#Well it seems you have a soul
You let it go so I know it's true
It was a ruby, ruby, ruby red
It keeps me warm when I'm feeling sad and blue
Well you went and stole my heart
I saw it go so I know it's true
I wrapped it up in a bouquet of barbed wire
It was the wickedest gift I could give to you…….

I know I’ve waxed lyrical about some of my other musical heroes before but this one is truly a prince among them. He is, of course, to anyone who recognises either the photo or the lyric, the irreplaceable, unstoppable Marc Almond.

I like to tell a story that ‘Tainted Love’ was no 1 on my 21st birthday. It’s not actually true but I prefer it to the truth which is that Aneka’s Japanese Boy was actually no 1 and Soft Cell were no 2, moving to No 1 a week later but in my shoes wouldn’t you lie about it?

Many years ago, a (then) pop star, who has subsequently faded into the gloom of the three minute hero, one hit wonderland, was sitting next to me in a café criticizing me for saying I loved Marc. He reckoned he couldn’t sing. I begged to differ and not only was I right but I know without a shadow of doubt that the doubter would have love a career of 26 years rather than his own 5 minutes of fame. Well, let me tell you this man has two qualities that make him stand head and shoulders above the rest of us – he sings like a fallen angel and he’s the most talented performer I can think of. He really can belt them out.

This is quite simply a triumph – given that a couple of years ago he was close to death, having been seriously injured in a motorbike accident. He’s a marvel.

Tonight, the man’s 50th birthday was spent among his adoring fans as we danced along with his two hours and twenty minutes long set, (almost) culminating in three Soft Cell classics – the irrepressible ‘Tainted Love’, followed by ‘What’ then onto ‘Say hello, wave goodbye’. Each one perfectly executed with the panache and style of a true star. Actually – two more numbers followed but if I could have bottled the sound of 2,000ish people belting out ‘say hello then wave goodbye’ to post here, I would certainly have done so.

Marc is a legend. His catalogue of songs spanning his 26 years as a seedy, tainted, sinful purveyor of songs is glorious testament to a life lived to the full, without a thought for tomorrow. He is the great god of angst. He is, and will always be, my hero.

Happy Birthday Marc – from one of your loyal subjects. May you enjoy many more.

Interestingly, without reference to last year's shot until this moment, I have just seen that last year's photo was entitled 'fallen angel' - how spooky is that? That though was a tale of my own pathetic, needy life.

For anyone interested in my camera situation - this is almost certainly my 10d's swansong - it's got no display, seems to be selecting random settings - including focus point, aperture and shutter speed - no matter what I try. I feel lucky to have got a shot worth posting at all. I felt I needed the 10d because the G7 isn't appropriately equipped for atmospheric gig shots - it can't focus or shoot in light this low without resorting to flash and Marc had specially requested 'no flash photography' - not that it seemed to be stopping anyone else, but I didn't want to upset my hero.