Birmingham Post
September 28, 1999
Hitchcock Mystery Solved
Robyn Hitchcock
Ronnie Scott's
by Oliver Kirkland
Although he has now been a prolific representative of the British music scene for two-and-a-half decades, Robyn Hitchcock remains as obscure and peripheral a figure as he was back in the days of The Soft Boys and The Egyptians.
Seeing him make his first solo appearance in Birmingham at Ronnie's on Sunday, it was not difficult to deduce why Hitchcock has found it difficult to transcend cult status.
Coming across like a hybrid of Julian Cope, Howard Marks, and Eddie Izzard, he was never less than engaging. Listening both to his lyrics and onstage banter, however, it was hard to get over the impression that, like the wacky bloke in the office with his matching Homer Simpson tie and socks, Hitchcock is not quite as bonkers as he would like people to think he is. It would have been no surprise to see him wearing a T-shirt declaring "You Don't Have To Be Mad To Write These Songs -- But It Helps!"
This side of Hitchcock's personality was especially prominent in the first part of his set, which was solo, acoustic and heavy on quasi-surreal spoken interludes.
Things improved significantly when he was joined by second guitarist Kimberley Rew, whose playing and harmonies added depth, focus and soaring melodies to the songs. All of a sudden Hitchcock was transformed into a man capable of experiencing and conveying emotion rather than just making self-satisfied cryptic observations.
"She Doesn't Exist", "Insanely Jealous", and "Queen Of Eyes" were all impassioned and melancholic, whereas earlier "Beautiful Girl" just sounded fey and hollow.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE