(Credit: Alamy)

Elvis Costello, born Declan Patrick MacManus, emerged as a seminal figure in the vibrant tapestry of late 20th-century music. His multifaceted career and unwavering dedication to musical exploration has cemented his status as a prolific songwriter, performer, and provocateur of the industry norms.

Costello burst onto the music scene in the late 1970s amid the fervour of the punk and new wave movements. With his debut album, My Aim Is True, his distinct blend of biting lyricism and eclectic musicality captivated audiences, earning him immediate acclaim as a formidable talent amidst a sea of emerging artists.

Throughout his career, Costello’s chameleon-like ability to transcend genres and musical boundaries became a hallmark of his artistry. From the raw punk energy of his early work to ventures into country, jazz, and orchestral compositions, each evolution showcased his insatiable appetite for innovation and refusal to be confined by stylistic constraints.

In the early days, years of building a cult following resulted in Costello releasing his debut record. While the album only achieved moderate commercial success, Costello’s style and approach to music had earned him a devoted fanbase, and his esteem began to grow amid whispers of the London pub scene. Following the success of his debut record, Costello followed it up with his second album, This Year’s Model, released a year later and is widely credited as one of the best LPs of that particular era.

Rock and roll acts of rebellion on mainstream American TV would follow, as would majestic performances for the president of the United States amid music royalty at the White House, but Costello always remained grounded after his struggles to reach the top.

For a number of years, Costello worked a few different office jobs to support himself, most famously at Elizabeth Arden, where he operated as a data entry clerk and would later describe it as the “vanity factory” in the lyrics of his song ‘I’m Not Angry’. This is just one example of the singer’s ability to turn mundane modernity into something stirring.

After forming numerous bands and performing regularly in and around London, Costello finally got his big break when he was signed to the independent record label Stiff Records on the basis of a demo tape in 1976. It was at this moment label manager Jake Riviera suggested Costello change his name and, not holding back, he adopted the name ‘Elvis’.

Two years prior to that moment, Costello had been booked to perform at a free event at the E1 Festival in Stepney, London. A cameraman, filming the community event on an early video camera, which was only shot in black and white, recorded the face painting, jazz groups, Indian bands, prize games, and more before panning over to the main stage. Above the warm festival atmosphere, he finds a fresh-faced 19-year-old Elvis Costello.

Costello, fronting his second band, Flip City, on a warm Sunday on July 21st, 1974, was already taking a liking to the spotlight. The band, made up of Steve Hazlehurst on guitar, Mich Kent on bass and Dickie Faulkner on percussion, were playing what was only their third official gig to date.

The Flip City set at E1 Festival would include renditions of ‘I’m A Hog For You’ and ‘This Old Heart Of Mine’ and their performance can be seen below, starting at around the 42:20 mark. It’s a glimpse of a legend before he’d made his name.