Times Breeze Right By Duffy and Lilac Time

Stephen Duffy always used to keep up with the times. The dedicated follower of fashion co-founded Duran Duran (he left before the band recorded) and then, as Tin Tin, stepped into the post-new romantic scene decked out in all the latest finery.

But at Club Lingerie on Friday, fronting Lilac Time, he seemed content to let the times breeze by. OK, so the gentle sound he now favors is quite au courant. But his understated emotions and music go a bit against the grain in these times of Great Observation. On the Van the Man scale, if the Waterboys favor “Into the Mystic,” Lilac Time recalls “Brown-Eyed Girl.” While he’s not concerned with keeping up with the times, he could have been more generous with his time--a 40-minute set is stingy by any standard.