Robyn Hitchcock has described his songs as “paintings you can listen to.” They’re typically surreal, but also, often, quite beautiful. His stage banter is equally off the beaten path, and his recent performance at The Atlantis was full of charming, eccentric asides.

Over a long career, Hitchcock’s influence has far outstripped his commercial success. Beginning with the Soft Boys, his ability to mix pop song craftsmanship, melodicism, and an off-kilter sensibility left its mark on generations of alternative rockers, especially REM. Over the course of his solo career, he’s embraced a more acoustic sound, and he’s even worked with beloved roots duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on the album Spooked.

At The Atlantis on Oct. 25, Robyn started with an old classic, “My Wife and My Dead Wife,” then referenced the rodent issues at the old 9:30 Club, joking about how “they’re installing rats backstage.” After “1974,” he did a bit about how he rests in a velvet-lined lead coffin, which I can only assume was designed to protect vampires from Superman. (I was saying to my sister the other day how it would be awful to have x-ray vision, because you’d see the corpses of your friends and loved ones all around you. She said this was pretty dark.)

Hitchcock, whose set consisted mostly of songs people had requested, continued with “Shuffle Man,” “Madonna of the Wasps,” “Mad Shelley’s Letterbox,” and “Viva Seatac.” “Chinese Bones,” he shared, was sung by Suzanne Vega with the Grateful Dead. Bassist Phil Lesh, who had just passed away, seemed to have been the only one who listened to his original recording. Later, he said they were playing long sets in memory of Phil. (If my memory serves, he played about the same number of songs at the Hamilton in May, albeit broken up into two sets.)

Watch Robyn Hitchcock perform “Chinese Bones” live at Sonic Boom Records on YouTube:

Introducing “Raymond and the Wires,” Robyn talked about his father, who he said was “quite a shy man,” and his childhood obsession with “obsolete electric traction,” which he clarified meant trackless trolleys. He joked that his father was afraid he was “forming too many social connections,” so he got Robyn obsessed with the trolleys. In his recent memoir, 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left, he mentions he fits the criteria for Asperger’s; having it myself, I can relate to having cycled through a variety of obsessions over the course of my life. (Significant chunks of Metacritic and AllMusic live in my memory.)

Next up was “Balloon Man,” followed by “You and Oblivion” and “Sally Was A Legend.” Before “No, I Don’t Remember Guilford,” Robyn talked some more about his passion for trolleys. After “I’m Only You,” his wife, Emma Swift, joined him to sing harmonies on “Antwoman,” “Glass Hotel,” “Queen Elvis.” He mentioned playing “So You Think You’re In Love” at the HFSFestival in 1991. Robyn and Emma finished the set with “Up To Our Nex,” “The Yip Song,” and “Queen of Eyes,” a Soft Boys song.

When he came back for his encore, Robyn had changed into his trademark polka dot shirt. He talked about his memoir and the accompanying album he recently released, 1967: Vacations In the Past. His encore consisted of three songs from that era he recorded on the album: “See Emily Play,” a Pink Floyd song written by Syd Barrett; The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset,” and, finally, the Beatles “A Day In The Life.”

Watch Robyn Hitchcock cover “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles on YouTube:

Australian singer-songwriter Imogen Clark, who now resides in Nashville, got things started with a feisty opening set. After the title cut from her LP, The Art of Getting of Through, she mentioned how she had flown directly from performing Wales to join Robyn on tour in Pittsburgh. “Push Me Down,” she said, was written with Emma Swift. The title of “Squinters,” written with Steve Poltz, comes from the term used to refer to people who work in Sidney and live west of it, where she grew up, because they’re always facing the sun when they’re driving home. The song is about “what my life would have been like if I hadn’t left my small town.”

Imogen continued her set with “First-Class Man,” a sung about her late mentor, Glen Hanna, who “lost his battle with depression.” (I can commiserate: I lost a cousin to it this past May.) “The Last of Me,” she told the audience, is about a mental health episode she experienced around the time of the Covid lockdown. “All Hard Feelings,” she said, is about “the fact that I have never gotten over anything. I am a very petty person.” Clark finished by unplugging to play “If Your Heart Never Breaks,” which she wrote with Jim Lauderdale.

I wasn’t familiar with Clark’s work before the show, but she impressed me and I’d definitely be interested in seeing her again. Robyn, of course, was impressive, as he always is, and completely unique. There really isn’t anyone else quite like Robyn Hitchcock: He’s a true original, and his shows are always a delight. And his memoir is a gread read, too!

Catch Robyn Hitchcock on tour!

Here are some photos of Robyn Hitchcock performing at The Atlantis on Oct. 25, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.