like there was anyone in the upper tier at all. At least Marc won't see what a piss poor turnout there's been, I thought to myself.

 

The band came on first - all eight of them - including Neal X aka Neal Whitmore, infamously with Sigue Sigue Sputnik but arguably now

 better known as Marc's foil since the mid-1990s. After a few seconds to settle, the band launch into I'm The Light, the opening track of Marc's current album, I'm Not Anyone.

And then Marc himself arrives, all in black (hair included) with the obligatory shades, taking to the microphone, grandly proclaiming

It's not the Devil that you conjure
When you turn your back on me
You'll just be looking in the shadows
I'm the light, I'm the light
I'm the only one you'll see.

I'm The Light was originally released by Blue Cheer in 1971 and tonight the opening song of a setlist that was entirely comprised of cover versions. Marc's a great storyteller in his own right, but his career has also seen him as a consumate interpreter of other people's songs, going right back to Soft Cell's first #1 in 1981, featuring cover versions on both vinyl sides, with Tainted Love and Where Did Your Heart Go.

I'm Not Anyone is as good as any of the many covers albums that Marc has previously released (and that's not meant to be faint praise). Surprisingly, it's dispatched early on, four consecutive songs and then just one more, right at the end. It's less a reflection of the album's quality and more of the sheer number of songs Marc has covered in the last forty-odd years.

After a moving version of Trouble Of The World, joined up front by Bryan Chambers, we then get an expansive and delightful tour of Marc's back catalogue. First up a brace of early solo releases with a majestic version of A Womans Story, followed by The Heel, respectively made famous by Cher and Eartha Kitt. I was also delighted that The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye), my first solo Marc Almond single purchase in 1985, also got an airing later in the evening.

 

There's an introduction (and frequently an anecdote) between each song, Marc acknowledging the songwriters as well as the performers, and explaining what the song or artist means to him. We're about 25 to 30 minutes in when Marc then takes to his chair and tells us about Charles Aznavour.

As any Marc fan will know, two songwriters that he has been hugely influenced by and revisited frequently in his career are Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel. The latter featured later, but what we got at this point was four Aznavour songs, back-to-back.

 

Starting with a stripped back version of The Boss Is Dead, Neal also seated and swapping guitar for thigh slaps, they're all great performances, though it did feel that the energy dipped a little. Or maybe that was just me. 

 

The exertions of a full-on day at work and getting to the gig clearly caught up with me and I was mortified to get a poke from Mrs. K, as I was apparently - and noticeably - nodding off at one point. And during Yesterday, When I Was Young to boot. Oh, the irony! It wouldn't have happened if I'd been standing...

Suitably chastened and alert, I was immediately rewarded with a version of Terrapin, the Syd Barrett song that featured on Marc & The Mambas' debut album, Untitled. This was followed by Gloomy Sunday, the Billie Holiday classic, also interpreted by the Mambas on their second and final album, Torment And Toreros. 

 

The studio version of Gloomy Sunday was part of a medley and included a snippet of Bobby Darin's Dream Lover. Marc revisited the song in 2007 for the covers album Stardom Road and fittingly, it was the next song in this setlist. Marc then performed the title track of said album which, over the course of the show, got as many songs (5) as his current effort.

It was apparent by now that the song selection skated and danced back and forth across Marc's long and storied and deep cuts were as likely as the big hits. One Night Of Sin, recorded in 1952 (released in 1956) by Smiley Lewis but famous for the later version by Elvis Presley, is a prime example. 

 

I think Marc's version was an exclusive for the soundtrack of Jez Butterworth's 1997 film Mojo. I got it via a music magazine freebie CD (sadly, not Mojo!) around the same time and it's since popped up on the deluxe reissue of contemporary album Open All Night. It's a rousing, showstopping version in it's live setting.

Marc and band were far from done, though. There were inevitable nods to Marc's other teen idols, David Bowie and Steve Harley, the latter with a hilarious introductory anecdote before Marc (eventually) got a to a beautiful version of Sebastian.

 

From there, Marc and the band switched up a gear for the final leg, all the big hits with a big, big sound: The Days Of Pearly Spencer, Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, Soft Cell's breakthrough Tainted Love and Jacky, the second Jacques Brel song of the night albeit better known for Scott Walker's translation.

 

Technically, the last few songs were encores but, from our vantage point, Mrs. K and I could clearly see that on the couple of times that Marc said he was leaving the stage, he barely made it as far as the door before turning on his heels and heading back to the microphone. 

After a stirring rendition of I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (sadly, no Sarah Cracknell, as on the studio version), it really was time for the final song, the title song of I'm Not Anyone. Despite acknowledging that he'd been suffering from a cold all week, Marc was in fine voice throughout and delivered a stunning show, nearly two hours, the spaces between songs filled with one brilliant story after another.

In true showbiz fashion, Marc gathered the band in a row for a final round of bows and applause. Possibly due to the late start and the strict curfew, the house lights abruptly came up before the stage had been cleared. Marc will have inevitably clocked the rows of empty stall seats in his direct line of sight and it seemed a rather cruel stroke, after such a wonderful performance. 

 

I'm not sure when or if I will get to see Marc perform live in concert again, but this show was one for Mrs. K and I to treasure always. 

...So, how can I possibly hope to recapture a 26-song, 2-hour show in a Dubhed selection? 

 

I briefly toyed with the idea of doing it in two parts, as with the recent Lloyd Cole concert. However, whereas that was two separate and distinct sets, Marc's show was a continuous sequence of songs, so strap in, there's a mega 100-minute selection coming up.

Since my 2022 post, I've pretty much filled the gaps in my Marc Almond collection, up to and including the current album, so recreating the setlist was mostly straightforward. There were a few challenges, however.

To the best of my knowledge, Marc hasn't (yet) recorded The Boss Is Dead and premiered it live on the current tour, with no bootlegs currently available online. To preserve the entire setlist, I've taken the unusual step of including the original English language version by Charles Aznavour from 1962. Marc pretty much delivered the song as you're hearing it here. 

Likewise, I don't believe that there's a studio version of What Makes A Man A Man, but the live version featured here was released as a single and on the album 12 Years Of Tears in 1992.

As mentioned above, Gloomy Sunday appeared on the Marc & The Mambas album Torment And Toreros as a medley with an original song (Narcissus) and another cover (Vision by Peter Hammill). The medley runs to nearly 12 minutes so I've carefully edited the relevant section, retaining the Dream Lover intro.  

 

Marc & The Mambas' debut Untitled featured the first of many versions of If You Go Away that Marc has recorded. I found it deeply moving then and still do now; here though I've opted for a later, warmer version that Marc featured on 1989 album Jacques, entirely dedicated to covers of Brel songs.

Sebastian by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is another cover that has been performed by Marc for the first time on this tour. Fortunately, I found a live bootleg from the Brighton show a couple of nights before, including (most) of Marc's hilarious Harley tale whilst Martin Watkins gamely ad-libs on piano.

It would have been sensible to go for the chart-busting version of Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart with Gene Pitney on board. Naturally, I've gone for the solo recording that appeared on initial versions of The Stars We Are until it was replaced by the subsequent, hugely successful duet. I prefer the former, to be honest.

If all of this has left you wanting even more Marc Almond, then I've also reactivated links to two previous posts / selections:

A Promise Of Heaven Or Hell In Your Song (Jan 2022)

Playing Up The Vamp (May 2023)

A final thanks to Mrs. K for supplying several of the photos accompanying today's post and for being there with me on the night. A wonderful experience, even more wonderful for sharing it. Oh, and thanks for that subtle poke during the Aznavour suite!

Phew, I need a lie down after all that…

 

1) I'm The Light (Cover of Blue Cheer): Marc Almond (2024)

2) Gone With The Wind (Is My Love) (Cover of Rita & The Tiaras): Marc Almond (2024)

3) Elusive Butterfly (Cover of Bob Lind): Marc Almond (2024)

4) Trouble Of The World (Cover of traditional song / Mahalia Jackson): Marc Almond ft. Bryan Chambers (2024)

5) A Womans Story (Cover of Cher): Marc Almond (1986)

6) The Heel (Cover of Eartha Kitt): Marc Almond (1984)

7) The Boss Is Dead: Charles Aznavour (1962)

8) Yesterday, When I Was Young (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (1993)

9) What Makes A Man A Man (Live @ The Royal Albert Hall, London) (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (1992)

10) I Have Lived (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (2007)

11) Terrapin (Cover of Syd Barrett): Marc & The Mambas (1982)

12) Gloomy Sunday (Cover of Billie Holiday): Marc & The Mambas (1983)

13) Dream Lover (Cover of Bobby Darin): Marc Almond (2007)

14) One Night Of Sin (Cover of Smiley Lewis): Marc Almond (1997)

15) How Can I Be Sure (Album Version) (Cover of The Young Rascals): Marc Almond (2017)

16) The London Boys (Cover of David Bowie): Marc Almond (2007)

17) Stardom Road (Cover of Third World War): Marc Almond (2007)

18) If You Go Away (Cover of Jacques Brel): Marc Almond (1989)

19) Sebastian (Live @ Brighton Dome, Brighton) (Cover of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel): Marc Almond (2024)

20) The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) (Single Version) (Cover of Paul Whiteman presents Ramona): Marc Almond ft. The Willing Sinners (1985)

21) Extract From "Trois Chanson De Bilitis" / The Days Of Pearly Spencer (Album Version) (Cover of Claude Debussy / David McWilliams): Marc Almond ft. Sally Bradshaw (1991)

22) Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart (Album Version) (Cover of Gene Pitney): Marc Almond (1988)

23) Tainted Love (Single Version) (Cover of Gloria Jones): Soft Cell (1981)

24) Jacky (7" Version) (Cover of Jacques Brel): Marc Almond (1991)    

25) I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (Cover of Dusty Springfield): Marc Almond ft. Sarah Cracknell (2007)

26) I'm Not Anyone (Cover of Sammy Davis, Jr.): Marc Almond (2024) 

 

1962: The Time Is Now: 7 

1981: Tainted Love EP: 23

1982: Untitled: 11

1983: Torment And Toreros: 12

1984: Tenderness Is A Weakness EP: 6 

1985: The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) EP: 20

1986: A Womans Story EP: 5

1988: The Stars We Are: 22

1989: Jacques: 18

1991: Jacky EP: 24

1991: Tenement Symphony: 21

1993: Absinthe: The French Album: 8

1993: 12 Years Of Tears: 9

1997: Mojo OST: 14

2007: Stardom Road: 10, 13, 16, 17, 25

2017: Shadows And Reflections: 15

2024: I'm Not Anyone: 1, 2, 3, 4, 26

2024: Live In Brighton 2024 (bootleg): 19            

 

Cover Stories (1:38:51) (KF) (Mega)