CityLife

Nick Lowe

HIS influence might be heard all over the renaissance indie world of recent years but singer/songwriter and legendary Stiff Records producer Nick Lowe simply isn’t the live draw his legacy should suggest.

There’s a decidedly low head count inside the lush Bridgewater surroundings this evening for Lowe’s first Manchester date in a good while, but the intimate setting proves the perfect complement to his thoughtful and absorbing acoustic musings.

Firstly, taking to the centre stage on his lonesome Lowe’s gentle strumming and direct vocal highlights his capacity for penning timeless, mature tunes, with the opening salvo of ‘People Change’ followed by ‘Soulful Wind’ and the much loved ‘What’s Shaking On The Hill’ all given the respectful attention they deserve.

If this is his first time back traipsing up and down Britain’s tour circuit for sometime his four-piece support sound as tightly knit as a group that have circled the globe together for the past decade, with Lowe’s relaxed demeanour and good humoured preambles also what you’d expect from a seasoned veteran.

For accepted highlights you need look no further than his hijacked classic ‘(What’s So Funny About) Peace Love and Understanding’ - more hushed than Costello’s ever managed - and solo hit in its own right ‘Cruel To Be Kind’.

Whilst a duo with tonight's support Ron Sexsmith (another woefully underappreciated artist) with a delicate reading of ‘My Baby’s Gone’, and the recent Johnny Cash covered lament of ‘The Beast In Me’ also yank on the heart strings.

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