Peabody's Down Under
Details
- Date
- November 11, 1986
- Venue
- Peabody's Down Under Cleveland, Ohio
- Billed As
- Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians
- Gig Type
- Concert
Notes
Picture of November 1986 tour itinerary supplied by Morris Windsor in 2025.
Interview with Robyn to promote the show from Scene, Volume 17, Issue 45
Setlist incomplete
Interview with Robyn to promote the show from Scene, Volume 17, Issue 45
Setlist incomplete
Reviews
Printed review from Scene, Volume 17, Issue 47 (see image 4 above - transcription below is best guess in some parts)
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
Peabody's Down Under Nov 11
Robyn Hitchcock much-heralded Cleveland debut was a bit of a disappointment in that so few people showed up to see what all of the ruckus was about. Hitchcock's decidedly twisted lyrics and pop music sensibility are more intriguing than much of what passes for intelligent pop music today. Whereas Sting will take Jungian psychology and put it to pseudo-reggae rhythms, Robyn Hitchcock takes the same psychological analysis and interprets it in his own highly-amusing manner. Maybe it's too much for an audience to handle but Hitchcock's devotees maintain that it's the greatest thing going this side of reruns of "The Twilight Zone".
Performing as a trio, Hitchcock and his band, The Egyptians - bassist/vocalist Andy Metcalfe and drummer / vocalist Morris Windsor - knocked out over an hour’s worth of Hitchcock originals in a way that few bands even wish to perform. Hitchcock's droll English sense of the absurd made between-song patter a show in itself. He prefaced "Lady Waters" with a long introduction that threatened to become even more absurd than the songs medieval inspired lyrics. With Hitchcock on guitar the focus was definitely on Hitchcock's twisted lyrical bent and Metcalfe and Windsor picked up the slack with a precision that showed that they've been playing together tor a long time.
Zipping through most of his new album, ELEMENT OF LIGHT, Hitchcock and The Egyptians also dipped back into FEGMANIA, his previous album and GOTTA LET THIS HEN OUT, his critically-acclaimed live album. The trio came to the front of the stage to sing an a-cappella version of "Uncorrected Personality Traits" that made the recorded version sound sane by comparison. Hitchcock's live brilliance has to be seen as well as heard to be truly appreciated, let's just hope we don't have to wait as long to see him here the next time.
Marc Holan
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
Peabody's Down Under Nov 11
Robyn Hitchcock much-heralded Cleveland debut was a bit of a disappointment in that so few people showed up to see what all of the ruckus was about. Hitchcock's decidedly twisted lyrics and pop music sensibility are more intriguing than much of what passes for intelligent pop music today. Whereas Sting will take Jungian psychology and put it to pseudo-reggae rhythms, Robyn Hitchcock takes the same psychological analysis and interprets it in his own highly-amusing manner. Maybe it's too much for an audience to handle but Hitchcock's devotees maintain that it's the greatest thing going this side of reruns of "The Twilight Zone".
Performing as a trio, Hitchcock and his band, The Egyptians - bassist/vocalist Andy Metcalfe and drummer / vocalist Morris Windsor - knocked out over an hour’s worth of Hitchcock originals in a way that few bands even wish to perform. Hitchcock's droll English sense of the absurd made between-song patter a show in itself. He prefaced "Lady Waters" with a long introduction that threatened to become even more absurd than the songs medieval inspired lyrics. With Hitchcock on guitar the focus was definitely on Hitchcock's twisted lyrical bent and Metcalfe and Windsor picked up the slack with a precision that showed that they've been playing together tor a long time.
Zipping through most of his new album, ELEMENT OF LIGHT, Hitchcock and The Egyptians also dipped back into FEGMANIA, his previous album and GOTTA LET THIS HEN OUT, his critically-acclaimed live album. The trio came to the front of the stage to sing an a-cappella version of "Uncorrected Personality Traits" that made the recorded version sound sane by comparison. Hitchcock's live brilliance has to be seen as well as heard to be truly appreciated, let's just hope we don't have to wait as long to see him here the next time.
Marc Holan