Launch
November 9, 1999
Robyn Hitchcock
by Mac Randall
For a large chunk of the '90s -- going on six years now -- the frightfully gifted British surrealist singer, songwriter, and guitarist named Robyn Hitchcock has forgone the visceral pleasures of Amped-Up Rock in favor of a quieter existence as a more or less acoustic, more or less solo troubadour. But those days appear to have reached their end with his latest album, Jewels For Sophia, and its accompanying tour, both of which enlist the services of frequent Hitchcock colleague Tim Keegan and his band Departure Lounge. The return of the (excuse the pun) rockin' Robyn, backed by a real bassist and drummer, is exciting enough news for longtime fans. But the additional word that guitarist Kimberley Rew, who guest-stars on a couple of Jewels tracks, would also be joining the live band was guaranteed to raise expectations to a stratospheric level.
A little background may be in order here: long, long ago, Hitchcock and Rew played alongside each other in a band called The Soft Boys. Together, they recorded three studio albums and various other aural oddments between 1977 and 1980, creating an alluring combination of Psychedelic Pop, Punk fury, and Art Rock ambition that still stands today as some of the finest music to come out of Britain during the so-called "New Wave". Central to the band's appeal was the contrast between the two guitarists' equally powerful styles -- Hitchcock's Folk-derived, intuitive and jangly, Rew's rock-solid, passionate and searing. (Imagine Richard Thompson and Jimi Hendrix in the same group, or perhaps more apt, an English version of Television's Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd.) Yet despite their undeniable greatness, The Soft Boys couldn't get arrested. The obvious inspiration they drew from Pop music of the '60s marked them as retro and somehow irrelevant to the times; critics largely ignored them, and they were never able to get a sensible major-label record deal. In the face of this pronounced lack of interest, the band broke up in 1981.
Following The Soft Boys' demise, Hitchcock embarked on a solo career, eventually linking up once again with the band's bassist Andy Metcalfe and drummer Morris Windsor to form Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians, a unit that remained intact until 1993. Meanwhile, Rew rejoined the band he'd been in previously, The Waves. One Canadian female vocalist later, they'd become Katrina And The Waves -- and formidable hitmakers. (Remember "Walking On Sunshine"?) The Soft Boys catalog finally made it onto CD in the early-'90s; in the interim their Byrds/Beatles/Dylan/Floyd-laced sound had been adopted by a flock of College Rock bands, the most notable being R.E.M.. It was high time for a reunion, and one was indeed forthcoming. But Rew was only on board for a single one-off benefit show in early 1994 -- the subsequent brief UK tour basically consisted of The Egyptians playing Soft Boys tunes. All of which means that Hitchcock's current U.S. tour is the first time that he and Rew have been on the road -- or shared an American stage -- in 19 years.
And so the general mood at the Bowery Ballroom on this warm November evening could best be described as one of breathless anticipation. It was a mood that Hitchcock, ever the crowd master, heightened by beginning the set performing solo on acoustic guitar and then bringing the members of the band onstage gradually, one additional man per song (a tactic that, perhaps not so coincidentally, recalls the Talking Heads' classic movie Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme, who also helmed the recent Hitchcock concert film Storefront Hitchcock, and who was in the audience at the Bowery -- Robyn even dedicated a song to him). His back stiff and sore from a recent table-moving mishap, Hitchcock moved gingerly around the stage but otherwise showed little sign of being off his game in any way; early, pre-Kimberley set highlights included "The Devil's Coachman", "Queen Elvis", (featuring Robyn and Tim Keegan on dueling harmonicas), and a simple-but-beautiful new song, "I Saw Nick Drake"; while his customary between-song monologues focused on pumpkins, cats, and the death of Folk music -- and were hilarious as usual.
The crowd's warm appreciation turned ecstatic as soon as the mop-headed Rew was introduced. Looking amazingly youthful, his face marked by a shy smile, Kimberley plugged in and joined the band on a jaunty rendition of "Viva Sea-Tac", off the new album. Though several other new songs were well-covered over the course of the evening, the most rewarding moments occurred when Rew's tasty guitar moves were added to old Egyptians numbers: "Sleeping With Your Devil Mask", "Madonna Of The Wasps", "Oceanside", "Birds In Perspex". The latter two in particular were graced with rippling, reverb-drenched solos that drew many enthusiastic whoops from the audience. And of course; when Hitchcock, Rew, Keegan and company lit into a perfect version of "Queen Of Eyes", off The Soft Boys' 1980 classic Underwater Moonlight, they brought the proverbial house down.
For an encore, Robyn took the stage alone again and offered up gorgeous solo takes on "Swirling", from 1989's Queen Elvis; and "Autumn Is Your Last Chance", from 1984's I Often Dream Of Trains. Then Hitchcock called Rew on once more, and the duo played the latter album's title track, an uneasy Folk ballad that ranks among this prolific songwriter's best; the two guitars locked together perfectly, gradually fading to a whisper. Another Soft Boys nugget, "Insanely Jealous", followed, with another blistering solo from Rew. Finally, the rest of the band returned for raucous romps through two more new selections, "Adoration Of The City" and "Elizabeth Jade", before calling it a night.
If there was a drawback to this otherwise brilliant evening, it was to be found in the playing of Departure Lounge bassist Jake Kyle, who made a few noticeable missteps and overall seemed to be watching the movement of Hitchcock's hands more intently than someone familiar with the songs would do. On the whole, Kyle did a reasonable Andy Metcalfe impersonation, but the real guy is far more fluid and imaginative. Which leads to the obvious question: why not do a full-fledged Soft Boys reunion tour, including Rew and Metcalfe and Windsor? They could do new songs, old gems, and Egyptians stuff. The fans would love it. C'mon, Robyn -- you know it's the right thing.
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