YOU never know who you may be seated next to at a concert. Why, the last time Marc Almond played the Leeds Grand Theatre, Stephen Sondheim and Liv Ullmann were spotted in the audience.

At the time, Almond was promoting his Russian songbook Orpheus In Exile, which obviously intrigued Broadway’s foremost composer. For, lest we forget, Marc Almond has a gloriously rich and diverse, if at times challenging, song book.

For those with deep pockets, a ten-disc box set, Trials Of Eyeliner was released just before Christmas, a Pandora's box of treasures. A more modest budget can secure a robust single-disc greatest hits or the far more interesting and rewarding Hits And Pieces.

Although careful not to step too far into the closets of Almond’s darker avenues, the 35 well-chosen tracks give a good overview of one of our most experimental and colourful creatives. Among the obvious hits, Memorabilia, Bedsitter, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart, also present are Almond’s dramatic cover of Charles Aznavour’s What Makes A Man A Man, the high-camp angst of A Lover Spurned and a trio of Trevor Horn classics from The Tenement Symphony.

Tainted Love of course features, both in its ground-breaking 12” fusion medley incorporating Where Did Our Love Go and in a contemporary version with Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.

The brand new A Kind Of Love, a Northern Soul pastiche, secures the set’s five star rating. If possible, try to catch Marc Almond at the York Barbican this Sunday. You never know who you may be sitting next to!