Roxy Music at the O2 Arena, London - 14/10/2022

While I have been to many Bryan Ferry solo shows over the last decade, I had never seen him play as part of Roxy Music, alongside fellow band members Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera and Paul Thompson. I was therefore ecstatic when, earlier this year, it was announced that the band would be reuniting for an anniversary tour celebrating 50 years since the release of their self-titled debut album. Starting in America last month, the tour concluded last week with a run of shows in the UK (their first since 2011), culminating with a date at London’s O2 arena.

Ferry has always incorporated a heavy mix of the Roxy catalogue into his solo shows, and while much of this material has taken on stripped back arrangements and relaxed tempos – perhaps to accommodate his softer vocal delivery in recent years – it was always a treat to hear favourites and unexpected rarities played in intimate venues with solid acoustics. With all this in mind, there was an element of concern mixed in with my excitement for how some of these much-loved songs would fare in a venue as large as the O2.

The band fittingly opened the set with the upbeat urgency of ‘Remake Remodel’, the first track from their 1972 debut, and any prior concerns about the acoustics of the O2 immediately vanished; the sound (at least from I was positioned) was stellar, with the band showing great musicianship and camaraderie, and Ferry more than holding his own vocally, whilst accompanied by backing vocalists Fonzi Thornton, Senab Adekunle and Phebe Edwards.

As the set progressed, it was evident that while the relaxed tempos and lower keys that frequented the Ferry solo tours were present at times, many of those tracks also benefitted from refreshed arrangements that clearly distinguished this as a Roxy Music performance. This dynamic shone brightest on the band’s early material; ‘If There is Something’s’ sumptuous arrangement really highlighted the musicianship of the entire band, and is by far the best rendition of the song I’ve heard live.

‘In Every Dream Home a Heartache’ followed, with an intense first half that reached an immense climax as Ferry’s chilling “I blew up your body / but you blew my mind” vocal line exploded into Phil Manzanera’s mesmerising guitar solo. If there was one definitive moment of the night that captured the true essence of the Roxy Music sound – that was it.  

The second half of the set dove deep into 1982’s Avalon, the band’s final album, and the one that marks the biggest departure from their early work. This smoother, refined sound was conveyed beautifully with a haunting rendition of ‘Tara’, led by Andy Mackay on oboe, though my highlight of the night was ‘To Turn You On’ – my all-time favourite Roxy song. The band, with a notable mention to Paul Thompson on drums, really elevated the subtly seductive groove of the album version to new heights on this rendition. It was a joy to finally hear live.

With Avalon featuring so heavily, many hardcore Roxy fans may not have found the setlist varied enough. Furthermore, while the first two albums were touched on in style, there was only one track from 1974’s Country Life (albeit a strong choice in ‘Out of the Blue’) included in the set, and more shockingly, its predecessor – and one of my favourites – Stranded was absent entirely.

Aside from the lack of certain albums, my only other, admittedly very minor gripe amongst a superb performance, was the shortening of some songs; while this is understandable to allow for a crowd-pleasing set, especially in an anniversary concert of this nature, the decision to cut the sublime instrumental outro from ‘More Than This’ was disappointing to say the least. The outro is a crucial element of what is one of their most-loved songs, and it would have been incredible to hear the band’s live interpretation of it.

Naturally the power hits such as ‘Love is the Drug’ and ‘Virginia Plain’ were saved till last as part of a whirlwind finale. And though the onscreen visuals were stunning throughout the gig, the montage of album artwork and early photos that accompanied closing song ‘Do the Strand’, stirred a sense of bittersweet euphoria for what was a momentous night – a feeling that was seemingly reflected on stage as the band made their final farewells to the crowd.

It is uncertain whether this will be Roxy Music’s final tour, however, if there is any truth to the rumours of a headline slot on the Legends stage at next year’s Glastonbury, then the potential for future shows is definitely there. If nothing does come of those rumours, then this concert was a triumphant finale for an iconic band.