Brian Nash- Frankie Goes to Hillyland

When I heard from my friend that Brian Nash, ex-guitarist for Frankie Goes To Hollywood was going to doing a Q & A at Perth's Tulloch Institute I was definitely interested in going.  There was one problem though.  Brian's set was going to form part of a Liverpool theme day starting with Liverpool Derby being shown.  Now I love music but football is my Kryptonite and the idea of having to sit through 90 minutes of it didn't fill me with joy, so I made my excuses and agreed to be there at 4 O' Clock.

When I arrived I was pleased to see the football seemed to have finished and the place was festively decorated.  I went to the bar but it was shuttered.  Looking a bit lost and confused, I was approached by someone wearing novelty Rudolph ears who asked if they could help me.  Turns out I was at the Tesco Kid's Christmas Party and the gig was in the room next door!

Finally, in the right place, I was welcomed by John Ramsay (he organised the gig) who introduced me to the man himself.  Over a pint, I had a chat with Brian about Perth (he's played here a couple of times before), his new solo album and music in general.  As a lover of both puns and David Bowie, I was tickled to hear that in his spare time he is the admin of a site called The Thin White Jukebox.  "David Bowie changed my life, he's the reason I'm here today."

Brian gives me a copy of his new album 432- 1: Open The Vein which prompts me to ask him about the title.  432 Hz is a frequency that musicians used to tune to before 440 Hz before became the accepted concert pitch just last century.  The 1 in the title refers to Brian Himself and opening the vein is what he does when he writes and records music.  We've been talking for ages when Brian excuses himself to take to the stage for a question and answer session.

It's enlightening and hilarious stuff as Nasher answers questions from the audience.  We hear of how he was given a telling off for his drug use by Boy George (a bit like being told to stand-up straight by the Hunchback of Notre Dame) and the inside scoop on a couple of controversial Frankie... Top of the Pops appearances. 

Brian is also remarkably Frank (no pun intended) about the chances of a reunion.  "No Chance.  We had the opportunity on the 30th Anniversary but Holly didn't want to do it and to be fair if I was in his shoes, with his wallet, I wouldn't have wanted to do it either.  I don't subscribe to the nostalgia circuit."  This prompts someone to ask if he still gets royalties from Power of Love every Christmas.  "I bought you a drink, didn't I?" is his reply.

There's a short break to allow everyone to get a drink and then the second half of the show, a solo acoustic style set, begins.  The first song, Whole, is a touching ballad about a recently widowed old lady who turns to drink to deal with her grief.  It's beautiful observed and deftly played and sung and the vocal effects on the chorus sound amazing.  The next song, Salt in Our Veins is an ode to Brian's hometown of Liverpool and is one of the highlights of the show for me.  It's got a lovely chord progression and a really neat pop sensibility.  

On the politically charged satirical "Prostitutes & Cocaine" there is a really sharp humour on display not to mention lots of killer lines at the expense of the previous chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbourne.  Last orders are called and Nasher announces that he'll play the barmaids request of Power of Love.  "Thanks," she says "but it's still last orders".

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You can buy Brian's latest album 432-1 on Amazon (check out all those 5-star reviews!)

Thanks to Sean Wilson for the Headline