Tonight was a rare evening in the company of one of the UK’s greatest singer songwriters. From his initial success with intelligent new wave hits ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’, ‘It’s Different For Girls’ and the more sophisticated ‘Steppin’ Out’, through concept albums such as ‘Jumpin Jive’ which introduced the joyous, hip pre-rock‘n’roll music of Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway to a new, young audience and the Cole Porter-inspired ‘Night And Day’, Jackson has now produced a concept album based on the ‘recently discovered’ songs of forgotten music hall legend Max Champion.

Champion is actually the creation of Jackson, with a full back story leading up to his assumed death in World War I, inspired by the real Victorian showman, Harry Champion. The new album, ‘What A Racket!’ features Jackson and a twelve-piece orchestra performing eleven songs ostensibly written by the fictional music hall performer. He’s playing Brighton tonight on his ‘The Two Rounds of Racket Tour’ with the show split into two halves of hits and the new album.

With the keyboard and stool already on stage in front of the curtain, Jackson appeared alone with a cheery “how you doing?” and opened with ‘Dave’ from his 2019 album ‘Fool’, followed by ‘Take It Like A Man’ both in his inimitable style, his voice and deft finger-work as on point as ever.

A wrong chord led to a pause and chuckle to himself on ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ and the crowd responded to Jackson asking “see if you recognise this bassline” with a big cheer as the uptempo, jazzy chords came in on ‘You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)’. ‘Real Men’ with Jackson’s take on gender stereotypes and masculinity is reminiscent of Charles Aznavour’s ‘What Makes A Man’, which Marc Almond performed so passionately on the same stage a few weeks earlier, received a great reception.

We are promised another song with a distinctive bassline and get the compelling intro to ‘Steppin’ Out’. This jazz-pop classic, with its late night city vibe, felt strangely intimate, as if we were in a tiny club rather than a concert hall, and the superb rendition was rounded off with a classical flourish.

Another familiar tinkly two-note intro and opening line “What the hell is wrong with you tonight?” lifts the crowd who sang along to ‘It’s Different For Girls’ and a long held final note showed that Jackson’s pipes are still in fine shape, as is the man himself. After 1979’s bouncy ‘On Your Radio’, Jackson explained that the set was going backwards in time and as he wasn’t writing songs in the 1960s he chose Ray Davies’ iconic ‘Waterloo Sunset’ on which the simple, yet perfectly formed, chords were given the Joe Jackson stamp.

The furthest most contemporary performers go back to source material is the 20s and 30s Great American Songbook but Jackson takes us back to before World War I, “before songs became Americanised and were the mass entertainment of working class people and not corny old crap”. Harry Fragson’s ‘Hello, Hello, Who’s Your Lady Friend?’ featured flowery pub piano and a cockneyfied voice, which got the crowd clapping along and the first half ended with a chorus of ‘My Old Dutch’ to show the more sentimental side of the music hall genre.

Following an explanatory introduction of Max Champion, the ‘composer’ of the show’s final hour, Jackson briefly left the stage as his period-costumed bandmates appeared to set up their instruments and formally greet one another as a scratchy old-time song played through the PA. Jackson reappears as Max, wearing an Edwardian frock coat and top hat, as the backdrop is revealed as an old photo of Fleet Street, looking up to St Paul’s Cathedral, draped in Union Jack bunting.

A brash, brassy ‘Why Why Why’ kicked off the second act with vocal support from violinist Susan Aquila followed by ‘What A Racket’ which went full on theatrical music hall, blending frenetic spoken word with furious fun blasts from the brass section.

‘The Bishop And The Actress’ is served with a huge helping of sauce as Jackson/Champion pulled off a long list of tongue-twisting double-entendres, with lots of “polished knobs” and “back door deliveries”. ‘Think Of The Show’ has a Russian military feel with further tongue-twisting lines rapidly delivered without any slip-ups. Things slowed down with Aquila’s violin featuring throughout on “a sentimental Irish immigrant that will bring a tear to a glass eye”.

There was a lot of growling and chanting of “Monty” from the male members of the ensemble throughout ‘Monty Mundy (Is Maltese)!’ with all players at full throttle including Max on the fish whistle (melodica). Sam Kulik’s deep tuba provided solid basslines on the merry-go-round ¾ time ‘Never So Nice’ (one for the early rise haters), while the stage hands reappeared to deliver champagne and glasses for Max to toast the audience.

For those that detested sports at school, and the cheers indicated there were many throughout the auditorium, set closer ‘The Sporting Life’ gave us the excellent line “I’d rather be a donkey or a monkey up a tree”.

There was a quick return for the only Jackson song that suited the Max Champion style and Kulik’s tuba intro to ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’ got the crowd out of their seats, shouting back “WHERE?” to Jackson’s “look over there”. Pizzicato strings and gentle drums led the verses with the whole ensemble joining for the chorus – clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience. The night ended with ‘Worse Things Happen At Sea’, a phrase used by Jackson’s ex-Navy Dad, with the whole band singing the chorus and holding a long, last note.

We can’t imagine another performer being able to, or even contemplating, pulling off a show like this but this was a triumph and a great homage to the pop music of over a hundred years ago.

Joe Jackson Two Rounds of Racket Tour
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Sunday 6th October 2024