After more than 40 years, Nik Kershaw proves that his thoughtful jazz-pop sound is as good as ever.

Sophisticated Sound

Nik Kershaw’s public presence has ebbed and flowed over the decades. Peaking in the mid 80s, his record label presented him as the latest teen heart-throb which pushed the quality of his music into the background, overshadowed by the shiny suit and enormous hair-do. The sophisticated jazz-pop sound coupled with the intelligent lyrics has never gone away, despite the vagaries of the music industry. Something which, ironically, he predicted in the title track of the 1986 album, Radio Musicola.

Whilst the transient Smash Hits front cover audience moved on to the delights of Wham!, A-ha, Paul Young, Rick Astley and Bros, Kershaw’s dedicated, appreciative core fan base stuck with him. Not an easy task when the rate of album production slowed considerably after the MCA era. Here, then, is an artist who deserves a proper listen.

Why 6 in 26? Kershaw himself says, “It could also be known as “The No Particular Reason We Can Think Of Tour” or “The Why The Hell Not Tour”.” Well, the tour took place in 2026 and featured only 6 stops, taking in the delights of Sheffield, Newcastle, Warrington, Bath, Cambridge and Nottingham.

Evergreen and Effortless

Come on Down opened the show, a track from the EP Songs from the Shelf, Pt. 1, a collection of tracks that he wrote years ago and released in 2022. Such was the experience with MCA that Kershaw took a decade off to write songs for other people. Some were successful, some sat on the shelf, hence the title of the EP. It’s good to see that they’ve now made the light of day, demonstrating the evergreen nature of his writing.

Kershaw gave an easy, effortless performance, admirably backed by Adam Evans on guitar, Paul Geary on bass, Phil Peskett on keyboards and Bob Knight on drums. The 80s revival powered by festivals such as Rewind and Britfest has meant a steady stream of live work for Kershaw and whilst those audiences might demand only the biggest hits, the outcome is the bones of a set that Kershaw can play with his eyes closed. The result is an immaculate performance.

The previous ‘1984’ tour was referenced quite a bit, unsurprising as most of Kershaw’s best known hits date back to those heady days.

Overall, the set list had everything a casual Kershaw fan would expect, plus a number of album tracks to delight the real listeners.

Almost every one of Kershaw’s studio albums is represented here, unfortunately with one omission – You’ve Got to Laugh.

Seamless Sharing

To be fair, the tour has never been presented as a career retrospective. It’s just that with a body of work spanning at least 38 years (if you only count the release dates), it’s a pity to miss one album out, and a good one at that, and one that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The Riddle gets six songs and even Songs from the Shelf (part 1) gets an airing.

If you’re a Nik Kershaw fan then the set list speaks for itself. The band worked together seamlessly to deliver every song to perfection. The acoustic guitar came out for a bit, Paul Geary’s compelling bass pounding was thoroughly shown off, the tempo rose and fell and Kershaw enjoyed himself. There was no new album to pitch, no tax bill to pay off, no reason to tour other than for the pure pleasure of sharing the music.

When a Heart Beats gets the energy up, The Chosen Ones slows it down again. The Riddle gets Bob Knight earning his keep and the audience clapping along. Roundabouts and Swings shows the song craft at its finest. Radio Musicola is a lovely flash of late 80s consumerism. I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me is more than a trademark song, its performance changes a little on every tour, just to keep everyone on their toes. The predictable encore is the huge audience singalong. There’s something for everyone in this show.

One and Only

Kershaw comes across as a quiet, unassuming, self-effacing artist. He doesn’t preen on stage. There’s no fanfare to announce his arrival. He seems absorbed in the craft of songwriting and performing and that gives the show a relaxed quality, a showcase for craftsmanship with a band who probably know the songs as well as he does since most of them have been playing live together for quite a few years. He’s a musician who turns up and gets on with the job and of course that’s what the fans love. 19 songs in one evening of Kershaw worship.

Once again, Nik Kershaw has proven that he is the One and Only.

Nik Kershaw: Website

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