Stick ‘em up punk it’s… The Huey Morgan Solo Tour! Or rather – The Huey Morgan Solo Book Tour – as tonight’s gig is actually more of a promotional appearance for his recently released memoir, entitled (of course) ‘The Fun Lovin’ Criminal’. As such we can expect more of ‘An Evening With…’ affair, recounting tales of his past interspersed with renditions of his most famous material.
We’re at the beautiful Buxton Opera House – a grade II listed performance hall with a capacity of around 900. It appears that ticket sales for tonight’s gig have been low however, with only the front few rows fully occupied and then a number of other people sitting up in the balcony. The grandeur and opulence of the venue only accentuate what looks to be a small turn out, but on the plus side that could mean a closer, more intimate experience for those eager fans that are here.
Huey steps out at 7.30pm prompt – sporting a white baseball cap, thick rimmed glasses, and a black t-shirt. He’s accompanied only by his guitar and a laptop, and takes a seat at a small table and chair set in the middle of an otherwise bare stage. It’s already looking like it will be a warts and all, what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of show.
One of the more infamous tales that’s followed Huey around for many years is his mug-smashing incident on BBC2’s ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’, when unhappy at having to repeat lines from his own songs. Sadly this doesn’t get covered tonight (I think people were too afraid to ask), but there’s early evidence of his feisty character as he admonishes an usher for distracting him whilst she was showing late comers to their seats. Asking that they now be seated further back he calls, “How many times I gotta tell ya” in a voice that’s saturated with typical New York impatience and swagger. Thankfully the usher in question is equally rambunctious, swiftly retorting, “Once! I’m a quick learner”! There’s a sudden nervous feeling amongst the audience as a result, and Huey’s obviously a guy who pulls no punches and is used to saying things as he sees them! This in-your-face approach actually goes on to benefit the show and his style as an orator – but warning, don’t be late to a Huey show!
Things then settle down quickly and his charisma and passion are on full display as he recounts stories from his youth – including how he first learnt about music and fell in love with it through listening to tapes of The Kinks. This leads into a song he wrote aged just thirteen called ‘Shaniqua’, which he later released in 2012 under the banner of ‘Huey & The New Yorkers’. Before playing he explains its origins as a love song that ultimately led to two sisters quarrelling over him – a heartbreaker even at that age!
From there he takes us through his time in the Marines, his struggles with mental health that followed, and the early formation of the band – including a narrated version of early fan-favourite ‘The Fun Lovin’ Criminal’, and a sing-along of ‘Scooby Snacks’ that the crowd gleefully joins in on. They’re stripped back versions of the songs with just his electric guitar, but they’re still as smooth as the originals, and his rasping New York / Puerto Rican cadence drips off the microphone like it’s the summer of ’96 all over again.
Before the interval he discusses his split from the band, and also his time hosting ‘The Huey Show’ – first on BBC Radio 6 and now Virgin Radio. It would appear that both break-ups are still quite raw, with no love lost for either the BBC or his former bandmates. He throws barbs at both claiming the BBC producers wanted to change the show and had to “stick their dick in the mash potatoes!” Despite the jokes you can tell he’s been hurt by each of these situations and remains resentful. The book and his full musical tour later this year are clearly his responses to this, and he confirms it by saying, “I’m reintroducing myself”.
It’s been an entertaining first half and he’s proved to be an eloquent and fluent raconteur to go along with his trademark cool persona. Chatting to venue staff during the interval, we also hear how well he had come across earlier in the evening during the meet-and-greet session with fans – proving to be affable, accommodating and generous with his time.
The second half begins and is a chance to get even more up-close-and-personal as it’s going to be entirely a fan Q&A session. Huey’s left his guitar in the back however and so when one audience member makes a request for a particular song, that gets denied and it’s a bit sad overall as we only had three songs in the first half. There’s plenty of other material for him to discuss however and the next half hour covers all manner of subjects – such as hobnobbing with David Bowie, his fears and upset regarding AI in the music business (well said!), and his personal Mt Rushmore of musical artists.
It’s all over a bit quickly though, and having not had any support act, we’re done and leaving at around only 9pm. He’s covered the main material within his book without wanting to give too much away either – but by not saying or playing much more, that could then be interpreted as a bit of a conflict in front of a paying audience. Evidently then this has been an exercise to whet people’s appetite for buying the book ahead of his full music tour later this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of FLC’s album ‘Come Find Yourself’. Given tonight’s low attendance it should be no surprise that Buxton hasn’t been included on that tour, but then I doubt it’s ever been a town chock full of cheeky miscreants wearing bandanas and listening to rock infused hip-hop! The closest option for fans here will be to catch him again in Manchester in October. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!
Review by Dave Yarwood
Photos by Rob Lindesay (@rock.the.lens)
