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Roxy Music Concert Review

Dublin Vicar St, 5th July 2006

Ed Power

Irish Independent 7th July 2006

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Return of the original pop poseur

Before Roxy Music, rock 'n' roll was a dowdy, juvenile thing. Then, led by a ruffled, pre-naturally jaded singer and with an ever shifting template of pop moves, Roxy changed this forever. In the early '70s they brought glamour to the party but also an elegant weariness.

Setting out on the comeback trail, the group's surviving trio of Bryan Ferry (above), Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay appear to have left the greater part of their playboy charm back at the baggage reclaim hall. Lumbered with a parchment complexion and a sports jacket at which even your dad might blanch, Ferry, in particular, seems to bear the weight of every one of his 59 years. Perhaps the merciless humidity is a factor - 10 minutes in, the singer's quiff is a sweaty mop and he looks in need of a mug of Horlicks and an extended lie-down.

More than anything else, Roxy Music have always been a fantastic white soul act. Old age has served merely to underscore the music's melancholic disposition. Certainly, Ferry makes for a bittersweet cheerleader. Dusting down such Roxy staples as 'Avalon', 'Love is the Drug' and 'Virginia Plane', he croons as though his soul was turning slowly to rust.

Keeping it together in the summer swelter is evidently a struggle, however, and there are cracks in Ferry's performance. Fans should be grateful Roxy Music have brought along such a sprawling and eager line-up of backing guitarists and vocalists. From a distance, it is not easy to distinguish the original players from the hired guns. The lounge lizards have lost their shimmer and if the show can be judged a triumph, the story is one of collective resolve rather than individual genius.