Cortina cars, tank tops and that windy night on the common with the girl from Clapham can make an English middle-aged audience melt happily into a sea of nostalgia.
Two slightly world-worn men in suits took us sharply into a world when punk was played at school discos and the new sounds of rap, electro pop and 2 Tone were hitting the charts.
Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford who co-wrote all the songs revisited their biggest hits such as Cool For Cats, Tempted, Labelled With Love and Pulling Mussels (From A Shell) alongside tracks from their new album From The Cradle To The Grave, their first new material since 1998.
With an audience stolen from a Top Gear convention, a warm-up set with punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke and mini-films from their golden years, it was clear they were feeling their age a little.
But Tilbrook’s voice remained as poignant and angelic as ever with that heart-stopping crack which brought to mind Elvis Costello or Paul Heaton.
There was something gorgeous about a middle-aged man singing about love and loss in Up The Junction with such passion and beauty which can peel away the years and make you feel 15 again.
Four stars
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