Wayne Hussey

Hastings, Black Market VIP

Former Mission frontman promotes Salad

Daze autobiography. With added dumpling.

As he briefly reads aloud from a book that reveals early-life adversity, Wayne Hussey faces a modern challenge in the shape of an over-refreshed former Mission bandmate (who shall remain nameless).

Flying solo sans setlist, Hussey played songs as the whim took him, switching between guitar stool and electric piano, droll and grumpy patter, like a worldweary Ian Hunter. The brief stage invasion breaks the spell, but Hussey rebuilds impressively. Angrily, even… Before, at the piano, a stunning version of Trent Reznor’s Hurt prompted a request for his Sisters Of Mercy favourite Marian – though it didn’t get far (“I’m not feeling it”). Now he concentrates on his electric guitar, plus backing tapes, to deliver a string of mostly Mission favourites, even revisiting Marian. He peaks, though, on 12-string acoustic with a sparse yet ferocious Wasteland medley that takes in snatches of Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus and Radiohead’s Lucky before crescendoing through Like A Hurricane.

For the encore he is joined by Mission alumni Evi Vine – the singer-songwriter who had earlier played a mesmerising support set of post-rock “sad songs” accompanied by her own and Steven Hill’s atmospheric guitar. And so, backed by her Kate Bush-meets-Tori Amos shadings, Hussey sings his 2011 solo track Black Mountain Mist, Severina and others, turning the grit of interruption to pearl.