Gilbert O'Sullivan, Southport Theatre Nov 12 2004 ...Gilbert O' Sullivan is a joy whenever and wherever he plays. By Peter Grant, Daily Post IT'S been nearly 35 years since a lad in short back and sides, cloth cap, urchin-like short trousers and boots sat at a piano and made a stunning visual impact on the pop scene. Vocally he was in a league of his own and he still is to this day. Raymond O'Sullivan, born in Waterford, Ireland, was brought up in Swindon. He created "Gilbert" after his silent screen heroes Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and his debut album cover on Gilbert O'Sullivan Himself paid homage to the genre. But it was the clever lyrics and catchy melodies that stood out. Here was a singer-songwriter and an accomplished left-handed piano player who told stories that left the interpretation to the listeners. At Southport Theatre he provided a magical diverse set encompassing all his work. In his gentle Irish accent he asked: "is there anyone in from Liverpool? I've tried to play there many times," he sighed, "Liverpool is cool." In fact, Gilbert is himself very cool with 14 albums under his creative belt and a greatest hits back-catalogue that any performer would love to have to dip in and out of. As part of his current European tour he treated the wide-aged group audience to material from his latest album Piano Foreplay notably It Never Rains But It Pours and Make My Day. On stage he enjoys looking back on his old songs and re-working them notably on a reggae version of Why, Oh Why, Oh Why. The hits We Will, Nothing Rhymed, No Matter How I Try and Clair were beautifully performed and he treated the crowd to a rare moving version of the tracks Permissive Twit and If I don't Get You Back Again from his first album. There was also a moving segment when he dedicated one of his album tracks Lost A Friend to Emlyn Hughes and John Peel (who actually played one of Gilbert's earliest songs back in 1969). Miss My Love Today, Matrimony and What's In A Kiss were followed by the cheekily controversial A Woman's Place (is in the home). Here he encouraged the males and females to out sing each other on the chorus. Alone Again (Naturally) reaffirmed its classic status and on Get Down Gilbert even climbed on one of his two pianos. He tours every two years, continues to enjoy the craftsmanship of writing pure pop songs and, judging by the audience reaction, has a very loyal fan base. Gilbert O' Sullivan is a joy whenever and wherever he plays. Let's hope Liverpool finds a place for him on his next sojourn. Thanks David for the article!