David McAlmont Presents: Billie Holiday At Carnegie Hall

Byre Theatre, St Andrews, October 19

Hailed as one of the most distinctive British musicians to achieve fame during the 90s, David McAlmont’s influences run far deeper than his own lifetime.

The Surrey-born singer’s astonishing vocal talent initially came to prominence on the nation’s fertile art-pop scene in 1992, when he fronted the short-lived London combo Thieves, who stretched to a mere three singles before their promising career imploded and put paid to their debut album.

Instantly recognisable with his flamboyant fashion sense and trademark dreads, McAlmont put the canned LP out under his own name in 1994 to minimal commercial success – but his fortunes soared the following year after he linked up with guitarist Bernard Butler who’d walked away from Suede, the UK’s hottest new band.

The duo’s collaborative album The Sound Of McAlmont And Butler quickly became one of the highlights of the mid90s, with their euphoric top 10 single Yes providing a theatrical antidote to the Britpop era’s grassroots approach, thanks to its lush orchestration and the former’s sky-scraping pipes.

After the pair went their separate ways following a mere handful of festival appearances – including 1995’s T in the Park – McAlmont recorded a minor hit version of Bond theme Diamonds Are Forever with David Arnold in 1997.

Since then, he’s flitted in and out of the public eye with a series of diverse offerings. His second album, A Little Communication (1998), included songs co-written by Dundee troubadour Gary Clark, and he reunited with Butler for 2002’s Bring It Back and ventured into swing on Set One: You Go To My Head (2005). His 2009 collaboration with classical composer Michael Nyman, The Glare, attracted critical acclaim, before he changed tack again to form Fingersnap with songwriter Guy Davies.

The seeds of his most recent collaboration – and one of his longest lasting – were planted in 2016 when he sang on pianist and arranger Alex Webb’s Call Me Lucky LP, which later led to them teaming up on a words-andmusic homage to all-time great jazz singer Billie Holiday, who died in 1959.

Inspired by a legendary 1956 concert at which the Philadelphia-born icon’s music was accompanied by extracts from her autobiography Lady Sings The Blues, the live show sees McAlmont, 52, perform unique interpretations of his muse’s work while quoting from her extraordinary life story.

He takes on most of Holiday’s bestknown songs, including 1930s early works such as What A Little Moonlight Can Do and Fine And Mellow, 40s torch songs My Man and I Cover The Waterfront, and self-penned classics Don’t Explain and Lady Sings The Blues.

Tomorrow’s show at the universitymanaged theatre is part of this year’s four-day St Andrews Voices festival, which ends on Sunday.

David McAlmont has produced a dizzying array of musical variety, with much critical acclaim along the way.