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Review: Bryan Ferry

Perth Zoo, Perth, Australia 17th November 2007
Polly Coufos

19th November 2007

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On song despite beastly venue.

EVERY sizeable patch of grass in Perth is now considered a concert venue. The picturesque Perth Zoo is a great place to take the family to see animals; it is notnecessarily a great place to watch qualityperformers. The large trees that dot the concert area supply much-needed shade during the day, but at night all they do is block views of the stage. The lack of screens to offer some compensation for this is disappointing. That said, veteran British artists Joan Armatrading and Bryan Ferry, who have both released successful new albums this year, showed they are far from being spent creative forces.

Armatrading simply dazzled on guitar, stretching the tunes from her new album Into the Blues and soloing extensively. In an hour-long set the 56-year-old used her hits (Call Me Names, Me Myself I, Willow, Drop the Pilot) as a pay-off for being permitted to first pick her way through Into the Blues. Her stage banter couldn't be heard from the back of the area but, luckily, her vocals were warm and strong when she was singing.

In front of a nine-piece band, the ever smooth but rather reserved 62-year-old Ferry mixed up his solo recordings with a few Roxy Music favourites. A good deal of his set was given over to Dylanesque, his collection of reworkings of some of Bob Dylan's finest songs. Ferry proved to be just as inventive as the Minnesota master in leaving the blueprint behind and taking the material to new places.

The frequently brash, noisy arrangements dovetailed with Ferry's crooning and the bouncy, good-time rhythms of songs such as Simple Twist of Fate and Knockin' On Heaven's Door emphasised the beauty of Dylan's tunes, rather than having the usual focus on his lyrics. Curiously, Ferry's hit version of A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall did not make the set list. Best of all was the tender Make You Feel My Love.

The latter-day classic matched the intensity of Roxy Music's No1 hit Jealous Guy - complete with whistling - making it another highlight of the set. Personable to a tee, Ferry announced each player after a solo and all demanded attention, especially backing vocalist Sarah Brown who wailed impressively on Jealous Guy and Avalon, while the crowd got in the swing and took over Jerry Hall's sexy immortal interjection in Let's Stick Together.

A value for money bill; pity the same can't be said for the venue.