Daily Variety
November 23, 1999
Robyn Hitchcock
Rock
Troubador
Presented In-House
Band: Robyn Hitchcock, Kimberley Rew, Tim Keegan, Jake Kyle, Lindsay Jamieson, Chris Anderson
by Don Waller
Making his first local appearance with a backing band in umpteen years, veteran English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchock treated the near-capacity Troubadour crowd to nearly two hours' worth of his patented brand of Acidic Folk Rock Pop Saturday evening. Hitchcock's stage performances have long been distinguished by his penchant for introducing songs via side-splittingly surreal monologues, as documented in 1998's Jonathan Demme-directed Storefront Hitchock film. Clad in a white shirt, black vest and a pair of eye-popping floral-print trousers, Hitchcock began the show with a connect-the-dots spiel about The Lakers, Jack Nicholson, the LAPD, and Friedrich Nietzsche that dovetailed into an unreleased song about being (and nothingness) in Los Angeles. After accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for three tunes, Hitchcock gradually began adding musicians, eventually including all four members of his opening act (the UK-based Departure Lounge) and lead guitarist Kimberly Rew (whose association with the headliner stretches back to The Soft Boys, the late-'70s outfit wherein Hitchcock first perfected his synthesis of The Beatles, The Byrds, and Syd Barrett (original Pink Floyd frontman-turned-acid casualty)). Along with the hilarious "The Cheese Alarm", "Antwoman", and a handful of other selections from his latest Reprise album, Jewels For Sophia, Hitchcock seasoned the set with a heaping helping of his greatest cult-jams: "Heaven", "Madonna Of The Wasps", "Birds In Perspex", "Sleeping With Your Devil Mask", and "I Often Dream of Trains". More songs about insects and cheese --- that are (and aren't really) about insects and cheese --- indeed. Unlike most art-rockers, Hitchcock himself is an exceptionally adept guitarist, and after picking up a Fender Telecaster, led the band though a clenched-teeth version of The Soft Boys' "Insanely Jealous". The only problem came during the multiple encores, which went on for nearly an hour and eventually turned into the living definition of "anti-climactic". Still, ain't nothin' like surreal thing, baby.
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