Epitomising the mid-80s approach to pop music (high-gloss production technique, reasonably classy material, smooth vocals and silly haircut), Paul Young is a survivor whose career has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse. His biggest hits have been with other people's songs, but what made them his own was his voice. Plagued throughout his career with serious vocal problems, the success or otherwise of his live concerts depends directly on whether his vocal chords are in good shape. A nostalgic live show package focusing on his first six Top 10 hit singles (from 1983-1985) is as much as he can offer now, and believe me, it just isn't good enough.
On Saturday night, the second of two nights at the Olympia, Paul Young played one of the most atrocious gigs I've witnessed in years. It was apparent from the opener - an appalling rendition of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart, which set the tone for the remainder of the concert - that Young's voice was in serious trouble. It wasn't just his voice that was awry, though. The sound mix was uncontainable and the pacing of the set was as linear as crazy paving.
Relying on the audience to paste over the vocal cracks, he even attempted a tribute to Frank Sinatra by covering It Was A Very Good Year. Enveloped by guitar pyrotechnics and keyboard effects, the version was quite simply a travesty, and a pitiful if precise encapsulation of the entire show. It was as if the 1990s had never happened. What a frightening thought.
