Edwyn Collins
Bristol Fleece
14th November, 2010

Collins was treated to a warm reception as he was helped on stage by his wife, Grace Maxwell. Having suffered a double cerebral haemorrhage in 2005, which left him with speech difficulties and unable to play guitar, he looked frail but dapper in trilby, T-shirt and jeans. In testament to his recovery, he took to his seat and launched into a rock-solid Losing Sleep. The music was supplied by a top-notch band including Sex Pistol Paul Cook on drums. Orange Juice fans were treated to Falling And Laughing and Rip It Up, the crowd grooving to its funky guitar. The temperature increased with Girl Like You, which saw Collins rise to his feet to loud applause. As the band stormed through an extended outro, Collins unsteadily left the stage. He encored with acoustic versions of Searching For The Truth and the jaunty One Track Mind. The biggest cheer came when Collins’ son, William, joined him to share vocals on a rousing In Your Eyes.