Jacqui Abbott is equally unassuming as a front person. She arrives on stage waving furiously to her audience and taking selfies on her phone, looking for all the world like she's starting a holiday in Magaluf and wants to post pictures of the beach on Facebook. Throughout the show she waves to fans dancing up in the balcony as though she's spotted a long lost friend. This is hardly Van Morrison type behaviour.
Their non rock star image is part of Heaton and Abbott's charm of course, but what has drawn the crowds is a back catalogue of hit songs penned by Heaton in various guises and the chance to hear two of the most beautifully blended voices in modern music. They harmonise so well that it really is as if they were meant for each other.
Drawing heavily on the recently released Wisdom, Laughter and Lines (which Heaton explains has dropped from 3 to 4 in the album charts) the pair, backed by a four piece band, run through several songs that are getting their first live outing plus a gamut of hits. The key to Heaton's success - from The Housemartins and The Beautiful South through to now - is his ability to lace the sweetest of melodies with the most acerbic of lyrics. So we get When Love For Woman Stops and I Don't See Them, both on the themes of love changing as people age, as well as the joyous Caravan of Love, the Isley Brothers cover and a number one hit from almost thirty years ago.
A sad omission from the set is Song For Whoever but other than that, and Heatongrad from the new album which Paul introduces as 'my Imagine' despite being one of the weaker new songs, it's hard to complain about the choice of material. A highlight both of the album and on the night is Sundial in the Shade.
The encores include Keep It All In, Perfect 10 and Housemartins fave Happy Hour.
Colne Muni normally plays host to C list bands and tribute acts (the Rollin' Clones were scheduled to appear two days later) but on this occasion it provided a showcase for two unassuming stars and a reminder that Heaton has produced some of the brightest and sharpest pop songs of the past thirty years.
