Fairground Attraction return after 35 years

FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION + SCOTT MATTHEWS – BRIGHTON DOME 8.10.24

It’s been 35 years since Fairground Attraction have played together, and tonight we were to bear witness to this reformation at Brighton’s favourite venue, The Dome. This unpredicted reunion has been played out all over the media and local news outlets, and Brighton’s local populace were more than willing to celebrate the occasion. There is probably not one person that survived the 1980’s that could not recite the chorus to Fairground Attraction’s chart topping song ‘Perfect’ (whether they wanted to or not), and tonight, they were about to put that to the test.

Fairground Attraction were born out of London and were formed during the mid 1980’s by renowned frontperson Eddi Reader and guitarist Mark E. Nevin. Their musical style can be described as Folk/Pop with dashes of Rock, Skiffle, Jazz and Cajun styles thrown in for good measure. Their debut album, ‘First Of A Million Kisses’ earned them much praise amongst critics and fans alike and even ultimately earned them two Brit Awards in 1989. Of course, no-one can forget (as mentioned earlier) their chart smash ‘Perfect’ and follow up single ‘Find My Love’ but only a year later, Fairground Attraction decided to unexpectedly disband to allow certain band members to pursue their solo careers.

Eddi Reader has had an especially successful time of it on her own in the years since, and has garnered a loyal following over the years, bringing her unique voice to many a town or city near you. Mark E. Nevin has been busy too, what with his own solo career and successful collaborations with the likes of Morrissey and Kirsty MacColl (to name a few). The band have always enjoyed a big Japanese fanbase too, so it was no surprise when they announced their reformation in 2023 in the form of a tour of Japan in 2024. Eddi Reader has recently said that in regards to the band, “There were lots of things left to say”. Of course, a UK tour had to be also on the cards (with the added bonus of new music also in the offing). In fact, their new album,‘Beautiful Happening’ is now available in the shops as we speak. You could also be forgiven for saying that Fairground Attraction were well and truly back!

Upon entering the venue on this grey and wet evening, I noticed the bar and seating area of the venue were already busy. I took a quick peruse around the merchandise area and noticed that Fairground Attraction were selling their new album and T-shirts, along with tote bags, and even tea towels. The opening act for tonight though, was Wolverhampton born, singer/songwriter Scott Matthews, who also had a very sizeable merchandise table (but, more on his performance later).

Fairground Attraction at Brighton Dome 8.10.24 (pics Petra Eujane)

The audience tonight, I think it’s safe to say, were of a certain age (a Rizzle Kicks gig this is not) with a few young faces amongst them. The stage backdrop looked rather classy, in the form of a big pleated silver curtain, with low level spotlights on tripods surrounding the performance space. There were a plethora of instruments lined up on the stage too.The evening was now reaching its climax, as the seats quickly filled up, and the lights dimmed as the clock struck 9pm. It was now time for literally the main ‘attraction’. The original Fairground Attraction lineup tonight (as well as tour personnel goes as follows): Eddi Reader (vocals, guitar, ukulele, concertina), Mark E. Nevin (guitar), Simon Edwards (guitarrón bass), Roy Dodds (drums, percussion), Roger Beaujolais (percussion) and Graham Henderson (percussion, accordion, acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano).

The band promptly took to the stage and assumed their positions behind their instruments as Eddi Reader announced (in true Hip Hop style), “We are not a tribute band. We are the real thing!” which was met with keen applause from the audience. The band without further ado, began to play a new country tinged song from their new album by the name of ‘A Hundred Years Of Heartache’ which warmed the crowd up nicely. It was immediately evident that Eddi Reader’s voice had lost none of its sparkle, and the band still had the knack for writing a catchy song. Mark E. Nevin on guitar looked very smart in his blue suit and natty hat, and was to be namechecked many times throughout the night by Eddi Reader (who obviously has much respect for her longtime friend and collaborator).

We were told that this evening was going to be a mixture of old and new songs, A few songs from the new album were to follow, including a song called ‘A Smile In A Whisper’ which proved that Ms. Reader could still hit those high notes. She also straps on her acoustic guitar during a rendition of ‘Miracles’ which includes a rather catchy percussive melody line, played by a certain Roger Beaujolais. Brighton got a namecheck at one point during one song (‘The Moon Is Mine’) and then we were treated to another Mark E. Nevin written song (from their first album, ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’) about the joys of going to work (and making the best of it) called ‘Comedy Waltz’. Eddi Reader informed us that she hadn’t taken her H.R.T this morning, so would need our assistance to hit the high notes (This got a big titter from the crowd).

A big hit for Fairground Attraction was up next, in the form of ‘Find My Love’ which got everyone singing along, and rushing home to dig out that first album again (probably). She said that “This is for all the Mexicans in the audience” and dedicated the song to Donald Trump, which got another laugh from the gathered throng tonight. This song also featured a most excellent guitar solo from Mark E. Nevin and some nice drum work from Roy Dodds (on the brushes). Eddi Reader soon afterwards picked up her ukelele (you can’t say this band wasn’t versatile) and warmed up by playing a snippet of a George Formby song. She then played us a song called ‘Learning To Swim’ that displayed her vocal range to great effect. Soon afterwards they played their self-titled song from their first album, which had added a carnival vibe to the proceedings. At one point in the song, there was a spoken word French section of Eddi Reader duly translated afterwards in a less subtle Glasgow style. It was approaching the end of the night all of a sudden, and with very little hint or warning, the band launched into their mega hit ‘Perfect’ which once again got the crowd singing along in unison. All of this was rounded off with a rendition of the title track from the band’s new album (‘Beautiful Happening’) which proved that the new songs can certainly stand up next to the older ones.

The band took a bow before they left the stage, and much of the audience promptly put their coats on, as if they had never heard of an encore. Fairground Attraction were quick to act though, as they returned to the stage and treated the crowd to one more song in the form of ‘Allelujah’. If this band were indeed an actual ‘Fairground Attraction’, they would be more akin to an old fashioned ‘apple bobbing’ or a relaxing trip on the ‘ferris wheel’ as opposed to a breakneck ride on ‘Nemesis’ or ‘Oblivion’ at Alton Towers, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that). I can also comfortably say that on this particular wet and windy Tuesday night (Warning! Pun Alert….), We all enjoyed a warm and cosy hug of an evening that was indeed the ‘Perfect’ tonic.

Fairground Attraction:
Eddi Reader – lead vocals, guitar, ukulele, concertina
Mark E Nevin – guitar, backing vocals
Simon Edwards – guitarrón bass, backing vocals
Roy Dodds – drums, percussion
Roger Beaujolais – vibraphone, percussion
Graham Henderson – accordion, percussion, acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano, backing vocals

Fairground Attraction setlist:
‘A Hundred Years Of Heartache’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘A Smile In A Whisper’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Miracles’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘Hey Little Brother’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘The Simple Truth’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘The Wind Knows My Name’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘The Moon Is Mine’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album) (including a verse of Ruth Etting / Judy Garland song ‘Get Happy’)
‘Sing Anyway’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘Comedy Waltz’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Gatecrashing Heaven’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘Find My Love’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Last Night (Was A Sweet One)’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘Learning To Swim’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘Whispers’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Sun And Moon’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘What’s Wrong With The World?’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
‘Moon On The Rain’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Clare’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Fairground Attraction’/’Bravo For The Clown’ (Édith Piaf cover) (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Perfect’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)
‘Beautiful Happening’ (from 2024 ‘Beautiful Happening’ album)
(encore)
‘Allelujah’ (from 1988 ‘The First Of A Million Kisses’ album)

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Scott Matthews at Brighton Dome 8.10.24 (pics Petra Eujane)

As mentioned earlier in my report, the opening act tonight was Scott Matthews who graced the stage to warm applause. He is a folk style singer/songwriter who has released numerous albums over the years (8 at last count?). His first album ‘Passing Stranger’ (released in 2006) was picked up by the late and respected BBC DJ Janice Long and received some heavy rotation not just from herself, but Mark Radcliffe and ‘Whistling’ Bob Harris too. Scott has also played BBC sessions for both Radio 2 and 6 Music. In 2007, he even won an Ivor Novello Award for his debut single, ‘Elusive’. Previously, he has also toured in support of the Foo Fighters’ acoustic ‘Skin & Bones’ tour of the UK. You could say that he was no stranger to playing to a crowd.

Scott walked onstage to polite applause from the audience, as he picked up his trusty acoustic guitar and played us his first song by the name of ‘Something Real’. This song was rather atmospheric and you could soon see what a talent he was, as his voice reached impossible notes with seemingly little effort. I immediately heard traces of Rufus Wainwright in his vocal tones (and later on Jeff Buckley), while maintaining a style of his own. Scott told us that he has released 8 records so far, which probably explains the size of his merchandise table I witnessed earlier.

The song ‘Drifter’ (from his ‘Home Part 2’ album) was played soon after, and he informed us that he recorded it in his shed / studio (or as he says, “Shed-io?”). Every song featured a guitar change to set the tone of the song, and he joked that he was making a Guiness Book Of Records bid to be the fastest guitar changer in the world (or something to that effect). He has apparently named all of his prized guitars, and this next one was called ‘Guitar ‘64 from Sweden’ (The song to accompany it was called ‘My Selfless Moon’ from his new album ‘Restless Lullabies’). His last song of the evening was called ‘Passing Stranger’ from his first album, which produced “whoops” from the audience. He played this particular tune under a pink spotlight, and with added harmonica to boot. This song slowly draws to a halt, not too dissimilar from a train drawing into a train station called Bluesville, as he prolongs his final note to a crowd now well and truly won over.