Marc Almond Live

Marc Almond, Almeida, London

By Sam Ingleby

23 July 2004

"I love this next song," says Marc Almond, the former front man of the Eighties synth-band Soft Cell, as he stalks across the stage, mopping his brow with a scarlet towel, "because it's so un-PC. Only a Frenchman could have written it." As the audience hushes in anticipation, Almond launches into the first lines of "The Slave", by Serge Lama: "In a Byzantine harem/ Seeking paradise/ I disguised myself as a dog," he croons, inexplicably, before the song goes on to deal with a variety of sexual predilections including bestiality and transsexualism. There is not the hint of a smirk from an audience completely in his grasp.

This, then, is the return of Marc Almond for a week-long run of performances showcasing what he calls "Sin songs - Torch and Romance". The show begins with a selection of tracks from Heart on Snow, his album of Russian torch songs. There's something about Almond's breathy, theatrical delivery, accompanied only by a backing track, that lends itself to these tortured songs of love and loss and he slips easily between English translations, and the Russian itself. The translations are projected on to the back of the stage, and it's wonderful to hear how impassioned a mundane line like "My patterned handkerchief is torn, because I am nervous" can sound when rolled around skilfully in Russian by Almond, and accompanied by melancholic strings and piano.

After the Russian section is over Almond begins to relax, and his band - two violinists, a guitarist and a double bassist - join him on stage to beef up the sound and allow him to dally in different genres including jazz and rumba. He treats what is a universally adoring audience to the first of a few chats and strolls around the dark, smoky stage, designed to resemble an abandoned jazz club, looking lean and at ease.

"Most of my songs are about doom, tragedy, death, and beauty. I've always tried to be positive about love but in my songs, it usually ends in drug addiction or death," he giggles. As if to prove a point he sings "The Lonely Go-Go Dancer", "Tenderness is a Weakness" and "Rouge and Perfume" in quick succession, a trio of songs, none of which end happily. After a particularly wrought moment Almond collapses on to his chair and drapes his towel around him, soaking up the applause.

He finishes his set with a version of "When Bad People Kiss" that he muddles through. However, his performance of "Ends in Tears", one of a handful of his own tracks he performs, is terrific example of synth-pop, as his mournful voice rises and falls around a squall of strings. There was never any question about an encore - "I'll try and sing one of those happy love songs now" Almond says as the chords of "Strangers in the Night" break out. He wanders out into the crowd to press the flesh - the transformation from Eighties pop star to chanteur truly complete.

To Sunday (020-7359 4404)

© 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd