Always changing and always evolving, Beck at the Royal Albert Hall was superb ...Middle East

Beck Hansen had performed at the Royal Albert Hall once before. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I played by myself. I’m making up for it this time,” he smiled, turning around to the 40 musician-strong BBC Concert Orchestra. “I’m overcompensating”

It’s now over 30-years since the alt-pop chameleon gatecrashed the mainstream with his worldwide smash slacker anthem “Loser”, the starting pistol on a rule-breaking shapeshifting career.

Beck’s ability to seamlessly morph through style pivots, from experimental lo-fi anti-folker to post-grunge hip hopper, libido-driven punk-funker to world-weary troubadour, has invariably kept him one step ahead.

On a sublime night in the grand old hall, there was a full metamorphosis into baroque pop maestro. It saw the erstwhile prince of ironic detached cool predominantly embroider his vulnerable side: half of the 24 song “deep dive” set was made up of 2002’s beautifully barren acoustic balladeer break-up album Sea Change and its spiritual heir Morning Phase, his 2014 Grammy winning album that so vexed Kanye West into an award ceremony stage invasion protest.

Conducted by Edwin Outwater, who worked on the show when it was debuted on a 2024 run in America that included two nights at Carnegie Hall, the night took its cue from the 60’s. Beck noted onstage his love of the orchestral work of The Beatles and Serge Gainsbourg, which was identifiable in many arrangements: 2002’s “Paper Tiger” both samples Gainsbourg and was given a George Martin-esque climax.

The upbeat makeovers of 1996’s “The New Pollution” and particularly 1998’s Brazilian flavoured “Tropicalia” came over like Quincy Jones’ 1962 track “Soul Bossa Nova” that was famously used by the Austin Powers franchise.

But after a pleasant-if-understated start with Sea Change opener “The Golden Age”, the textured use of the orchestra – 2002’s heartbreak ballad “Lost Cause” was deftly embellished – made for emotional evening. At times it was breathtaking; on 2014’s “Wave” the strings wept alone, Beck lost amid the song’s mournful desolation.

But even in refined circumstances, still improbably boyish at 54 in a dark suit and a mass of waspy blonde hair, Beck remained a charm. He revealed he was a “secret goth” prior to a cover of This Mortal Coil’s “Tarantula”; before the French camber pop of “We Live Again” he told us Francois Hardy once pulled him up for ripping her off (”yeah, busted”).

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He introduced the first of two Scott Walker covers as “£100,000 karaoke”, though he sold himself considerably short: “It’s Raining Today” drew yet more sorrow out of the original.

After a closing sweep of stream-of-consciousness funky hip hop 1996 hit “Where It’s At”, the orchestra exited. “What shall we do now we got rid of all the deadweight?” he quipped. The answer was to flick a switch and revert to full song-and-dance showman mode, playing a joy-filled four song encore with his four-piece band.

With Beck liberated, wandering the depth of the empty stage in his shimmying, wise-cracking element, mock-playing instruments left behind by the orchestra, he stormed through “Devil’s Haircut” and led a unifying, closing hands-in-the-air singalong of ”Loser.” It was typical multitudinal Beck; even when delivering a supremely beautiful night, he can never be merely one thing for too long.

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