No, this is not tabloid stuff but I had flown half way round the world to catch Craig Armstrong's concert at the Barbican on 7th April, 2002. It wasn't so much that I HAD to see Craig Armstrong but it was because I WANTED to see Paul Buchanan who was billed as a guest performer for the concert!

Well, on that fateful Sunday morning, the sun was shining, it was a cold but beautiful morning. I had got dressed for the day (pretty resplendently) in anticipation of the concert as well as other engagements for the day. I decided to pause in Green Park and sat on the bench and soaked in the morning sun and got on the phone with Max Malagnino to catch up with the latest news. Sadly……Max gently broke the news to me……….Paul Buchanan will not turn up………

Was I broken hearted? Yes, because seeing Paul Buchanan would have made history for me in that if it wasn't for Blue Nile, I would have not met two of the most important people in my life today! It would mean fulfilling one of my life's ambitions of making that connection with Blue Nile that had played a significant role towards where I am today.

I couldn't get a date to the concert with me and I had an extra ticket for my coat and handbag to sit on………..but it was designed to be that way because there are only two people that I would have liked to go to the concert with and they are in different parts of the world but being the romantic that I am, it was purely symbolic! It wasn't the cost that mattered, it was the thought that mattered more.

I was still half hoping that it was just a rumour that Paul Buchanan will not turn up but as I arrived at the hall, there was a notice being posted at the theatre doors - "Paul Buchanan will no longer be a guest performer at tonight's show".

Well, Paul Buchanan may not have turned up but Evan Dando stole my heart that night. He was a guest performer singing "Wake Up In New York" and his voice was just moody and melancholy that I was half hoping that he might substitute Paul Buchanan for "Let's Go Out Tonight" but it didn't happen……..

The concert itself was very understated. Craig Armstrong was accompanied by a band with London Sinfionetta and Metro Voices (that lend the choral voices). One would have thought that Craig Armstrong would be conducting the orchestra but no, it was conducted by Matt Dunkley who did an excellent job in reproducing the sound to almost CD perfection. So, what does Craig Armstrong do if he doesn't conduct the orchestra nor sing……….he just sits in a corner by his grand piano and a keyboard and let everyone else steal the show from him! At one time, he doesn't even appear on stage.

For someone who has won the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards, he was totally humble and self-effacing, with no pomp or pretentions. The concert was all about the music and the performers and even then the performers were not given the "star" treatment - they came and went off the stage as if it was some school concert waiting for their turns and at times not introduced at all.

In that sense it was great because it was all about the music but then there can be drawbacks if you are not familiar with the music. Which I had the impression not many were familiar with Craig Armstrong's music - which was a pity. Perhaps they were familiar with his name from Moulin Rouge but I doubt if they are intimately aware of the "Space Between Us" nor the new one "As If To Nothing". It was surprising then, when Wendy Stubbs did the vocals for "This Love", which was a great single from "Space Between Us", nobody responded as they should for this classic! It didn't help either that Wendy Stubbs is no Liz Fraser in vocal strength and prowess.

I personally enjoy Craig Armstrong's music but I must admit during the times when there were no performers, it can be about closing one's eyes and listening to the CD without having to be there. There were some extended "remixes" on tracks such as "Weather Storm" and "Rise" which one needs to have a "trained" ear to notice the differences.

However, there were some great performances and David McAlmont was a surprise "star" of the evening as he hit some high notes on "One Day I'll Fly Away" from Moulin Rouge (it was sung by Nicole Kidman in the movie). The movie version never even came close to capturing the kind of intensity or emotional resonance of his performance. He was a definite crowd favourite that evening.

Steven Lindsay did an even better version of "Enchanted Boy" (than Ewan McGregor) but I must say it was his performance on "Let It Be Love" that was my favourite.

Other performers include Cate Bott, Swati Natekar and Antye Greie-Fuchs who gave a unique and unusual performance with laptop on hand and mouthing computer gibberish in German!

It was a fulfilling concert as far as being a Craig Armstrong fan goes but at the same time you couldn't help but wish that Paul Buchanan was there. Probably it was by design that Paul Buchanan didn't turn up. Not to take anything away from Craig Armstrong - I admire his work and his music has inspired me on many occasions. It was a special night despite Paul Buchanan not being there. Craig Armstrong's music has always been different and special in its own way and because of the remoteness of his music and him being less accessible than most pop stars and having an eclectic mix of performers that night, it was a special performance indeed.

It was also good to know that I was in good company, as I believe Massive Attack and Nellee Hooper were in the audience too as Craig had gestured to them in the audience. It was a bitterly cold evening as I left the concert and as I got to my apartment, a guy whom I would describe as a "thug" followed me to the front door and stood there leering at me on the doorsteps as I tried to get in………..thankfully, nothing untoward happened.

So Craig or Paul - if you are reading this - see the trouble I went through for you guys! As a safety tip - what do you do when confronted with a "thug" - stay cool, make him connect with you as a person and look at him in the eyes, charm him - hopefully, he will walk away, feeling better about himself too.