Live Review: Edwyn Collins in Madrid

An indie legend pays a visit to the Spanish capital on his final tour.

As the opening act, spirited Scottish group Glass Cheques, left the stage of Sala But in central Madrid and began to gather their instruments, the background changed to a large, bright red all-caps sign reading simply “EDWYN” – setting the scene for the protagonist of the evening, independent rock veteran Edwyn Collins. His visit to the Spanish capital marked the fifth stop of the “A Last Lap Around Spain” leg of Collins’ “Testimonial Tour” – the end of which will mark his retirement from the stage. 

Soon after, Collins himself took to the stage, accompanied by his touring band – Carwyn Ellis (bass), Jake Hutton (drums), Sean Read (keyboard and saxophone), Patrick Ralla and Andy Hackett (both guitar). Taking a dignified seat front and center, without any further preamble, Collins introduced the first song, and the concert began.

The set was a show of the highlights throughout Edwyn Collins’ career – largely of his solo catalog, but also including a few tracks from his time as the frontman of the band Orange Juice. The music was largely lively 80s-style rock — something fans of bands like The Smiths might enjoy (though Collins’ music is a good deal less melancholic) – with a few more contemplative, slower tracks sprinkled in throughout the setlist. Collins’ vocals were deep and rich, and supported excellently by fantastic performances by the other musicians; Ellis and Ralla were particularly notable in their contributions. Between songs, Edwyn Collins was minimal in his interventions – telling the audience what song was coming up, and which album or era it was from, and then getting right to the music without further ado. 

The crowd was lively and responded with much enthusiasm and admiration to the set; it seemed to be made up mostly of people who were of an age to have witnessed the heyday of Collins’ career in the 1980s and 1990s. The loudest cheers, naturally, came at the end of the set, when Edwyn played his biggest hit, “A Girl Like You” – and continued when he initially left the stage, asking for an encore. Collins delivered, returning for a further four songs before saying his goodbyes, concluding what was all in all a gold standard elder statesman performance.

Having played in three more cities after Madrid, Collins has one more show remaining on his Spanish tour – a sold-out concert at Café & Pop Torgal in the northern city of Ourense. That performance will, according to what has been announced, conclude his multi-decade career on stage — and the Tribute Tour has been a fittingly solid finale.

Photos by Andrea Rocha and Blanca Orcasitas.

Big thanks to Houston Party Music for the tickets.