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Howard Jones ("crap name for a rock star") changed his name in 1973 when he moved from Ramsbottom to London and stardom. Well, that was the plan - and it nearly worked. Stuart Reed heard John Howard play Guess Who's Coming To dinner at the Troubadour Club and two years later Kid In A Big World was released.
But this was the dawn of punk and a beautiful young man singing clever, literate songs of pinpoint social observation - "Coward writes Kerouac", said Anthony Reynolds - wasn't flavour of the month. The album sank, the follow-up was shelved… and it didn't help that John fell out of a bedroom window ("escaping from somebody else's sex attacker") and broke his back.
But John Howard is back and blooming once again, still as elegant in black as the lilies that decorate the grand piano, and telling us all about his life since then. Cecil Sharp House - the home of English folk music - is a strangely suitable venue, with its faded beauty and bright acoustics. The sound is perfect for John's velvety crooning voice, though he could have done without amplification when he brought the volume up.
Kid In A Big World opened the first half of a truly delightful evening of songs lost and found, old and new. Don't It Just Hurt and The Deal followed, from the "new" old album Technicolour Biography, the latter complete with imaginary Gospel choir (yes, John, you're right - you can hear them). André Barreau (George in the Bootleg Beatles) joins him for Coconut Bible and a great new song, My Girl By The Tempations.
John reminisces about his days playing in restaurants, including working with a drag act called The Disappointer Sisters… which leads in to a wild song called Such A Drag. It's one of a suite of poems by Manchester poet Robert Cochrane, now set to John's music, to be released later in 2004 as an album, The Dangerous Hours. And it's wonderful. "Such a drag! / Take down the flags / they've all gone home / just carrier bags now / blowing on the breeze / and the joke goes on for ever / but no-one smiles..."
Dear Glitterheart is another great song from this collection, a tribute to Ziggy Stardust and all those other wonderful, glam figures - though it has to be said that The Glammettes - André Barreau plus bass guitarist and drummer - could do with a bit more sparkle as backing vocalists... Technicolour Biography and Take Up Your Partners bring the first half of the evening to a close.
Costume change: John is now resplendent in a silver and black long-line jacket. Very glam. The Glammettes have returned to their normal duties for Small Town, Big Adventures, one of the "lost" songs, and John is definitely having a good time. Then Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, one of my favourites in the playful song league, and Pearl Parade. Having only heard the demo version of this it's wonderful to get the fuller band sound. Family Man and Maybe Someday In Miami follow - great song, and some lovely electric guitar and backing vocals from André.
David Bowie was one of many influences and a terrific version of Bewlay Brothers ("one of the best songs of all time") is John's tribute. Not many people can cover Bowie well - he can. A couple more covers - Laura Niro, Kate McGarrigle - then back to Howard classics with Deadly Nightshade (the versatile André recreates the brass section vocally) and, of course, Goodbye Suzie.
In theory it's the end of the show, but as if he can't quite tear himself away John stays at the piano for Builder From Heaven, a charming light song to be released later this year.
He finishes with one of the simplest, most beautiful songs I've ever heard, written in the last few days. It's called Time Of Day. The audience is spellbound. It won't make the next album - that's already been recorded - but watch out for it. Now he's writing again, the best of John Howard may yet be to come.
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