Arthur Smith sings Leonard Cohen (Vol. 2)

Great show last night at the Soho Theatre in which, with world-weary wit, Arthur really does sing the songs of Leonard Cohen. Arthur Smith is the great survivor of the 1980s alternative comedy scene. He may not have achieved the fame nor amassed the fortunes of his arena sell-out contemporaries, but his renown is of a much better quality and remains constant. Those droll, gravelly South London tones are still frequently heard on Radio 4 and lend themselves perfectly to a show about the similarly-voiced Canadian “singer”. And the similarity does not end there. Mr. Cohen never achieved the fame or fortune of starrier contemporaries but is held in higher regard than practically any of them. In the show, Arthur revealed that for years, Leonard Cohen was addicted to speed. Good job he was. Can you imagine how this song might have sounded if he wasn’t?