Bryan Ferry at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in 2013. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

From the moment Bryan Ferry purposefully steps foot onto the Philharmonic Hall stage, there didn’t seem to be a single female fan in the audience who has remained seated for the former Roxy Music icon. Such is the sheer magnetism, the undiluted animal appeal of Bryan Ferry that despite the fact that it has been an incredibly long time without him coming to Liverpool, his music, the way he makes his fans, of either gender, feel, you can only applaud his stature as he performs the music that made him one of the great stars of his generation.

The Philharmonic Hall has seen an awful lot of popular Jazz music being performed within its acoustically beautiful surroundings in recent months. With the brilliant Caro Emerald and Paloma Faith having wowed crowds to the point of ecstasy, there could really only be one person who could have even come as close to topping their performances. Bryan Ferry and his orchestra took that feeling of ecstasy that still felt heavy in the air and gave it another layer, another heady mix of a voice that still sounds terrific after many decades in the music business and the intoxicating testosterone that was overflowing from the man who personified a genre and a decade.

On the back of his 2012 album, The Jazz Age, Bryan Ferry gave the appreciative audience a night in which to revel in, to wallow in the thought of one of the longest and most wonderful sets to have been performed at the Philharmonic Hall. With over 30 tracks being played, there seemed no let-up in the relentless pace and certainly the Orchestra, including riveting spots by the superb , Robert Fowler, Martin Wheatley, Richard White and the utterly enthralling Enrico Tomasso, the night swam by in a cocktail of absorbing music and cerebral intrigue.

The Orchestra begin the proceedings with instrumental renditions of tracks such as Slave To Love, Avalon, Just Like You and The Bogus Man before Bryan Ferry came on stage and took the audience on a trip into the realms of 1970s devotion. There can be no doubting the type of effect any great vocalist has on an audience but Bryan Ferry seemed to take it a stage further and when the crowd could no longer contain their devotion, the spill towards the stage was inevitable and one that no one would have minded. It was just one of those moments that you have to see at least once in your life to know just how much music means to millions of people.

The abundance of songs on offer was enough to make your head spin but with tracks such as Don’t Stop The Dance, Carrickfergus, a cover of Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, When She Walks In The Room, the brilliant cover of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy, the compelling Love Is The Drug and the bouncy Let’s Stick Together being performed to bigger and louder cheers, it could be seen as a night in which if you weren’t there, then kicking yourself is not an option, the best bet is draw the curtains on every window, ignore the knocking on the door and become a hermit for a while until the musical shame is spent.

A fascinating and wonderful night of music by a vocalist unlike any other!

Ian D. Hall