The Music Note

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 ...

The last gig I went to was Bryan Ferry’s March 13th 2020 show at the Royal Albert Hall, the second of two dates at the venue. The gigs were Ferry’s final performances on a run of tour dates that would be cancelled due to the pandemic, and more poignantly, the final full-capacity events to take place at the iconic venue – and quite possibly anywhere else – prior to lockdown. The concerts have now been released on a live album with all proceeds being shared between Ferry’s band and crew members in an effort to support them during what has been an extremely challenging time for the live music sector. This live release is a welcome memento of what was my favourite Ferry show in recent years. While the musicianship is always excellent, the setlists in the past few tours had not differed all that much, with each passing tour offering up just a few new song additions among a sea of setlist staples. However, the 2020 shows were hugely refreshing with revitalised setlists that drew largely f...

Bryan Ferry returned to London last week for the first of two nights at the Palladium. The gig was an especially anticipated event in light of 2015’s postponed Royal Albert Hall show, in which a throat infection caused Ferry to cancel the performance just moments before he was due on stage. However, the inevitable disappointment that was experienced by fans as a result of the abrupt cancellation was outweighed by concern, especially following news that the remaining leg of UK tour dates had also been cancelled. Fans were therefore both relieved and thrilled following the announcement that the Albert Hall show would be rescheduled by way of two dates at the equally iconic setting that is the London Palladium. Ferry opened the set with the intensely atmospheric title track from current album Avonmore . This was surprisingly the only song — albeit one of the strongest — from the 2014 record to appear in the set, despite the current tour being in support of this latest release. The ov...

As part of his most recent UK tour, Bryan Ferry returned to London a fortnight ago, for a unique 'Evening With' performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert comes almost a year after the release of  The Jazz Age , a record that offers a unique approach to both Roxy Music's catalogue and Ferry's solo work, with a collection of songs recorded instrumentally by the Bryan Ferry Orchestra. The album is an intriguing listen in that it features such an eclectic track listing, from the classics ('Love Is The Drug', 'Slave To Love') to the arguably not so predictable ('Just Like You', 'The Only Face'), all the while remaining authentic to the inspiration that is the basis for the album - the jazz sounds of the 1920's, which not only defined the era, but has proved a major influence on music in years since. The Bryan Ferry Orchestra opened the two-hour set with 'Do The Strand', which effortlessly progressed into a further se...

I went to Guilfest yesterday.  It was my first time at this festival (though I love going to gigs, I'm not much of a festival goer, unless there is a band/artist playing who I really like).  Since the headlining act was Bryan Ferry and the festival is local to me, I felt this was definitely a must see performance.  On arrival at the festival, I could not believe the amount of mud.  Yes, I know it has been raining here constantly for what seems like months so I should have expected it, but the mud was pretty hardcore.  In all my festival naivety, I turned up in my favourite pair of Converse (to think I almost wore ballet pumps).  Luckily, there was a stall selling wellies, so my friend Mike and I snapped some up.  Here is a picture of the hideous  pair I bought.  Seriously though, these wellies saved us. However, the music more than made up for the mud, and Ferry put on an amazing performance - his tour band really are fantastic, and...

More Than This  was the first single to be released from Roxy Music's final studio album, Avalon , in 1982.  Not only is it one of my favourite Roxy tracks, I also think it's the song which best represents the band's transition into the smooth and more polished sound which was so present in their later work.  Bryan Ferry's vocals blend effortlessly through verse and chorus, with lines which contribute to the atmospheric feel of the track - "Like a dream in the night / Who can say where we're going...Why the sea on the tide / Has no way of turning".  Just as impressive is the instrumental outro, which, led by lush synths and layers of guitar, more than makes up for the absence of vocals in the final few minutes of the song.

The way in which we obtain and listen to music has changed drastically over the past decade or so.  Thanks to digital music stores such as iTunes (as well as illegal file sharing sites), a fair majority of us are now downloading our music online. Purchasing music digitally is very convenient, as we can have music in a matter of minutes and often at a cheaper price than buying it from high street music stores. Purchasing digitally also means we can be more selective and precise by ordering one or two tracks instead of an entire album.  In addition to all of this, many music fans are discovering artists and bands online, either through recommendations based on their browsing and purchasing history, or through music reviews written by fellow music lovers. However, the boom in digital music has of course led to a major drop in physical album sales, in turn resulting in the closure of many high street music retailers. This is clearly a major drawback for the music industry, th...