Golden Graham

The best album of 2006 for me has been Graham Coxon's outstanding Love Travels at Illegal Speeds. Belle & Sebastian's The Life Pursuit and Gypsy Punks by Gogol Bordello were also pretty damned good as well. Apart from these shining beacons of great music, it has been a pretty lean year musically with nothing much to get excited about in terms of ear-candy. Those pesky Artic Monkies offered brief hope, but apart from the mighty last track on the album, A Certain Romance, I would judge it as an disapointment. Far too chav for my taste.

I got a chance to appreciate the album of the year, some more when Graham Coxon played the wonderful London Astoria venue on October 25th.

After a storming support slot from Switches (mark my words, these guys are going to be massive) I made my way down to the front with a trusty strongbow to join the "kids". The former Blur guitarist then came on with his newly created band "Burnt to Bitz", to the sound of a thunderous piece of classical music.

Coxon began with his customary starter "Escape Song" and played an amazing nearly 2 hour set with material from all six of his solo albums. We were treated to such musical treats as Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery and the superb Freakin' Out which saw absolute carnage in the mosh pit. Everybody also enjoyed People Of The Earth, when Graham vents spleen on those who read the Daily Mail and The Sun. By his own admission, Coxon is an unusually shy frontman, but it does not matter, because he is so goddamn good with that guitar. However, even his showmanship has got better, giving some mighty scissor jump kicks and falling around the stage like his old mucker, Albarn in their britpop heyday.

The highlight of the gig was a rendition of "I can't look at your skin-because its doing me in". If this is not the finest song from a male viewpoint, on the subject of unrequited love, then I don't know what is. The tune is like The Jam at their best.

Coxon finished with some of his older noisey crowd fave's including the seminal "Who The F**k" which left me in dire need of some more liquid refreshment. Thank heavens for the sensible licensing laws now in place, that you can now get a drink after the gig is over.

A brilliant gig, and what was an added bonus, I have enjoyed it about four times since, because a Double CD was pressed of it, and sold on the night, ten minutes after the finish. A wonder of the modern age and mint quality as well.

Alex James is apparently trying to talk Coxon into reuniting with his Blur pals for one final Blur album. Although this would be great because I am a big Blur fan, I would be surprised if Graham could come up with anything as good as his last two solo albums. Who would have thought that twelve years on from Parklife, it is Graham Coxon, who has emerged as such an impressive solo talent.