So it's not surprising that he seems very much at home in the spotlight at Oxford's New . Accompanied this time only by loyal keyboard player Steve Nieve, the singer, who started out with New Wave album My Aim Is True in 1977, did not have the luxury of hiding behind a big band. His voice was exposed in a way it might not have been if he had been surrounded by backing singers and electric guitars.
This was a stripped back affair, designed to allow the audience to focus on the selected songs and the numerous amusing anecdotes. Punch The Clock from 1983 is my favourite Costello album but I have never warmed to Pills and Soap and the singer got off to a slightly shaky start - I was relieved when the doleful number finished, wondering if his voice would last for more than two hours. Watch Your Step from Trust perhaps lacked a little bite, but after that came a Marie's The Name/Green Shirt mash-up and the seasoned songwriter, who has just celebrated his 70th birthday, really got into his stride.
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes, a catchy tune from his first album, was followed by two of the set's highlights, Ascension Day, a collaboration with Allen Toussaint, and Deportee, a reworking of The Deportees Club from that unloved LP Goodbye Cruel World. Why have I not heard Deportee before? It sounded fantastic - captivating lyrics and a beautiful tune - but the reason I was not familiar with it was that it has only featured on a reissue of the King of America album. I do have one .
