Steve Harley at The Kings TheatreBy Alan Cooper
Published on Tue Feb 22 16:47:19 GMT 2011


Exhilarating, exuberant and entrancing in equal measure, our evening with Steve Harley will become a treasured memory.


Since the heyday of chart-toppers Cockney Rebel 36 years ago, Harley has ploughed his own musical furrow, crafting songs of aching beauty, subtle humour, wisdom and poignancy.

They are songs about life, love, loss and laughter.

This stripped-down acoustic set was the perfect showcase for his great talent, supported by two equally fine musicians, Barry Wickens on violin and guitar, and James Lascelles on keyboards, synths, and even zither.

The sound was lush and hypnotic, and instrumental solos, particularly from Wickens, were blissful.

Harley, once a ’70s heart-throb, has remarkable stage presence and charisma, and built a great rapport with the audience in the intimate surroundings of The Kings.

His distinctive voice, sometimes strident, sometimes tremulous and plaintive, was strong and captivating.

Cockney Rebel hits were woven into the set, so we were treated to Judy Teen and Mr Soft, alongside Best Years, Sebastian, and newer classics like Stranger Comes to Town.

The song everyone wanted to hear: Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) was the perfect climax to an evening of musical excellence. Steve, I’m still smiling.

Well said that man! Would be nice to see this sort of comment printed in a national paper. Steve deserves wider recognition.

FROM THE CHICHESTER OBSERVER: Entertainment
Steve Harley, Kings Theatre, Southsea.
Published on Sun Feb 20 12:27:07 GMT 2011


A spine-tingling Sebastian in all its glory was the highlight when Steve Harley came up and saw us and made us smile at the Kings Theatre in Southsea.


Barry Wickens on violin and James Lascelles on keyboards were the perfect backing for a version that left you thinking that ‘Yep, Sebastian probably is one of the greatest songs ever written’.

Not that the evening wasn’t solid gold all the way through.

Harley delivered a terrific set, mixing lesser-known songs with all-time favourites including Mr Soft, Judy Teen and Best Years Of Our Lives.

It’s great to see him with the full band every now and again, but tonight’s acoustic trio format worked wonderfully well - the ideal way to appreciate the quality of those lyrics, as sharp as ever.

But the icing on the cake, as ever with Harley, was that he knows when to chat.

Musicians who don’t say a word should look and learn. It’s that Harley chat which takes it to the next level, underlining that great precious quality of live music - it’s here, it’s now and it’s just for you in this very moment.

It’s what lets the personality of the performer shine through.

Nursing a badly-bruised thumb and contemplating his 60th birthday next week, Harley was absolutely at the top of his game, a consummate performer at ease with one of modern music’s very best back catalogues.

Phil Hewitt

Thanks for posting this review Rachel. Spot on. The best show yet.