RODDY FRAME – BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL GIG GUIDE 

The last night of the triumphant Roddy Frame Autumn Tour took place at the Town Hall in Birmingham and LGA gig reviewer, Paul Wood, was there to see the “pop wonderkid of the 80s” deliver a fantastic set that embraced his albums with Aztec Camera and his more recent solo years.

RODDY FRAME – BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL

It’s easy to forget how impressive the Aztec Camera/Roddy Frame back catalogue of songs is. You’ve got the brashness of youth and sheer pop exuberance on the debut album “High Land Hard Rain”, the sophisticated soul/pop of the “Love” album, minor classics from diverse albums such as “Stray” and “Frestonia” and the more mature work of his solo years.

His latest solo release “Seven Dials” has received excellent reviews and we get treated in the show to versions from the new album of “40 Days of Rain”, “White Pony”, Postcard” and “In Orbit”.

On stage with a full band – 2^nd guitarist, drums, bass, keyboards and 2 backing girl singers who double up on violin, Roddy Frame cuts an impressively confident but very likeable character – happy to chat with his audience between songs (which he does a lot), and acknowledging song requests as the show progresses.

“Killermont Street” is one of the favourites that probably gets the most requests, and Frame responds with “yes, I’ll do that for you later”.

The sound quality is first class (the Town Hall is a lovely venue) and the band do the songs full justice.

Here’s a link to a fan video of 3 songs from the Salford date of the tour “Deep & Wide & Tall”, “In Orbit” and “Let Your Love Decide”

The Birmingham set closes with the audience on their feet for a rousing version of “Walk Out To Winter”

For encores, the audience is treated to the wonderfully dramatic “Rainy Season” (from the “Frestonia” album) which features a firey guitar solo from Roddy, before Roddy returns alone with his acoustic guitar  for the much requested Killermont Street”.

Roddy explains that Killermont Street was the route to the main bus station in Glasgow which was the link to the outside world and his music exposure when he was growing up.

The full band return and they finish the show with “Back On Board”.

Here’s a link to a fan video of “Rainy Season” from the Aberdeen leg of the tour:

And the solo live version of “Killermont Street”

SET LIST

Oblivious

Deep and Wide and Tall

Bigger Brighter Better

40 days of Rain

White Pony

Working In A Goldmine

Postcard

In Orbit

On The Avenue

Let Your Love Decide

Down The Dip

We Could Send Letters

The Bugle Sounds Again

The Boy Wonder

Walk Out To Winter

Encores

Rainy Season

Killermont Street

Back On Board

Blast From The Past

Here’s Aztec Camera performing “Oblivious” on Pebble Mill at One (1983):