B R-J

The last time I saw Bill Ryder-Jones was last month, when he did me the honour of sharing a stage with me, and being interviewed by me about his songwriting and its relationship to his mental health www.blipfoto.com/entry/2232576006676285305

Tonight, he was back on stage and I was, mercifully, in the audience at New Brighton's Floral Pavilion to see him and his band play a blistering selection of songs from 'A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart' and 'West Kirby Country Primary' alongside a couple of new numbers.

There was a lot of love from the Wirral crowd for the Wirral lad ("Welcome to the Leisure Peninsula!" said Bill as he ambled on stage, quoting one of Wirral Borough Council's more aspirational straplines...) to play one of his final gigs before he heads into the studio for a while to record a new album. I, for one, will be looking forward to hearing what he comes up with!

I can't remember the full setlist but it definitely included:

He Took You In His Arms
Let's Get Away From Here
Ruby
There Are Worse Things
Two To Birkenhead
Seabirds (Bill to audience "Any requests?". Wag in audience "Hawkwind!". Bill, taking matters into his own hands, "My fault for asking. Here's 'Seabirds'...")
Catherine and Huskisson
Put It Down Before You Break It
Wild Roses
Daniel
Satellites

A word of praise too for support acts, Peckham's Matt Maltese (who put me in mind of a younger Rufus Wainwright) and Bill's fellow Wirral-ites, By The Sea.

Here's Bill and band performing that great ode to two famous Liverpool streets, 'Catherine and Huskisson'... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw8FLZK98qU