EDWYN COLLINS @UNION CHAPEL, 24th APRIL 2013

http://heavenlyrecordings.com/artists/edwyn-collins/

LAST night I had the pleasure of seeing Edwyn Collins perform at Union Chapel in Islington. This is a venue I have pretty much always wanted to go to, never realising that it is in fact a ten minute walk away. For those of you who don't know, the chapel is a fully-functioning, real-life chapel, complete with beautiful stained glass windows, flickering candles and an impressively high ceiling. Already the setting, acoustically, was brilliant.

On pop Edwyn's band, a melangé of ages and musical styles ranging from sixties pop to seventies rawk 'n' rowl [not without a white cowboy hat] and already it seems that this is the wrong type of venue for a band that is accustomed to audience interaction [of which unfortunately there could be little] and a little less general space. Aesthetics aside, what followed was an almost perfect performance from one of the most inspirational men on the planet. As mentioned in my previous Edwyn Collins feature, the musician was left unable to speak properly, walk or use his right hand after suffering two strokes in 2005, yet quite miraculously he is pitch-perfect, more in-time than most bands i've seen, and in possession of a wonderfully disarming sense of humour, as he interrupted cheers and claps with 'The singing is no problem. The talking is a bit dodgy..to say the least'. 

The set was a brilliant display of Edwyn's musical history, ranging from a quite speedy version of Orange Juice's Rip It Up to In Your Eyes for which his son William appeared on stage. He seemed very shy, deceptively so, as he went on to belt out perfect harmonies as well as playing guitar in accompaniment to his father's almost baritone melodies. Stand out songs of the night were Dilemma from this year's Understated album, Losing Sleep from 2010's Losing Sleep album which the band opened with to roars from the 'congregation', and the beautifully mellow encore of Home Again and Down The Line, finally ending with Don't Shilly Shally during which Collins stood up [which he did for a few others], and swung his cane around in a rather dandy-ish manner, addressing his appreciative fans before walking off stage with a smile on his face. Contrary to expectations, the set was full of positively-worded, bass-driven songs, showing that Collins is very much 'In The Now', still relevant and still a musical force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, this was the best of my photos.

The little dots around the sides? They are candles.

I don't know whose heads they are though.

Quick mention must be made of Carwyn Ellis of the band Colorama, songwriter, producer and all-round talented musician, who also plays bass, keys and synth for Edwyn Collins. He is one of the most talented musicians I have had the pleasure of seeing live. Collins plays tonight at St George's Church in Brighton. 

STAVRINI KOUMI