Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)
NIA, Birmingham
Concert review by Phil Gillam

There had been a little unpleasantness at the Dublin gig last week when a silly and rowdy minority had fleetingly threatened to derail Yusuf Islam’s big comeback tour by shouting obscenities and showing their childish impatience with anything other than the classic hits.

It’s thought that the individuals concerned might have been hitting the Guinness prior to the show.

But Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) was back on track in glorious fashion last night with a magical performance which served to remind us just what a wonderful artist we have been missing for the last 33 years – because that’s how long it is since the man turned his back on the music business and decided instead to devote himself to teaching and spreading the word of Islam.

Well, with no disrespect to the man’s other great passions, it is great to have him back on stage, singing and playing once more.

The evening began with Yusuf introducing a 25-minute showcase of his new musical, Moonshadow – destined to become a West End hit if this talented cast’s presentation is anything to go by.

Then we had the concert proper and saw a re-energised Yusuf run through a thrilling and heart-warming mix of much-loved vintage tracks alongside the new stuff – and it was good to see that the recent compositions often shone just as brightly as the old gems. From the tenderness of Morning Has Broken and Where Do The Children Play? to the irresistible rhythms of Tuesday’s Dead and Peace Train, this was an inspiring performance.

As the evening drew to a close, I looked around and saw that many in the audience were smiling with genuine affection for this man, and I realised also that I too had been smiling to myself throughout the entire concert – and if that is not a recommendation for a show, I don’t know what is.

Make no mistake. Cat is back.