strangers in the night

Blue Nile @ Somerset House, 13th July

Almost everything you hear or read about the Blue Nile refers to their legendary low profile (four albums in, what is it now, twenty-four years?) so it seems sensible not to pass up the opportunity to catch them out in public for a change. It's strange that they play live so rarely because Paul Buchanan--songwriter, singer, and all round good guy--seems to be having such a great time. He's determined that the band will play on until the venue organisers blow the curfew whistle. Problem is they haven't practised that many songs, so the third encore is a repeat of "Tinseltown in the Rain". No-one has a big problem with that though.

There's probably not a venue more suited to Blue Nile's wistful music than Somerset House as the sun goes down and the floodlights fire up (thanks to sbisson for his/her photo) and we get selections from all four of those albums, a new song--"Runaround Girl"--and an old one--"Strangers in the Night", "shoo-be-doo-be-doo"'s and all.

See you in five years then lads...

A couple of youtube curiosities:
- 2006 interview with PB on Ireland's TV3 channel
- Chris Botti and Paul Buchanan sing (a rather pixelated) version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"

but this is what we came for...