Reviews

After all, his stab at Christmas glory is the darkly powerful We’re All Going To Die, a slice of black humour pop that pretty much sums up his approach to music, and it’s one that was greeted with enthusiastic applause at Academy 3.

Yet, there was something lacking. No sooner had he arrived, than there was inactivity, which only served to exasperate the assembled.

Malcolm Middleton (c) Michelle Ward

The following song, Follow Robin Down didn’t help, doing little to titillate the senses and there was a distinct air of disappointment. It wasn’t that the songs were bad; far from it, the problem lay with the sound, which was poor to say the least. The vocal and acoustic guitar lack clarity and only frustration lay ahead.

Unfortunately, the unacceptable situation continued throughout the show, with the monotony only broken by full-blown band performances and even those suffered from muddy sound.

However, Malcolm is an enigmatic personality and his dour sense of humour was infectious, with that Christmas tune still managing to sound like a clear hit!

Despite the sound, Malcolm Middleton managed to show he has everything it takes to become huge - a great set of songs, an interesting sound and exactly the right sort of commercial appeal.