09.03.2024
Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve review – 50 years of hits only improved by age
Dave Simpson: The Guardian: 3rd September 2024: Photo by Christopher Thomond
City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds- The singer-songwriter and his Attractions sidekick roam from 1977 to today – and pay a special tribute to the venue’s historic comedy heritage. Performing 15 Songs from 50 Years – four sets, two nights, an astonishing 60 different tunes in all.
With longtime Attractions sidekick Steve Nieve alternating between exquisite piano playing, keyboard, melodica and electric accordion and Costello switching between a variety of very expensive and dirt-cheap guitars, the setlist ranges from 1977 (Mystery Dance, delivered as a slow blues) to 2024 (the theme song from forthcoming musical A Face in the Crowd, which gets as loud a reception as any of them).