Live Review: Cy Curnin • Belly Up Tavern • San Diego, CA
Cy Curnin
Belly Up Tavern, San Diego, CA
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Review and photos by Jeff Elbel
“Fixxtures” on the West Coast and American Southwest had a rare opportunity on Tuesday to see Fixx frontman Cy Curnin dig into his solo catalog during a brief sprint that included the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego. The singer was accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Rick Brandt on acoustic guitar, bass, and electric cello and by veteran partner and producer Doug Beck playing keyboards and synthetic percussion. The minimal adornments provided effective support for songs like the wistful “Sail” while allowing Curnin to make more expressive use of his supple voice than is frequently possible when backed by the Fixx’s powerful funk/rock rhythms and wall of sound. The setting also encouraged Curnin’s engaging anecdotes and stories.
The singer opened with the graceful title track to 2005’s Mayfly. The evening concluded with the debut performance of the romantic “When the Cold Comes.” In between, there were songs that covered a range of passions and concerns. “Dinosaurs” addressed humanity’s headlong flight toward oblivion. Curnin addressed the swinging emotional pendulum. “One moment we’re depressed with our heads up our asses, the next we’re full of hope.” The optimistic and effervescent “The Returning Sun” was offered as an antidote. “Bubble” was another song brimming with buoyant energy and rebirth.
The set list visited Espoir, one of two EPs released by Curnin in 2023. Accompanied by Brandt’s cello and Beck’s acoustic piano, “Hope” found Curnin fully invested in the song’s uplifting expression and cartwheeling melody. “True North” was an arresting ballad about finding a reliable direction in life. “Don’t Burn the Bridge” was propelled with a jazzy bounce. Afterward, Curnin commented on the song, saying that any examined life is likely to include regrets. “The lessons are the important things,” he concluded.
Curnin unpacked the motivation for the song of struggle “Overkill.” “In the end, we have to see the beauty of chaos,” he said. “Everything’s falling apart to become something else. Try again, try again.” The sentiment was echoed during the introspective “I Was a King Once.” Curnin’s lyric describes someone’s evolution from a tyrannical young king to a clown to a beggar, desperate to make amends and begin again.
Written with Fixx collaborator Jeanette Obstoj, “Remember Me When I’m Gone” was perhaps the song from Curnin’s solo collection most closely aligned with the sound and energy of his day-job band. The resolute “The Days of Our Lives” was equally dramatic.
Most people in attendance were true-blue Fixx devotees, and there were treats for them as well. Curnin introduced the deep cut “I Will” from 1984’s Phantoms album by revealing that Stevie Nicks had wanted to sing the song in the ‘80s. “I should have let her,” said Curnin. “It’s in her key, too.” The singer told a story about recording the song’s demo in New York City during a short break from whirlwind Fixx touring activity, arriving at the studio under the influence of mushrooms he’d taken on the subway en route. Other Fixx highlights included “Second Time Around” from 2012’s Beautiful Friction and the empathetic “No One Has to Cry” from the 1991 release Ink.
Later in the set, Curnin described attending a talk by the Dalai Lama that emphasized happiness and freedom from possessions as a direct influence upon the Fixx’s hit “Saved By Zero.” He remembered later having the opportunity to sing the song at an Irvine, California, celebration of His Holiness’ 80th birthday, converting that zero into a “full circle.” Brandt interpreted the song’s sly bass part while Beck played atmospheric keyboard sounds.
The main set concluded with the jangling eco-warning “Driven Out” and the singalong anthem, “One Thing Leads to Another.” Curnin leaned into taut rhythms on acoustic guitar while singing both. Following the encore’s debut of “When the Cold Comes” as a loving ode to Curnin’s partner in attendance, the trio finished with a rousing and participatory “Secret Separation.”
Curnin anticipates a busy touring season this year with the Fixx but suggested that there may be an opportunity in the coming months to bring Brandt and Beck for further trio shows across North America.
Category: IE Photo Gallery, Stage Buzz
