Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. September 22nd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

A night of two halves joined by a very talented individual thread, that is the key behind Nik Kershaw’s fantastic night at the Liverpool o2 Academy show,.  It was a night where both performer and audience reminisced in the depths of music and came up with a set list that defied time and made the most of some of the excellent new songs from his latest album.

There will be those that believe that when a musician or entertainer no longer troubles the singles charts that they must slink away, trade stories with other musicians from the golden age and gently become part of folklore. This is obviously an absurd proposition and in the case of Nik Kershaw, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes he produced two albums in quick succession in 1984 but the light that guided him to write some of that period’s most memorable tracks has never diminished and spurred on by an audience that remained loyal, he has written five very good albums since 1999.

The gig was about placing all these songs into a night of fun, passion and hefty dollop of memory and by the night there was not a part of the Academy floor that was silent or dumbstruck. Nik Kershaw made sure that everyone had a great time and it showed throughout.

The first part of the night was jam packed with songs from the second album onwards. As Nik weaved and bobbed between songs from Ei8ht; including the brilliant opener These Tears, the sensational Runaway, Shoot Me, Rock of Ages and the powerful You’re the Best and through some of the more instantly recognisable songs from his long career which included the brilliant Wide Boy and the loving musical caress of Have a Nice Life, it didn’t take much imagination to see how much hearing these songs again meant to everyone in the room.

The second half of the night was just as emotional as Nik went through every track of the hit debut album Human Racing to great applause from the crowd. Songs such as Dancing Girls, Bogart, the exceptional I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me and the outstanding Drum Talk made this a night which proved that real talent and class never goes away, it just waits for the audience to catch back up with it.

A brilliant night of hits, memories and the re-introduction of Nik Kershaw as one of the great entertainers of the last 40 years.

Ian D. Hall