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Online review by Blisstopic, translated to English below
The psychedelic singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock returned to step on a Barcelona stage a couple of years after his tour with The Venus 3 , the super band formed with Bill Rieflin , Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck . On this occasion, and to end his European tour, he was accompanied by his girlfriend, the Australian Emma Swift , choosing a peculiar format, with two passes practically in a row on the Jamboree tables. The excellent acoustics of the venue and the small size of the stage favored the closeness, with a second show that began with “ Only the Stones Remain”, the classic of the Soft Boys, their first band .With his polka dot shirt, his silver hair and his imposing bearing - with more than 60 years behind him - Hitchcock hardly needed his voice, his guitar and occasionally his harmonica to defend 13 of the songs that have made him a musician cult.

Interspersing the presentations with the usual house brand jokes (this Spanish tour has caused his fascination with the word “aubergine”), the Londoner made some of his influences clear, citing Jimi Hendrix , Janis Joplin , Shakespeare or Jim Morrison , who covers "The Crystal Ship " in his latest work, " The Man Upstairs."

His taste for puns inherited from John Lennon and the dreamlike images of Syd Barrett are other recognizable characteristics that were highlighted, with excellent examples such as "Saturday Groovers" (from the second album with The Venus 3) or " The Cheese Alarm ” , from“ Jewels for Sophia ” , which allowed him to show his mastery of fingerpicking. Perhaps the best moment of the night came with “ Chinese Bones” , the classic from “Globe of Frogs” which, at the time, was even covered by Suzanne Vega with the Grateful Dead as a backing band.

In the final stretch of the brief concert, “Up to our Nex” (soundtrack to “Rachel's wedding” , a film by her friend Jonathan Demme, with whom she has collaborated on several occasions, sounded ) and “New York Doll”, the beautiful tribute he wrote while watching the documentary about bassist Arthur Kane . The incorporation of Emma Swift as second voice enriched the nuances of one of her best pieces about heartbreak, “ I used to say I loved you” (from the album “I often dream of trains” ), which gave an interesting counterpoint to the song. . The combination of voices was even better in “Adventure Rocketship”, another of his pieces with The Venus 3, closing with a chilling "Queen Elvis."

The concert ended with two versions: "Jealous Guy" (passed through the sieve of Bryan Ferry , another of his myths) and a wonderful rereading of the Boudleaux Bryant classic "Love Hurts" made famous by the Everly Brothers , with a joke included in the presentation: "Emma is Phil and I am Don."

At the end, one wonders how a guy with such sensitivity goes so unnoticed and off the radar. 20 solo albums, almost 50 adding compilations and the like, films with Jonathan Demme , considered a reference musician in half the world ... without reaching a more massive audience. When speaking briefly with him after the concert, he commented that he is no longer going to tour with a band, it is not profitable for him. As he sang in “Full Moon in my soul”, “the past has passed and the present will be sad”. Hopefully not, hopefully we will see the figure of this seminal and unrepeatable musician grow even more.