FIRST HALF

TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF MY TOE - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + String Quartet

Usually Gilbert plays the first three songs before addressing the audience and tonight is no different.

A PROPER FOOL - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

MY PLACE OR YOURS - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard]

NOTHING RHYMED - [From the album "HIMSELF"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + James [Bass] + Julian [Flute]

Gilbert greeted the audience "Good evening, it's nice to be back in Brighton.  I think it's, let me think, is it fifty years? [audience laughter].  It must be over thirty years since we were here.  We have been close.  We tried to get in here before.  We tour ever three years when we release an album and do a small tour, not a major one.  This is a kind of major one.  I suppose that's why we're here.  It's good to see you.   1...2...3...4"

OUT OF THE QUESTION - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

The house lights went up during the song causing Gilbert to say "Oh I can see you all!"

MISS MY LOVE TODAY - [From the album "SOUTHPAW"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard]

TAKING SIDES - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]

YOU CAN'T CON-CRETE - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano]

WE WILL - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

MR. MOODY'S GARDEN - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Accordion] + Julian [Voices]

"The other night I was just about to start a song [Don't Let It Get To You - The Liverpool Philharmonic] which I know because obviously I rehearse for months because I write so many words anyway.  I wish I just wrote 'I love you, I love you', it would be so much easier to remember.  I just couldn't start the song because I couldn't remember the opening lyric.  I did another song and came back to it.  Then at the Barbican for our second concert I played Nothing Rhymed which I've done a million times and I screwed up on the verse.  The irony was the verse I screwed up, which I redid when I finished it, was the verse about making a mistake.  [Audience laughter].

I'M IN LOVE WITH LOVE AGAIN - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

This song is becoming a favourite and has been praised in a couple of newpaper reviews.

DON'T LET IT GET TO YOU - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano]

"I received a letter while in York.  It was to do with school bullying.  They wanted me to send a CD for auction.  An organisation set up to help with bullying.  It's a subject very relevant and you read abiout it evry day in the papers.  As a lyricist I've written about it and I thought I'd do it for you now.  It's just me"

SOMETIMES - [From the album "SOUNDS OF THE LOOP"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Julian [Flute]

OOH-WAKKA-DOO-WAKKA-DAY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]

"We had the 'Poppa Oom Mow Mow' and we had 'Do Da Diddy Diddy Dum' and we had 'The Do Run Run' and we had this" and he lead into Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day.  Gilbert played this in the wrong key having forgotten to detune the keyboard.  It didn't detract from the audience's enjoyment of it as they clapped and sang along.

CLAIR - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"]

Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Harmonica]

A compilation of footage and photographs of Gilbert and Clair was shown as Gilbert sang this number one hit.  The first half closed to whistles and applause.

SECOND HALF

STICK IN THE MUD - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine]

CAN'T GET YOU TO LOVE ME - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Nina [Caxixi]

MAKE MY DAY - [From the album "PIANO FOREPLAY"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

After the song Gilbert told us "There's a nice story that goes with that song which is from the last album we released about three years ago.  We were doing a Top Of The Pops 2 which is on BBC 2.  It like Top Of The Pops 1 but Top Of The Pops 2 is for older artists [audience laughter]. We recorded Make My Day in one studio while in another studio Clint Eastwood was being interviewed by Michael Parkinson. It's kind of interesting because he's the original 'Make My Day punk'."

NO MATTER HOW I TRY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard]

IF I DON'T GET YOU (BACK AGAIN) - [From the album "HIMSELF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Nina [Caxixi]

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING - [From the album "HIMSELF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

WHY, OH WHY, OH WHY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard]

COME ON HOME - [UNRELEASED]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]

CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

A FRIEND OF MINE - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOW A FIGHTER"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard]  + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU GOT - [From the album "BY LARRY / THE LITTLE ALBUM"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard & Accordion] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]

"A bit of country now direct from Nashville."

HAPPINESS IS ME AND YOU - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Vocal] + Bill [Spanish Acoustic Guitar] + Julian [Flute]

During the band introductions Gilbert clarified that the string quartet were not really from Nashville but from the UK.  He also referred to the rhythm section as the 'Wrecking Crew of Ireland' [see Birmingham for explanation].

THE MARRIAGE MACHINE - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Nina [Vocal] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]

WHAT'S IN A KISS? - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]

SAY GOODBYE - [From the album "IRLISH"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine] + Nina [Caxixi]

ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]

ENCORE

MATRIMONY - [From the album "HIMSELF"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine] + Nina [Caxixi]

GET DOWN - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOT A FIGHTER"]

Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [ Backing Vocals]

While the girls in the string quartet clapped their hands above their heads and bowed down pointing to the ground on the line 'Get down, get down, get down', James and Bill raised their guitars together in unison like the way "The Shadows" used to do.

STATS

Gilbert played and sang 33 songs tonight representing material from 13 different albums.  The breakdown was as follows: