Online review by Oliver Gray
This was something of a homecoming show, as Robyn grew up in Winchester and (although now resident in Nashville) spent much of the eighties on the Isle Of Wight. Hampshire references abounded as he graced the Brook’s precipitous stage in his trademark polka dots. One can only assume he either travels with a box of them or has very high dry cleaning bills. To celebrate the occasion, he delved deep into his enormous catalogue for gems such as N.Y Doll, a highly moving 2006 tribute to Dolls’ bassist Arthur Kane, and 1988’s Balloon Man. A tribute to a childhood sweetheart, Sally Was A Legend, first appeared on Jewels For Sophia in 1999. Naturally, the classic Winchester appeared early on in the set, here in a slightly speeded-up version, the audience nodding in recognition of all the local references. This continued with the beautiful I Often Dream Of Trains, a sentimental treat for an audience of mainly gentlemen of a certain age. He is a truly unique artist, with his sometimes overlooked acoustic guitar skills, his incomparable stream-of-consciousness monologues and his super-intelligent lyrics. As his voice began to give out at the end of a long tour, partner Emma Swift joined him for a charming encore rendition of the Everlys’ Let It Be Me.