On this day, 8 June 1989, Singer/Songwriter Elvis Costello, played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall with support provided by Nick Lowe.
Costello had just released his 12th studio album Spike, his first since My Aim Is True without the Attractions. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It also reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200 thanks to the single and his most notable American hit, "Veronica", which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the US Modern Rock chart.
In 1987, Costello began writing with Paul McCartney for the latter's Flowers in the Dirt album. They composed a dozen songs together, which showed up on multiple albums by McCartney and Costello. Two of those songs appear on this album, "Pads, Paws and Claws" and the hit single "Veronica".
As his first album for a new label Warner Bros, in his own words Costello had the budget of "a small independent movie", and having in mind the blueprint for five different albums, decided to make all of them. He brought back his foil from King of America, T Bone Burnett, to facilitate the sessions and produce the album. Studio time was booked in four different locations: Ocean Way in Hollywood; Southlake Studios in New Orleans; Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin; and AIR Studios in London. Four different groups of musicians were assembled in each location. Writing credits on the album are given to both Elvis Costello and Declan MacManus, Costello's birth name.
Setlist
01. Accidents Will Happen
02. Brilliant Mistake
03. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
04. Watching The Detectives
05. So Like Candy
06. Veronica
07. God's Comic - including Last Train To Clarksville and Love And Marriage
08. New Amsterdam / You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
09. American Without Tears
10. That Day Is Done - on piano
11. Pads, Paws And Claws
12. Leave My Kitten Alone
13. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said
14. Indoor Fireworks - with Nick Lowe
15. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? - with Nick Lowe
Encore 1
16. Alison
17. Days
Encore 2
18. Let Him Dangle
19. Pump It Up - with beatbox - including I Feel Pretty instrumental
Encore 3
20. Shipbuilding - on piano
21. Pills And Soap - on piano
22. Tramp The Dirt Down
Reviews -
PEP/South Wales Echo
King of America (and Cardiff)
Mike Arnold
Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe
St David's Hall
This year's Elvis Costello is a completely new model.
Alone on stage the beloved entertainer shouted, screamed, spat and at times even sang his way through a collection of songs that represent the best in the last decade of pop music.
The one song he did not sing was "I'm Not Angry."
The scene was set at the St Davids Hall on Thursday night by Nick Lowe.
Playing like the superb busker he is, Lowe, strumming alone on a semi acoustic guitar, gave the impression that he had a five-piece backing band.
The man who Johnny Cash says taught him how to put rhythm into some of his songs disparagingly referred to himself as Elvis's "warm up act."
He was much more than that, and the capacity Cardiff audience knew it.
Costello took the stage, his face clenched, and gave a complete reworking of an encyclopaedia of songs.
Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, this was Costello cut down to the bone.
The sparse essential versions would not be to everyone's taste. But a confident and lean Costello was preaching to the converted.
He was good in spite of that.
Proving himself to be a remarkably adept guitarist his set encompassed such oldies as "Watching the Detectives" and "Alison" and songs from his new LP Spike.
The versions displayed new venom and even at times despair.
He also achieved real melody — in particular with a running together of "New Amsterdam" with the Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and on to "American Without Tears."
In a Costello-meets-Loudon Wainwright version of "God's Comic" he gave his own vision of hell in which Esther Rantzen featured prominently.
By the time he sang Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" his roots were beginning to show.
The only fully electric song he played was a manic acid house version of "Pump It Up."
The audience loved it, and he was called back for encore after encore.
South Wales Echo, June 9, 1989
Sharp edge of Costello lost in his volume
Mick Tems
The capacity audience gave Elvis Costello a well-deserved standing ovation when he finally left the stage at St David's Hall in Cardiff last night, after his fourth set of encores.
He certainly earned every last ounce of their adulation for a packed set of songs old and new spiced even further by the appearance of the grand old fella of indie rock, Nick Lowe, as his support.
But I'd gone there hoping to convert someone to Costello — and failed completely. The reason? Costello's main strength, his biting, razor-sharp lyrics, were swallowed up and lost in his shouting, snarling delivery and the booming volume.
That's the way it was up in the tiers — and a few protesting shouts from downstairs indicated that not everyone down there was happy either.
Some say Costello's way of putting over a song is his trademark, but my companion left the hall completely unenlightened.
Still, Costello bestrode the stage like a mini-Colossus, aided only by guitar and electric piano. Classics and the latest songs blended in a set which started in fiery style with "Accidents Will Happen" and "Brilliant Mistake" — and even "Watching The Detectives" came up fresh and alert in its solo interpretation.
Songs from the new album, Spike, included the hilarious "God's Comic," which Costello built into the context of an interview between the Almighty and Esther Rantzen, and the bitter invective of "Let Him Dangle," about the hanging of Timothy Evans.
Lowe returned to share the stage for a delightful duet on "Indoor Fireworks," but Costello saved his strongest firepower for last.
Then we had the Falklands War song "Shipbuilding" with its sad, confused pictures of depressed people looking forward to the reopening of their shipyard.
And Costello also gave us "Tramp the Dirt Down," his personal contribution to the 10-year tenant of Number 10 — a song packed with anger and vitriol and yet so carefully crafted that it stands as one of the pinnacles of Costello's writing career.
