October 2020 – I’m just out of hospital and recovering from an operation by spending a week home in The Borders.
It’s been the toughest year – as it has for everyone. The things that usually keep me going are in short supply – work, gigs, nights out and regular catch-ups with pals.
Then this little shimmer of “what had been” appeared by surprise…
16 months earlier. It’s summer 2019. There’s not a single person in the world that has heard of COVID 19 and the only people wearing masks in the town are people concerned about pollution and bank robbers.
Life is simple…or at least simpler.
It’s a Sunday night in early June. Royal Concert Hall is the place. Obviously being a big Phonics fan, I’ve got the seats in the front few rows. The Wind + The Wave were the support and there was only a few of us in the room when Kelly appeared from the wings to announce them to the stage.
**Fast forward through a very enjoyable set from The Wind + The Wave and back to focusing on the headliner…**
I remember being very sceptical (I’m not sure if it’s the word I’m looking for) but certainly intrigued at how this was going to go. Kelly is known for being a great storyteller in his songs but isn’t much of a talker on stage. During the majority of the phonics gigs I’ve been to in the past, the most you hear from the frontman is “This song is about San Francisco, bit of a singsong” or “Word Gets Around is so many years old, this is the first song from it”
So it was rather strange when Kelly came on stage and started to tell stories about making melodies for the first time when he was a kid, and it was in the freezing cold bath water he had to share with his brothers on a Sunday night. Maybe this was going to be a new side to Kelly, where he would open up more on his story and the stories behind the songs.
The main aspect of the gig that excited me the most was that this was the chance to hear Stereophonics songs that they don’t play live anymore…and i didn’t have to wait long at all.
“Hurry Up And Wait” will always be one of my favourites. Every time I hear it, I can see Kelly, Richard and Stuart walking on stage at Morfa in 1999 in front of one of the craziest crowds I’ve ever seen. Even though I’ve been to loads of Phonics gigs, I had never heard it live. One ticked off the list!
“You’re My Star” is still one of Kelly’s greatest compositions. Hearing it played completely stripped back isn’t anything new – the deluxe version of Keep The Village Alive helped us out there – but it’s still something special.
“Only The Names Have Been Changed” is the name of Kelly’s only solo album to date and released in 2007 just before “Pull The Pin”. I can’t remember listening to it much at the time but it’s an album that has become a part of the record collection in recent years. My favourites on the album are “Rosie” and “Misty” – the first being the only one to feature that night. Unfortunately it doesn’t make the album. “Suzy” and “Katie” are sadly the only two that make the cut.
“I Wanna Get Lost With You” feat a strings section is something I never thought I would ever hear. Much like “You’re My Star”, it doesn’t matter how it’s played – full band or solo – it’s one of those songs that just incredibly captivating. The beat of the song is still there and you can still find you head starting to move, even if the tone of this version is a tad more somber.
Kelly has talked a little bit about his dad during his musical career. His musical inspiration. A great talent in his own right – Arwyn “Oscar” Jones was acknowledged and praised by a young Tom Jones and he spent time playing in bands in the 60s. Hearing Kelly’s rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night” which his father used to sing for him was absolutely incredible. The crescendo at the song’s finale pinned you back in your seat when hearing it live in the room. One of those performances when you are sitting there thinking – “That Voice, unreal”
Speaking of that voice…
Sitting in that hall 18 months ago, the performance was a good as ever, his voice as powerful as ever and the gig as incredible as ever. Which makes hearing the secret that Kelly was keeping under wraps at the time even more extraordinary.
Only now do we know that this time 2 years ago, Kelly had been diagnosed with a polyp on his vocal chords. Almost a lose-lose situation. Don’t remove it and you face a number of problems with your voice, or take the risk of surgery which could irreversibly ruin your voice and end your career.
Thankfully, even though a lot of risk was taken and he wasn’t allowed to talk for a couple of weeks, surgery was a success and Kelly is back up to full vocal capability. Knowing what we know now, it amazes me that he chose to do a solo tour. Most of the arrangements were stripped back, solo versions of some of the bands biggest hits. No room at all for error – a brave move considering he was recovering from a career threatening problem. This tour is testament to how good a vocalist he is and how smoothly his recovery went.
Some of the classic Sterophonics songs (Traffic, Dakota, Mr Writer) made the set list without much change to the arrangements – very much adding a blend of normality amongst the rare tracks and the classics that had been tweaked slightly for this tour.
“Local Boy In the Photograph” – the story behind the song has been well known for the past 23 years. Although hearing Kelly talking openly about the fate of a friend and former teammate of his, as well as a more somber solo arrangement – guitar and vocals only, gave the song a different feel. Emotional and raw.
Going back to what I said near the start of this ramble, hearing some songs that haven’t made the setlist in years was the main attraction to this tour. Then I heard the piano start…
“I Stopped To Fill My Car Up” – the original showstopper before Dakota came along, the anthemic close of the second album and most of all…my favourite song from the band.
It’s never really seen the light of day for many many years. I listen to the 11 minute long version from Morfa regularly. The never ending progression and Stuart making faces at the cameras from behind his drums. The version on this album may not have the power that the original trio had when they played it live, but hearing it in a room with everyone singing “And then I looked up and looked in the mirror behind me” was special.
The show wasn’t just another Phonics show with a few rarities. This really was Kelly’s “Springsteen on Broadway” where he let the audience into his life and songs. In the words of Rob Brydon, who interviewed Kelly last week, “My first impression of you was of a very very intense young man”
Kelly said in response to that question- “I went from working on a fruit and veg stall to being on the front cover of the papers in a very short space of time, that’s when the guards started to come up and the armour started to come on”
24 years later, I think the guards and armour are history.
Ryan Borthwick 