Gig Reflections – Heaven 17/Blancmange – The Forum Kentish Town 13th Nov 2014.
Okay, so I know it’s been a couple of weeks… but honestly does that really matter in the context of time and matters of a Japanese dish of vegetables or seafood that have been battered and deep fried – Jim?
Truth be known, I didn’t realise I was going to submit a review. For that matter, I didn’t realise I was even going to attend the gig until about an hour or so beforehand! That was when it all started to happen…
Whilst making preparation for Thursday night’s ritual/spiritual practise, suddenly the peace was broken by the beep of an incoming message on the communicat-o-con 3000. Even now the disruption had begun to set in. Closer inspection revealed a request from Kate in Black and White for my accompaniment to her attendance at an evening of electronic entertainment provided by Heaven 17 and Blancmange. In an instant the mind was awash with memories and melodies of a past evoked by reflections of these two Iconic purveyors of Synth Pop. Who was I to attempt the futility of resistance? In a blur of transcendental motion I found myself side by side with KiB&W at a prime site for viewing the imminent entertainment…
Just then, two lab technicians took the stage, we had begun to speculate that they maybe priming the technology for the oncoming act, when in fact it turned out that they were the oncoming act! I never imagined I might find myself at a Blancmange concert but find myself here I did. And gratefully so! The sound was crisp and clear with nice sonic textures and deep bass. I don’t know much about Blancmange but they sounded great tonight. Regardless of my lack of knowledge on the matter, the highly infectious hit Living on The Ceiling was one of the evening’s highlights.
Then Heaven 17 arrived, (Professor) Martyn Ware fired up the Synths – kicking off with The Human League number Circus of Death and then straight into the fantastic (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang. The Prof, Glen Gregory and their troupe then proceeded to deliver (most deftly) a set of new and old material. A lone guitar on a stand stood forlorn and awkwardly out of place amid the banks of synthesizers, leading one to speculate as to the relevance of its presence here tonight. When all of a sudden mid-set Glen Gregory picked the thing up and strummed a rendition of the (Human League) hit Don’t You Want Me?…
Sound wise Heaven 17’s mix was not as rich as Blancmange, with more focus on the middle range of frequencies and less on the bass. Which, to these ears made for a pretty accurate representation of the groups recorded output.
Singers Kelly Barnes and Rachel Mosleh name-checked the amazing, Angie Brown who was present in the audience tonight, before doing full justice to closing number and crowd-pleaser -Tempation.
Heaven 17 returned to the stage once more, starting their encore with a decent interpretation of the David Bowie number Boys Keep Swinging.
On the opposite side of the stage to the guitar, stood a strap-on synth in uneasy symmetry. I turned to KiB&W and we pondered on this when, just at that very moment, the said instrument was donned by the delightful Berenice Scott for final number, the excellent Being Boiled. Which led to a modern variant on an old cliché:–
It ain’t over ‘til the Blonde lady wears a Strap on!
Conclusion: Most entertaining – Thanks to KiB&W and all involved.
Gig Review – Billy Idol – Hammersmith Apollo 9th November 2014.
Once more a disruption to the space-time continuum has meant a (slight) delay in transmission. I could head back in time and transmit it then but given the nature of this particular problem it may fracture reality itself, causing parallel dimensions to converge and all manner of chaos to let loose. So for the sake of humanity, its best left well alone.
It is said that a journey of 9461 petametres begins with a single light-year and that time-travel warps the mind and widens the (event) horizon. Yet you can stay in your home galaxy and see the whole universe. With such nuggets of future-tea-wisdom in mind I fired up the sugar-tongs and headed for Fulham Palace Road in the late 1970s.
Passing TW Studios and The Greyhound en route, I somehow wound up in Thailand holed up with SiB and The Duke of Cornwall. A little later Kate in Black arrived in time for Tiffin. After sufficient sustenance we were joined by Audrey and Sandra in Black who left early to take up their positions on the Front Line. Then we made the company of some Southern Hemispherical Whippersnappers who were on good form in anticipation of the oncoming event.
Revived, refreshed and buoyed of spirit, we left the Duke behind and made our way to the place to which we were headed…
…but this was not 1978…
…an error with the tongmaster 2400 had caused the temporometer display to read out by minus 36 years…
…we were in fact in 2014…
…Well, when in Rome (Ok Hammersmith actually…)
Arriving at the Apollo there was a huge queue winding all the way around the adjacent street, up and around the venue and back again. KiB was trying to guide Liza in Green to our whereabouts and was eventually successful in this endeavour (after several attempts at circumnavigating the barriers). We briefly encountered Paul in Black on our way in but (alas) all attempts to locate Straightenout proved fruitless after searching high and low .
We took our place for optimum viewing and were joined by Simon in Black on the dot of commencement of entertainment.
After a little teasing to warm up the crowd and an atmospheric build-up from Steve Stevens they kicked off with ‘Postcards from the Past’ from the new album. Showing confidence in the newer material and rightly so.
The sound tonight was crisp and clear and the synchronised light show very impressive. The band gave an outstanding performance. And Billy Idol himself was truly in command and didn’t really let up for the best part of 2 hours.
They delivered a well-structured set comprised mainly of solo material with a few Gen X songs thrown in for good measure (Dancing With Myself, King Rocker and Ready Steady Go). There was a good pace with slower numbers offsetting the more up-tempo ones. The showmanship was most impressive with the whole band getting their moment in the spotlight; From the Rock-solid drumming of Erik Eldenius, the Rock-steady bass/versatile backing vocals of Stephen McGrath and the cool, calm, collected keyboard control centre of Paul Trudeau, to the consistently cool chops of Rhythm Guitarist Billy Morrison and the insanely talented guitar ramblings of Steve Stevens who took us on a wild ride to anywhere from Flamenco through Ring Modulated madness to high octane Rock and everywhere between.
Then of course there’s Billy himself, still giving it his all. He’s got the whole stage covered with his sneering punk rock ninja moves. At times it seems like he’s stretched his range a little vocally but this is clearly down to how much of himself he’s giving over to the show, an awesome performer. Not bad for an old Geezer! Between songs he reflects about being a Londoner and the local area. In some numbers he still picks up the guitar and at times the interplay between the three guitars was really quite imaginative and never overbearing.
Billy’s new album was well represented tonight including the awesome title track – Kings And Queens of The Underground. It must be said that it really is a great record and well worth checking out!
The hits, of course, were delivered much to the crowds delight. A sell-out crowd, who lapped up every beat and syllable, were comprised of a wide range of ages and backgrounds, reflecting the global appeal Mr Idol has attained as a solo artist.
…Billy was there right at the start of the punk thing; on the sofa with the Pistols during the Grundy Affair (as part of the Bromley Contingent), he was at the cutting edge of Punk Rock, playing and developing his craft with bands such as Chelsea before forming Generation X. Whose song writing talent was immediately clear, their output being well structured – musically, sharp and witty – lyrically and delivered with style and precision.
It’s clear that this talent then continued into Billy’s solo career with consistent hits and success. And while his output may have been more ‘Pop’ there is an undeniable, underlying edge that comes from his Punk pedigree. Even during the Gen X years there was a clear progression with the song writing as the band became more musically mature which led some back then to claim they’d ‘Sold Out’. Their loss!
For what it’s worth, thoroughbred Punk IM(not so)HO!
Ruts DC, Evil Blizzard, The Duel – The Garage Islington – 25th October 2014.
Another Space/Time anomaly type thingy caused SiB and Myself to randomly appear in North London on a Saturday afternoon (Islington to be precise). We bumped into Straightenout who along with Leigh from The Ruts was searching for a place to eat. A little later we saw Segs and Ruffy perambulating along Essex Road taking in the restorative scenery and air. And I could’ve sworn we saw Jet from UK Subs leaving the Garage.
Ravenette and FdN apparently took a right turn and found India to be closed for refurbishment. Eventually we congregated in Wetherspoons for Chips and drinks while the rift in time healed itself. Fed and watered we made our way to The Garage early so as not to miss any of the acts tonight…
Occasionally you attend a gig that becomes a moment crystallised in time. A classic! Well tonight was one of those occasions; a moment that will become firmly embedded in the Amber of Rock History! A bold statement? Maybe! But I’ll tell you something. Nights like this don’t come along too often!
The Duel benefitted from the decent (new) sound system in the Garage tonight. The sound was clear with a good balance giving all elements of their finely crafted Punky Pop a decent representation.
This was all nicely knitted together by some nifty drum work. The band were buoyant and Tara worked the stage well, keeping the audience engaged. Great stuff!
Next up… Evil Blizzard, wow!
The bastard child of Hawkwind and early Devo! Freaky masked lunatics, it was said that all that was missing were the chainsaws… Scratch that! This lot don’t need chainsaws. They look like a bad dream consisting of Slasher Movie/70’s Dr Who Baddies (think animated mannequins meet Jason, for a rough idea). So they’ve got the image thing in spades…
But that’s not to detract from the sound. I’m as fond of the low frequencies as the next music lover, including dual bass sound but quadruple shouldn’t work, should it? With EB it does and how…
The sound is layered slowly building to a hypnotic compelling groove. Each bass having a slightly different tonal texture which somehow helps distinguish it in the mix. With the lead bassist (I’ll call him that even though they were sharing taking lead occasionally) clearly having lighter strings on the top to give a credible lead style cut with the applied wah/phase/delay type effects! Not forgetting (equally importantly!) the Drummer/Lead vocalist.
What can you say, four Bassists and a singing drummer, then a guest musician at the end being another Bassist making for a grand total of five, inspired! Then there was The Mop Guy! Surreal! It’s a freak show! It’s pure genius! It’s theatre! Very entertaining!
This band don’t hand out sweets at the end of the set they hand out basses. One came my way but the chap standing behind me insisted that it was his… who am I to argue?…
Subsequently (after, literally coming down from the ceiling) the lead bassist then handed me his instrument which was hooked up to a plethora of psychedelic effects and before I knew it there I was playing the closing solo with said bassist back on stage operating the pedals. Surreal! And EiTC’s only appearance of the year so far (not including The Meditation Sessions, Weddings and other social functions!)… Blink (or go for a pee break) and you would’ve missed it (although I’m sure someone has captured it on video)!
In a flash we were at the Main Event – Enter stage Left – Ruts DC.
Kicking off with Mighty Soldier sounding crisp and clear. Naturally, it goes without saying that the band are on form but tonight it seems like they’ve taken things up a gear.
Leigh is in the zone from the off (and well he should be, surely it’s to be expected given he’s playing with the rock solid/super tight Rhythm Section provided by Segs and Ruffy – who, in my book, are the Sly and Robbie of Punk). After a blistering Solo in Mirror Smashed from the Animal Now album, Segs jokes to Leigh about him being careful not to peak too soon! No chance, he’s on it all night!
Up next Backbiter, followed by It Was Cold; all top stuff, sounding great even if the bass is a tiny bit low in the mix.
Back to Animal Now for No Time To Kill, then disaster strikes on the opening bars of Sus when Segs loses output from his bass…
The irony of following a band with 5 basses was not lost on them…
But like the consummate pro’s they are, it was all water off a ducks back as they just got on with it and improvised (including what, according to Ruffy was the bands first drum solo!) until the bass was back. And boy was the bass back. It sounded great before it melted down but now it was stonking at least a 7 on the Richter scale!
This is a band deserving of all the clichés I can throw their way – Firing on all cylinders, a well-oiled machine. Etc etc EiTC…
Another from AN up next the superb Dangerous Minds as relevant now as it was 30 years ago, the pace is a little slower on this one tonight which really suits the song allowing the dynamics and atmosphere to really come across.
Then it’s down a notch in a Rub-a-dub Style, with the poignant Love In Vain followed up by Jah Wars. Faultless! Superb!
A surprise airing of Different View sounds fresh and fantastic and goes down well. Let’s face it; Animal Now was a great album which despite coming at a difficult time for the band, still managed to harness their abundant creative potential.
Back up a notch and we are treated to the classics; Staring At The Rude Boys, West One and Babylon’s Burning (complete with extended faux intro a ’la improv reggae jam/New Rose).
In keeping with the earlier sighting – Jet from the Subs joined the band on stage for an extended/inspired In a Rut. Brilliant!
The awesome Something That I Said and the superb Society get another well-deserved airing and then it’s all over.
What?
The earlier temporal anomaly gave one last twitch culminating in an extra hour’s kip which was most welcome after such a great gig! Thanks to Ruts DC and everyone involved for a top night of entertainment.
That’s the funny thing about Time Travel… It’s not long before temporal alignment disruption kicks in, leaving one impervious to the perception of lateral temporal echoes… and whatever that means!
Which brings us (less than neatly) back to last Sunday…
Leaving rather late to make journey across the great South/North divide of our fair Capital. And Public Transport being what it is. Arrival was much sooner than originally anticipated. Which afforded this traveller some time to explore charmed Hamlet of Dalston, before the anticipated arrival of gig-companion KiB.
Hunger necessitated a diversion in the way of what passed for nutritional intake in this locale. Suitably revived we beat a path to the back hall of The Shacklewell Arms Public House (Which, one imagines, has all the qualities of a hollow in the ground which had formed naturally by the weathering of rock). We had arrived in time to hear the closing bars of opening band Heman Sheman and thus lack sufficient information to impart their story herein.
Before long, Cauldronated took to the stage and entertained us with their Dark Punky Drum Led Techno. Having been fortunate enough to hear their latest EP beforehand, one had an idea of what was to come. But there was more. Clearly the studio process (as is often the case) had not fully captured the energy that can be conveyed by Cauldronated in a Live situation.
The Drums!… The Drums!… And then some! This is like – The Drummers Revenge!
With the advent of modern music technology the first musician to be replaced by machine was the Drummer and others would soon follow… However Cauldronated have turned the tables they are drummers who have replaced the rest of the band with triggered multitrack layers of fat Analog synth sounds. Very effectively! The synths sounded great coming through the PA tonight; putting images in mind of early synth pioneers while still retaining a modern edge.
Married to this are Frontwoman Eva’s sloganistic poetic chanting and edgy stage presence. Eva is clearly an accomplished drummer with her sharply timed rhythms complimenting the sound most effectively. Eva is joined on stage by Master Drummer – Dave Barbarossa who still displays his mastery of Tribal Rhythms alongside clever and subtle Dance/Trance/Techno ‘Drum-lickery’.
Tonight their recorded songs had an extra edge and rawness in this live setting. Great stuff!
Before we knew it, time had caught up with us once more and we were checking times of last trains but KiB calculated that we may just have time to catch a few numbers of headline act The Cesarians.
Glad we did Too! As they presented richly sharp/shifting sonic textures afforded by their superb line-up of multi-instrumentalists. Echoes of Tom Waits, The Fall and Leonard Cohen among many others. A mental note being made to definitely follow this lot up. They serenaded us with the superb ‘Just Fuck Off!’ And then we had to!
Straighten Out – A Tribute to The Stranglers – Gig Review –
Hope & Anchor Islington – 26th September 2014.
Once more it seems like time may have gotten the better of us… I put it down to the Dog cocking it’s leg on the hyperdrive of the Time and Inter-dimensional Travelling Spaceship (TITS) and fusing the Antler Stabilising Sprocket with the Temporal Offset Sugar-tong Housing, causing all manner of chaos (not least of which the perceived delay of this transmission)!
After replacing the parts and a quick retune and calibration procedure on the Carpet-beater Random Access Particulator and Pickled Egg Regenerator it was on to business…
Met up with SiB at a pre-arranged destination in India. Where we partook of stale Papadums and slightly fresher Starters whilst awaiting (… and awaiting for ’em!) the eventual arrival of Domestos, Guildford Lil and FdN. Suitably fed and watered we wound our way up Downer Street or was that down Upper Street… En Route G’Lil and Domestos dragged me off down a side Street and demanded guidance and demonstration in the execution of some ancient Yogic rituals which I tried unsuccessfully to defer… Serious calamity narrowly avoided, we caught up with Sib and FdN and arrived at the Hope & Anchor to a warm greeting from the gathered Family in Black. Again we partook of refreshment, largely without anomalous incident (Disappearing/Reappearing Pineapple aside).
Before long Shaggy shepherded us down to the cellar for the evening’s entertainment. A ripple of excitement ran through the crowd as Waltzinblack burst from the PA and the band kicked off with a blistering 1-2 of Burning Up Time and Ugly. No punches were pulled tonight as there was barely a Rizzla’s width between the opening numbers. Continuing with a superb selection of MK1 classics the set-list tonight was absolutely stunning!
Straighten Out are a band firing on all cylinders and tonight was no exception with a tightly executed super-sharp sound. Close your eyes and it could’ve been 77, 78, 79 or 80. The crowd were (rightly) lapping it up and I couldn’t resist getting down to the front for a bit of a boogie. Sir Burn was seen getting his groove on to a masterful Goodbye Toulouse (but not Walk on By, which, apparently, was not part of the set).
Shaggy and Phil had a good bit of banter with the crowd and were both in fine voice. Shaggy’s bass (neither Fender P nor Shuker) had exceptional growl tonight, awesome! Similarly Phil’s Tele and rig provided the necessary guitar bite. Drummer Micky P pounded most powerfully and also was the recipient of some Jet Black style appreciation in the form of a chant. While Keyboard wizard Mick was on form both instrumentally and vocally.
Phil did a string on one of his Tele’s but his spare had a broken nut forcing him to change a string on the fly. I took this opportunity to nip upstairs to the bar then came back down to find the band improvising Peasant in The Big Shitty whilst Phil readied his Axe. Huge Bonus (meaning we got 3 Dave songs in tonight’s set with that, plus the equally superb Dead Ringer and Genetix)!
We heard seldom played classics such as Ice and the brilliant Shah Shah A Go Go. It’d be great if The Stranglers themselves could include numbers such as these in their shows occasionally.
People travelled far and wide to make it to the gig tonight which is a reflection of; the dedication of the FiB, the quality of Straighten Out and the historical importance of The Hope & Anchor to The Stranglers story.
The band finished with an encore of London Lady and Tank. Then Shaggy announced that they would be back with a Matinee performance to coincide with The Stranglers London (Roundhouse) appearance on 6th March. Definitely one for the diaries!
Charity Concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust – Honouring the memory of Poly Styrene.
Investigation into Reports of Paranormal Activity in Putney: CLASSIFIED.
Part 1 – Sat 4th Oct. After reports of recent Paranormal Activity in Putney, operatives were deployed in the region of Upper Richmond Road. The epicentre was quickly identified to be a local hostelry known as The Half Moon.
Agent EiTC Reports that:
“Although I arrived in good time it would appear that it may have been later than imagined. Amongst other phenomena, time itself was proving to be fluid and unpredictable. Upon arrival at precisely a smidge after 8pm a combo known as The Shakespearos were already well into their set producing a selection of musical archaeological artefacts from the early to mid Punkaceous period. (The Shakespearos would appear again numerous times tonight culminating in a stellar rendition of Turning Japanese!)
Enquiries with a young lady in the area of the bar yielded the information that proceedings had begun early and this was the 17th such act! To which was quickly added that she was just kidding and that not much had been missed although it had in fact all begun around 7.15…
It was difficult to remain grounded in the here and now. Those who were here were not and those who weren’t here were… Indeed this was a trend that would continue through the weekend!
Adam Masterson then made an appearance in the format of one man and his guitar. Which included some X-ray Spex covers interspersed with some original material and a Clash cover…”
Levitation was then witnessed and appeared to emanate from the vicinity of the stage whilst occupied by Judy Tzuke. Who, along with her guitar accompanist delivered a trio of songs culminating in the beautiful Stay With Me ‘Til Dawn. Indeed a mixture of sweet vocal harmony and dextrous complimentary guitar picking raised the roof by several feet where it hovered for some time thereafter.
Bizarrely the appearance of none other than Anita Harris on stage with Sham 69 was startling evidence of these phenomena. However, the very trans-dimensional nature of this aside, it was a spectacle to behold and indeed one of (if not the) highlight(s) of the whole weekend! Anita’s performance of the Poly song I Live Off You was most aurally soothing and probably represented the most sensitive and effective tribute to Poly to be witnessed. Which feels as surreal for me to type as it is for you to hear/read!
Saffron Sprackling then took to the stage with The Shakespearos much to the delight of the gathered mass delivering more Poly-penned joy.
Rounding out of the evening’s proceedings and bringing Space Vessel Poly into dock was the responsibility of Doctor & The Medics who handled this task admirably while the crowd lapped up their set including a cover of You Spin Me Round. Apologies were made for lack of preparation/rehearsal prior to the execution of Germ Free Adolescents (although they were necessary! It did not deter the enjoyment…) Before the final number a poet friend of Poly (whose name unfortunately escapes me) gave a recital of a wonderful poem about Poly, which ended and now she is with The Spirit In The Sky, seguing neatly into the concluding number for the evening. Once more Anita Harris graced the stage with her presence (and particularly impressive necklace twirling dance moves)…
…then as quickly as we were there we were not!”
Part 2 – Sun 5th Oct. Following yesterday’s initial investigation, EiTC recruited SiB to assist in another fact finding mission…
“Once more disruption to space, time and gravity (possibly not helped by trying to fit an infinite amount of Sunday dinner into a finite space!), seemingly caused confusion as to when was now and how was then… Thusly missing the first hour or so, we settled down to make sense of what remained.
Coventry’s Pretty Rascals made a well-crafted pop sound that belied their seemingly tender years (including a tribute to Poly).
The Homosexuals delivered a set of high quality punky quirkiness with frontman Bruno being suitably attired with a Day-Glo top while celebrating Poly Styrene.
JC Carroll of The Members gave an acoustic rendition of some punk songs including Sound of The Suburbs and was joined onstage by his Daughter Irma for Germ Free Adolescents.
Then Jerico put in an impressive unannounced performance which included singer Mark Shaw auctioning off his shirt for the charity.
There was a fine vocal rendition of The Day The World Turned Day-Glo (from Sarah Dee?) which the backing track didn’t quite live up to.
The Duel deftly delivered a short set of their trademark brand of Punk/Pop which also included a medley of X-ray Spex favourites.
John Ottway treated the audience to his hit Cor Baby That’s Really Free plus two more. Most entertaining!
Neville Staple lifted the roof a couple of inches further with a rousing Monkey Man (backed up by The Carnabys).
Angie Brown who turned up too late for her scheduled spot the previous night was (thankfully) sandwiched in to tonight’s bill where she mesmerized all present with a stunning display of vocal prowess. When it was discovered that her backing track was not functioning Angie shrugged it off like a true professional and delivered a staggering A Capella performance.
Headline act Ruts DC took the stage and the place erupted… Kicking off with the more recent Mighty Soldier they proceeded to deliver a short sweet set which included Staring at The Rude Boys, No Time to Kill and Sus. Ruffy announced that they wouldn’t bother with all that encore malarkey and would just stay onstage and play out the songs… A reggaefied jam led into the intro to New Rose which was a setup for a blistering Babylon’s Burning. This was backed up with a superb rendition of In A Rut with the middle section neatly interspersed with a Rock ‘n’ Roll medley including Shakin’ All Over and nods to others before coming back to a rousing ending. Ruts DC once more proving what a tight unit they are. A magnificent finale!
Then it was all over, with thousands raised for charity.The roof eventually rejoined the main building and the surveyors could find no evidence of any lasting effects.
A Misty Moon and Shooting Stars were later seen overhead which may have been evidence of spaceship Poly heading back out into the Cosmos.”
In summary a great weekends entertainment with a friendly vibe at a fantastic venue. Apologies for errors and omissions.
Wonky IV – The Stranglers Family in Black – Wonky Bus IV weekend.
Abstract
A travelling hoard went abroad,
Across the Eastern Sea,
To see The Stranglers in Holland and France,
And home by Sunday Tea!
…Apologies once again for the delay in transmission… Once more much activity in the time stream, including being stuck in 1977, has necessitated such… I mean you’d think with time travel and all that I’d be able to go back a couple of days and post this earlier but no, can’t possibly do that, might upset the fabric of space and time itself! Oh well, it is what it is, here goes anyway…
Sitting comfortably…
Part 1 – We came across The West Sea – The gathering, the departure and the outbound journey (or Shakespeare burnt down my boozer or Whatever floats your boat!)
Early morning somewhere in London…
Rising to the dawn chorus, springtime…
Thinks… “Ok, today’s the day, I and a good few others will be losing our Wonky virginity, there’s no going back now!”
Much later…
…Arrive at Victoria Station around 6pm and meet Ravenette in The Shakespeare pub. Joined by Flores De Negro and Alexinblack we make our way to Paradise in search of sustenance. During our supper I’m drawn to beauty at the adjacent table like a moth to a flame. We exchange sporadic seemingly mutual glances of appreciation and the odd smile. All too soon, fed and watered, it’s time to leave! I wish beauty a pleasant evening and we head to our Rendezvous with Bag Lady at The Willow Walk where we arrive, only to find that it burnt down that morning… A hasty bit of texting to notify of change of venue and we head back to The Shakespeare. The Family in Black are here en-masse now and have taken over the pavement outside the pub. We receive a warm welcome and meet and greet family friends old and new.
The time arrives, we head for the bus (after being herded by Bazzainblack) where we are cordially welcomed by PaulinLondon and Owen. We board and take up refuge on the back seat (Just like school days). The driver Carl skilfully navigates us toward Dover, stopping twice en-route to collect more Wonkyites.
Evidence of sleep deprivation part 1. Conversation on the bus takes in such subjects as the branch of medicine known as Vagina Tree.
Boarding the Ferry we set sail for new horizons. Although it’s now getting rather late, the buzz of anticipation for the coming adventure seems to be keeping most of us going. A fair few of us chill for a while in the lounge and I take refuge in Costa Coffee for a couple of inversions. Then we make our way to the bar where PaulinLondon greets us once more.
We arrive in Calais at around sunrise and head north through France and Belgium toward Holland. After some masterful driving from Carl and tuneful snoring from fellow passengers we eventually arrive at our hotel near Schiphol on a beautiful sunny day.
Part 2 – Amsterdam/Haarlem – ben je mijn oom?
Evidence of sleep deprivation part 2. I make my way toward the hotel reception when bellabelle asks me “where’s your suitcase?” which I’d completely forgotten about. Panic sets in and I go back toward the coach to find that Bag Lady has very kindly lived up to her Moniker.
We’re informed that we won’t be able to get to our rooms until late afternoon. A large part of the Family decide to go into Amsterdam (where former ‘Dam’ resident ‘Uncle’ Burn e 77 plays tour guide – mint fella!) while the rest of us decide to stay and chill in the spacious and comfortable hotel lounge.
I ponder on the possibility of getting forty winks, not having had any shut-eye for about a day and a half, after some discussion, I decide against it.
Eventually the rooms are ready and while I’m generally impressed with the hotel I’m a little concerned that the dimensions of the room will not allow for any inversions. So after a little freshen up I head back to the lounge and find a nice spot in the corner where I partake, much to the amusement of my fellow FiB. Ravenette is suitably inspired and decides to go for a backbend, I offer to spot her but she declines and sets about walking backward down the wall into an impressive posture!
After the inversions, several herbal teas, some raw chocolate Bliss Bar and an herbal supplement (Rock & Roll!!!), I find my second wind and feel completely revitalised for tonight’s proceedings…
Henry and I head off for Haarlem early to go to the pre-gig drinks at La Pien Noir. I text my mate Mark, who lives in Haarlem, that we’re on our way so he can meet us in town. On arrival Mark meets us as arranged and we head off for the bar where we receive a warm welcome from the lovely Jacqueline and catch up with some of the others. We have a swift one then Mark and myself head off to meet up with some of his friends for dinner.
After a fine dinner in excellent company we make our way toward the venue, the band are on early tonight at around 8.30. The place is already fairly packed when we arrive, I make my way down to the front and meet up with some of the other Wonkyites.
Before too long the dimming lights and some wierd tones herald the arrival of our heroes…
Opening with an urgent and stunning Toiler on The Sea tonight, this is the best I’ve ever heard it! The sound tonight is second to none and the band seem to be really at ease and totally into it. Next up; No More Heroes, Was It You and Threatened. Then another change Summat Outta Nowt is replaced by crowd pleaser Relentless. The crowd are lapping it up and the venue is heaving. The home crowd and the Wonky crowd seem to be like peas in a pod and it has to be said that it is one of the nicest atmospheres of any gig I’ve ever witnessed.
Peasant is perfect tonight, this song has been a Ruby highlight for me and tonight they’ve nailed it!
Peaches goes down well and during the show various items of lingerie are thrown at the boys. JJ and Baz respond in the appropriate and proper manner by carrying out the sniff test.
On to the slower part of the set allowing a welcome breather with Midnight Summer Dream, Golden Brown and Always the Sun.
Picking up the pace again it’s time for Never to Look Back with the bass and drum arrangement on the opening being somewhat reminiscent of Public Image by Public Image. Then we’re disco dancing for Thrown Away before ramping up for Nuclear Device.
A slight breather with Skin Deep then another crowd fave Time To Die. Lowlands goes down nicely in an appropriate setting. During the keyboard sequence in Nice N Sleazy, JJ and Baz come right to the edge of the stage and really get in the face of the appreciative crowd, a nice menacing edge.
Walk on By sounds amazing tonight and the solos are just out of this world, with Dave receiving a healthy applause at the end of the keyboard solo. Staying in the zone, Freedom is Insane sounds nicely psychedelic tonight. The classics Duchess and 5 minutes follow, then Hanging around sees Bazzainblack giving it his all with a bit of crowd surfing and an attempted stage dive. Encore time…
The boys come back with a stonking Norfolk Coast then a welcome surprise, Grip is thrown in tonight and we even have the honour of being joined in the pit by none other than Mr Carne!
At the risk of repeating myself the sound tonight is awesome and the band are playing like they mean it! JJ’s growling bass, Dave’s swirling keys, Baz’s biting Tele, and Jim’s relentless pounding beat. First class! Surely this is unprecedented – a band in their fortieth year of existence going from strength to strength.
See, I’m in tune!
During All Day and All of The Night a good humoured bit of banter between JJ and Baz ensues over a tuning issue. JJ goes back to check his tuner and confirms he’s in tune giving Baz a real “Oops!” moment, as he confirms he needs to tune up. None of this deters from the delivery of the song which again is the best I’ve heard it played along with some fantastic improvisation (loving the improv!).
Oops!
Then we’re at Tank and then it’s all over…
…Or is it?
Well the band have finished but we’re left with a good 90 minutes of a Punky Disco we have a darn good boogie with the fantastic Dutch crowd at this awesome venue, before we have to board the wonky Pumpkin back to the Hotel. Top night!
Back at the Hotel the party atmosphere continues and after being in the bar until closing people adjourn back to the lounge to carry on carrying on. I estimate around this time I must’ve gone around 42 hours without any kip, so I decide to call it a night. My head hits the clean linen and it’s good night…
…Later that same evening in an Amsterdam Hotel, a lone and lost pigeon is wandering/prowling the corridor…
Knock knock knock!
“Hello”
“Are you my uncle?”
“Is your Uncle Dutch?”
“Err, I don’t think so!”
“Then I’m probably not you’re Uncle!”…
Suitably refreshed after a few hours slumber we gradually start filing up to the fourth floor for breakfast and Pidge has us in stitches with his story of the previous night’s adventure, which puts me in mind of Dr Who “Are you my Mummy?” replace Mummy with Uncle and that becomes one of the Slogans of Wonky IV, along with an ode to Dave Higginson’s Hind quarters!
After breakfast, some of us gather and chill in the lounge again, whilst others make their way to the airport for some shopping. Then it’s all aboard the wonky bus again for the road trip to Lille.
Part 3 – Lille – êtes-vous mon oncle?
En-Route to Lille, PaulinLondon and bellabelle run the raffle, while Pidge provides the DVD entertainment of the Paris Olympia gig. All very entertaining plus EiTC won a raffle prize! Also, rather incredibly, MiB Mark Mulkeen’s Mrs has lovingly made stranglers themed cup cakes for the whole bus, yum!
Before long we arrive at our Hotel in Lille and get our allocated rooms, we have a few hours to kill before the gig tonight and a pattern appears to have emerged; while some stay at the hotel and chill, others go and explore (well at least 30 yards down the road to the first boozer and or McDonalds!)… I do a bit of both as Non-wonky Fran had arrived earlier on his Guzzi, he’d already scoped out the town and pointed me in the right direction of a decent supermarket, so that’s where I head for supplies.
I chill out in the sunshine on the window sill of my 5th story room, whilst having some banter with my fellow travellers in the garden below.
In a trice it’s bus time and we all board for the wonderfully named Le Splendid…
The mood is upbeat on the bus, everyone is rested and up for it!
Evidence of sleep deprivation part 3. Upon arrival I come to the gloomy realisation that I’ve left my bleedin’ ticket back at the hotel. PaulinLondon suggests that I cut my losses and get another at the box office rather than mess around with taxis to and from the Hotel. I walk up the road a bit to see if the coach is still there but it’s gone. I see no taxis either. After walking a couple of blocks, Paul’s words of wisdom sink in and I turn around and head back for the box office.
Inside I see Owen who thankfully has a solution to my conundrum.
I make my way to the front and find the Wonky crew mingling in with the locals. It’s packed and it’s hot and sweaty.
Tonight we have a support act, a lone troubadour who introduces himself as David Zinc. He receives a fair bit of flack/banter from the crowd but he skilfully brushes it aside. Every put-down he has an immediate come back for and you’ve got to admire this man for his super sharp wit and for having the balls to take on this crowd.
Crowd interaction aside, David Zinc has a great voice and is an accomplished guitarist playing a great fingerpicking style using alternate tunings and having a small kick drum for accompaniment. It really sounds great and his material is good. Responding to heckles of “play something we know!”, he asks “what do you know?” Some smart Alec replies “Postman Pat!” And he immediately responds with the opening verse of the Postman Pat Theme. Much to the astonishment and delight of the crowd.
Soon enough, he has the crowd eating out of his hand and his rendition of The Boxer gets the crowds sing-along juices flowing nicely. Great stuff!
In the interval I meet up with evonx (great to meet you sir!) and a few other familiar facesinblack. The DJ keeps the sing-along spirit going by playing ELO’s Mr Blue Sky which gets just as hearty a sing-along as it received at Birmingham in March.
The Lights fade… Waltzinblack…
Kicking off with Toiler on The Sea again tonight, the sound is once again really good and the band are tight and up for it. The crowd respond accordingly and it’s difficult to say what the locals are making of the rowdy Brits. It’s a bit tighter in the pit tonight and not as laid back as last night but after a while it all settles down and everyone appears to be getting on and enjoying the band.
The set is similar to the previous night but the big change tonight is the song everyone is in anticipation of! And it arrives… La Folie.
During the early part of the set I located myself at several different places within front few rows of the crowd and had established eye contact and sing-along recognition with several of the locals, including a rather statuesque red-headed lovely. Who, when La Folie began, turned to me and said “It’s our turn now!” I assured her of our love for this song too and joined in where I could (i.e. the chorus!). The locals really did seem to click with Midnight Summer Dream, Golden Brown and Always The sun too.
It is boiling in here tonight, lots of bare chests and gallons of steamy sweat. Kudos to Mark Mulkeen for making it all the way through in his fabulous MiB outfit, how cool is that!
The crowd is really lively and Thierry gets the ball rolling with the crowd surfing (Bazza follows suit during Hanging Around and is joined by an enthusiastic local. Big al and one or two others join in).
The band very generously donate their water bottles to the flagging crowd for some much needed hydration. Thank you!
Once again Walk on By sounds very good tonight with Dave’s keys and Baz’s guitar solo both sounding superb.
JJ is both in fine voice and on it bass-wise tonight.
Jim’s drums are top notch and tonight he gets some recognition… A late night discussion in the lounge in Holland the previous night led to a plan being hatched to honour Jim with a chant in the “Jet Black! Jet Black!” style, saying instead “Jim Mac! Jim Mac!” The moment arrives and we get right into the chanting and it must be said the bands reaction was a picture… At first they looked a little confused, then you could see it register with JJ who turned to Jim to acknowledge the fact. Then he came to explain in French to the locals. A golden moment! Which leads me to wonder if that had anything to do with inspiring the particularly lively drum solo at the end of Something Better Change tonight.
Tank and a few pics then Elvis left the building.
We board the bus back to the hotel then set off to the centre of town for some supper we end up at a restaurant called La Chicoree (if my memory serves me correctly) where we settle for dinner. PaulinLondon declares that we will not be going home tomorrow and that the party will continue and we will make our way to Lessines. A plan is hatched to hijack the bus and we start to assign roles – PiL is the Mastermind, Henry the Bankroll, Bag Lady the Cashier, Fran will provide the fire power (badabing!), while TBC and Myself will provide the distraction… Simultaneously TBC has inspired us to form Punk Supergroup – The Hitler Cats… Our raucous laughter is heard down the street by Audrey and Sandra who come in and join us for a while. Slowly we start to disperse I get back to the hotel at around about 4am and it’s at least two hours before the rest return (bearing in mind that we need to be on the bus to leave at 10.45!).
I just about manage to get up in time to make breakfast and meet up with some of the other Wonkers. After perspiring and being slightly dehydrated at the gig the night before, I ended up with cramp and am craving minerals. Surprisingly there is no salt available, I’m not sure if this is normal in France?! I ask one of the waiters who supplies me with some of the white powdery substance and implies rather humorously that it’s very Rock and Roll to be having Salt with my breakfast!
With 20 minutes to go I return to my room on the fifth floor to find my key is no longer working. I knock on the door to see if Henry is awake or still there but no reply. So I head to reception to get my key re-programmed.
Evidence of sleep deprivation part 4. I return to the room with 10 minutes until departure and discover Henry is still fast a kip. I apprise him of the situation thusly “Oi Henry you better get up mate, we’ve got 10 minutes till the bus leaves!” Henry responds accordingly. “F*ck!…”
Happy that he’s awake and getting it together I collect my stuff and head out to the bus. On the way I play knock-down-ginger on Bag Lady and Ravenette for one last time and also See Thru Being Cool. Aboard the bus, Owen asks if there’s anyone else to come so I inform him of the four I know of. The others arrive and lastly Henry makes it to the bus just in the nick of time to rapturous applause and we set off for Calais.
Part 4 – Homeward bound – Got the post Wonky Comedown Blues…
The party mood just keeps on keeping on… The wine flows freely. I share some of the supplies I’d bought the previous day with those who’d missed breakfast. While once again Pidge provides the DVD entertainment with the excellent Damned MGE 25th anniversary concert. Turkey Troter is in on the Hijack operation and will be providing the stockings… but somewhere along the way it all goes awry… We get distracted by the Rise and Fall of The Hitler Cats and their greatest hits such as “Un, Deux, Trois Cats!”, “Tumbleweed”, “Don’t Spurt!” and the cover of “Chanson d’amour”.
By the time we get to Calais the skies have clouded over and it appears to be a rather dull day, no complaints though as the weather has been with us for a beautiful mostly sunny weekend. We alight for passport control, I’m a little concerned as I look nothing like the short haired clean shaven chap in my passport photo of 8 years ago! I only hope that Henry’s skills at forgery stand up to the test… No need for concern as I sail through and the customs officer chats to me about when he used to have long hair!
Aboard the ferry we head straight for the bar, then a few of us decide to go up on deck, where we spend the rest of this leg of the journey; discussing The Hitler Cats, renacting scenes from Titanic and general other shenanigans; Inversions for me, gallons of wine for the rest and most of all laughing. Reports come back to us that those in the bar have found the MiB on the juke box and are extending the party below decks. Before we know it the klaxon sounds the announcement that it’s time to reassemble down to the lower decks for our arrival. A quick group wee then it’s back on the wonky bus to Blighty.
After a couple of drop offs in Kent we tunnel under the Thames into East London and work our way to Victoria. Lots of fond farewells then a group of us head for The Shakespeare to spend the time waiting for buses and trains later that day. Upon finding that the Shakespeare is closed I suggest the Wetherspoons in Victoria Station where we adjourn for a few final drinks. There’s a real sense of a slow come down but still a great buzz from the whole experience I stay for a while and eventually pootle off home (which is only a couple of stops for me)…
It’s nearly a week later as I finish these ramblings… I’m still not fully recovered and still buzzing!
Conclusion.
Top stuff!
Thanks to Owen and Jac, The band, The FiB and all involved in pulling off such a fab weekend. Here’s to the next time.
Over…
Stranglers Photography courtesy ofMarcel Van Oosterhout taken at Haarlem Patronaat 18th April 2014.
Gig Review – The Stranglers – Manchester Academy – 29th March 2014.
All Roads Lead to Manchester…
…the night before… Bag packed – check. Tickets – check.
Sleeptime… It all becomes Black and white…
Le Reve… We’re at the Lyceum Theatre, we get in early and get to the front but I need to go for a Pee… It’s all very surreal!!!
4 AM two hours before the alarm clock, tinkle! Whoosh!…
6 AM Beep beep etc… F*ck! I’m tired! Snooze…
6:40 AM better get up, have to leave by eight at the latest!…
8:35 AM Finally! Here we go out the front door…
8:42 AM Train station…
8:46 AM Board to London Victoria… Clickety clack clickety clack the sun is shining on Battersea…
08:56 AM Victoria going underground…
09:01 AM Victoria Line to Oxford Circus…
09:07 AM After a maze of tunnels take The Central Line to Perivale…
… Through the dark underbelly of the Metropolis; the beautiful world of Bond Street… 12 stops…
..the distorted reflection in the carriage window takes me back to dreamland…
09:25 AM A slight delay at White City and clickety clack… back on track…
09:35 AM Harry Bell station (actually it was Perivale but that’s speech recognition for you!) only five minutes late that’s bang on time in EiTC land…
Meet up with Antro and Sibling in Black …
10:00 AM Set sail on the old Black River…
Antro at the Tiller and SiB/EiTC sharing Crows Nest and FiB comms duties including planning a rendezvous with the top chap that is boshkins! (Forgot to warn him about EiTC time!) …
12 midday Toll road services pee break and packed lunch
1:20 PM Pappa Antro has a photo call with Ravenette and Bag Lady at Stafford services…
1:35 PM M6…Sat Nav Vs Elv Nav…
After a long protracted battle Elv Nav wins out – we’re not doing a f**in’ U turn!…
Proximity to a temporal Anomaly in the vicinity of Ravenette’s Sugar Tongs caused time to melt down and from there on we were winging it…
Arrived at Hyde and booked into our hotel where the lovely receptionist informed us that Golden Brown was indeed a Cliff Richard song!… After a nice cup of tea, a freshen up and a bout of Gladiators we’re gig ready and set out for the city centre…
SiB at the Tiller, Antro on Lens duties… Elv Nav vs Sat Nav, Sat Nav wins! Hands down!…
We arrive and head for The Jemmy to meet up with boshkins, sparta7, big al and quite a few others… Nice place, good grub/drinks, Great company… Then it’s off to the Oxford for a packed in Black catch up with lots more lovely people… Straighten Out, TBC, APOLLO79, Burn e77, Kathinboots and Pigeon to name a few… In the blink of an eye it’s time to get over to the venue for the main event…
We arrive as Nine Below Zero are Cranking out Woolly Bully and the whole place seems to be having a boogie… We weave our way closer to the front and before too long the lights dim… And they’re off!
It’s a great entrance combining the effect of the screens with the Punch of London Lady… JJ is sporting a fake moustache I wonder if it’s some kind of Gallic reference but SiB (more sensibly) thinks it was a tribute to Birthday Boy Dave and his classic 70’s fuzz!
Once the crowd start moving I find myself propelled forward where I stay for a while singing Karaoke style with a delightful lady named Samantha, who eventually has to exit toward the back as her fella Paul seems to be worse for wear with the heat. I stay for a while but get fed up with all the squabbling for squatting rights and to move forward (at one point a group of girls break into fisticuffs but it soon dies down), so I make my way back to the centre of the mosh pit where I find Antro busy papping the nights proceedings and the attitude and camaraderie far more civilised!
The crush is getting more intense – it’s hot and jam-packed in here tonight… The crowd are up for it and generally having a ball… Very briefly I see Alexinblack before we’re swept away with it all. Ditto Freddie Laker! The sound is great tonight and the band are clearly enjoying themselves… Dave dons a birthday hat and we all sing happy birthday. Jet joins in for a few numbers and is looking in far better shape than at Birmingham the week before. Baz is on form with his musical duties and attitude. JJ looks very happy and sounds great. While drummer Jim goes from strength to strength.
The slower part of the set is most welcome tonight giving the crowd a chance to cool off!
As much as the set does contain some more obscure numbers, it’s heartening to hear a fair number sing along for the whole two hours. Blimey two hours in a sweat box!
Before we know it we’re at Tank and tonight we get the double drum assault!
Highlights for me tonight are Peasant, Genetix and Dave’s Keys which sound great. Top gig. Easily the best of the three I managed this time around.
The crowd is very slow to move out and there’s a real party atmosphere as everyone gathers together for group photos and chinwags… Antro even manages to convince some of the house staff to get into the frame…
The party atmosphere continued, we rambled eventually to the delightful Big Hands Pub where the cool young crowd made the FiB most welcome even spinning some MiB for us and getting us all pogoing again… Time slipped into the future then it was the wee small hours and time for bed after a curry of course!
Finally it was EiTC at the Tiller (what were they thinking? Are they mad!) back to the hotel…
And all too briefly back to dreamland…
Before the return leg to Harry Bell!
Filmed in Antro-vision. Based on real life events….
The Stranglers Ruby Anniversary Tour – Birmingham O2 – 23rd March 2014
Crackle fizz pop buzz…
Hello!…
Crackle fizz hum…
Hello…
Click clack
If anyone can hear this transmission please pay attention…
Hum…
We came in search of The Oracle…
Hum fizz pop…
We ventured to Middle West of this un-enchanted island following information that we would encounter The Oracle there…
Buzz buzz…
We came upon the magical city of Birmingham in the heart of the Black Country but we encountered neither Oracle, Unicorn nor Cucumber…
Road weary, one of our number became most anxious as to the whereabouts of The Oracle…
We entered the heart of a Black Mass gathered at a local Inn known as The Crown… There we received a warm welcome and the reassurance that The Oracle was soon to be among our number…
Crackle hum fizz pop buzz…
I followed in the footsteps of the advanced party and made my way to the festivities at the Emporium known as The O2…
Inside this black dungeon the numbers quickly swelled to capacity.
After a fine performance from Nine Below Zero with their melodic old school R&B (and highly effective it is too!), it was time for the main event.
The Stranglers hit the stage for the Birmingham leg of their Ruby Anniversary Tour and it’s Bam Boom Bang … They’re on fire; London Lady and No More Heroes the opening 1-2 quickly followed by the swift Upper Cut of Coup De Grace. All of this gets the capacity crowds juices flowing and we’re set for the relentless two hour onslaught lapping up every note.
The choice of some of the bands more obscure material for the current set seems to go down well with the Birmingham crowd and the pace of the set, which slows down somewhat in the middle before picking up again for the final flourish, works perfectly well too!
Founding Father Jet Black joins the festivities for Golden Brown, Always the Sun and the masterpiece that is Genetix. JJ’s Bass really shines on this one tonight.
The mood of the band seems upbeat and they are tour tight. Drummer Jim is really doing a fine job of filling in for Jet. Baz is in the zone throughout as is Dave. Peasant being a highlight again for me plus Dave’s solo in Walk on By comes through loud and clear. Other highlights for me being Freedom is Insane and Norfolk Coast. A top show with a lively crowd. Alas no Jet on the encore for Tank but it was a great bonus to see him there at all to be fair… He did appear to be a little breathless truth be told. Then all too soon it was over…
As the numbers began to dwindle we did spy on the horizon The Oracle and paid her our respects… The Crown was once more visited before venturing out to the depths of India at The Royal Bengal….
What was once past has now come around again Full circle…
But the circle is not complete…
It is more spiral-like in its oscillations; ever spinning inward to smaller and smaller dimensions, while ever spinning outwards expanding to new horizons, both of these aspects simultaneously taking us on a journey to the now, the known and the unknown…
Infinite! Time rolls out in all directions; before us, after us, within us and without us…
And some are blessed with the ability to hear in colour…
It is said that those Synesthetes present to hear Saturday 8th March 2014 were unanimous in their reports of hearing only in Black…
Thus the events that unfolded on that day were to become known as Black Saturday or Saturday in Black, if you will!
There is much to report and little time in which to do so, unless of course one has access to a means of overcoming time itself (which as you may be aware is not without its own set of problems!). Since the advent of time travel this problem has presented itself. Although we can be present at any moment in time there is but a finite amount of seconds, minutes and hours in a lifetime with which to do it. So, one can never be present at every moment in time due to these finite limitations of the human lifespan. Having broken the confines of time, our greatest minds are now concentrated on the breadth of our own mortality within it. But, even with the ability to visit the future, the elixir of eternal youth still eludes us. Blessed are those that do not dwell in the past nor fear for the future but grasp the now for all it is worth! Thus having used an abundance of time with this last paragraph, I will endeavour to get on with it!
Black…
Part 1. The Black Hole of Upper Street.
Straighten Out Live at The Hope & Anchor Islington – Sat 8th March.
Inspired by the fact that spring was upon us, much to everyone’s relief after the damp murk of winter, (The Sunshine brought with it new hope, there’s always the sun, Always!) they descended into the darkness once more to be at one with the Blackness…
A black clad clan gathered from near and far to bear witness to a ceremonial performance by the finest tribute to the founding fathers of the cult of the Men in Black. This tribute known as Straighten Out marked the beginning of the day’s festivities in Black, in this, the Ruby Anniversary year of the said fathers’ foundation.
Down into the Black Hole of Upper Street, what better location to be at than The Hope and Anchor with its historical significance in the story of The Stranglers? Magic! This Cellar was buzzing with anticipation as the Black strains of Waltzinblack heralded the arrival of Straighten Out.
Shut Up! …
…started the proceedings, then IFLAW, followed by Ugly, the family were transfixed, the Synesthetes heard only black. Back to matters temporal, the band asked if anyone here was present in another (earlier) time… One or two replied in the affirmative including one of the legendary Finchley Boys.
If you’d squinted and opened your ears you’d have thought that you’d been transported back to that time of the late 1970’s 1976/7 or thereabouts… In fact the appearance of one Burn e77 leads one to believe that some temporal shenanigans may have been afoot! And we were in fact there then!
And the band played on through a mighty set list of MK1 favourites, I was chuffed to not only hear PITBS but also the excellent Dead Ringer, although in all fairness it was all great! The authenticity of this band really cannot be underplayed! Straighten out deliver the finest renditions of MK1 Stranglers this side of 1981. In fact the only people capable of doing a better job would be The MiB themselves.
We got a full set of back to back classics, replete with Growling P Bass, Jagged Telecaster, Swirling Mind-blowing Keyboards and Pounding Percussive excellence!
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house… No, seriously! It was so hot in there that the sweat was dripping off their brows…
Then they hit a hitch… Keyboardist Mick’s hand had seized up with a crippling cramp just as they were going into No More Heroes… Disaster!… Fortunately a lovely nurse was available to tend to the wounded Maestro*.
Meanwhile the band appealed to any erstwhile keyboardists in the audience. To everyone’s amazement and delight some plucky chap spoke up and said “I’ll do it!” And that’s exactly what he did – Cool as a cucumber, said audience member got up on stage and banged out an almost note perfect No More Heroes on the keyboard, much to the amusement of both band and audience alike!
Then they called it a day only missing out Down in The Sewer from their set list.
And the family were suitably primed for what would follow later that very same day…
They adjourned once more into the daylight to partake of some refreshment before the journey to the South and the West of the now! They shrugged off the Sea of Red that had descended upon them in the interim as it bore no significance to anything of any importance! Eventually the family clustered into smaller groups before taking the subterranean propulsion system toward Hammersmith and the next chapter of this story…
* During the performance I was fortunate enough to be standing right next to Keyboard player mick whose full on arpeggios and keyboard wizardry really are a sight to behold and also I’m happy to report that he was already feeling somewhat recovered after a short rest the very same afternoon.
BLACK…
Part 2. Hammersmith! Canadian Pigeons; Penguins: And Jackie Brown!
The Stranglers plus Nine Below Zero Live at The Hammersmith Apollo.
And so the black hordes issued from their temporary subterranean nest like a gigantic colony of human Soldier Ants. I took up my place with The Advanced Guard who positioned themselves in neat rows along the Front line. Meanwhile the Duke of Cornwall brought up the Rear!
Nine Below Zero took to the Stage and provided a solid set of straight up no nonsense R&B with a nod to Wilko Johnson they played an excellent rendition of Twenty Yards Behind. Tight! Is probably the best way to describe this band who sounded great in here tonight.
Toward the latter part of their set they were joined by Squeeze front man Glenn Tilbrook who played a fine mix of complementary Rhythm guitar coupled with some cool solos and the odd vocal line or two. Great Stuff!
The venue had now filled out to what looked and felt like capacity, hot and sweaty and nowhere to move. The air buzzed with anticipation awaiting the arrival of our Heroes.
BLACK
Some white noise crackles and interference on the screens gave way to the sound of Waltzinblack cranked through the PA… It sped up and slowed down while the screens came to life with the words of the Aural Sculpture Manifesto… a superb, inspired, atmospheric build up for the main event.
The band walked on and kicked into London Lady and the whole place just took off! What a great start to the set; short, sharp sweet! No let-up straight on to No More Heroes followed by the seldom aired Coup De Grace which sounded superb tonight.
The Stranglers had announced early on that they would be playing a song from each of their 17 studio albums on this their Ruby Anniversary tour. It seemed hard to believe they would achieve this goal but tonight they delivered admirably and then some… The band that keeps on giving, they played full on for around two hours tonight.
Was it You, Threatened and Summat Outa Nowt found JJ on fine form, followed by the awesome Peasant in The Big Shitty, one of my all-time favourites and certainly a highlight of the evening (there were so many!) with Dave’s commanding vocal performance.
Baz did a great job on Still Life and Midnight Summer Dream. All the while the screens giving us fast forward glimpses of the bands history along with shots of the fans during NMH. And some great trippy atmospheric graphics especially on Peasant and MSD! And drummer Jim was clearly really finding his feet with the subtler aspects of the beats in black and doing an all-round bang up job!
A slight pause….
JET BLACK
…The legendary founding fathers name rolled across the screens to the crowds delight. The master had joined the proceedings early tonight.
JET BLACK JET BLACK….
Golden Brown headed up Always The Sun with this Trio being rounded out by the suberb Genetix, with JJ’s bass rocking the place to its foundations along with impossible timing of the Drums and other instruments. Pure genius! Then as quickly as he had arrived he departed, handing the drum stool back to his worthy deputy.
Disco Dancing Delights could mean only one thing the superb Thrown Away while Never to Look Back completed another clutch of JJ songs. The band were firing on all cylinders and with songs like NTLB the current line-up really seem to be finding their mojo (not that they ever lost it!).
The set was so rich and varied tonight I’ll not go into full details (see attached graphic for that) a real treat for the fans with enough of a smattering of hits and classics to keep everyone happy. Once again Freedom is Insane proved itself a worthy modern classic.
Parched, I had to head off in search of refreshment during the first encore of Norfolk Coast, it presented me with a great chance to see the rest of the audience! The people were into it from the front to the back of the venue. Singing along and dancing. Everyone appeared up for it!
Earlier, we had been alerted to the presence of a Canadian Pigeon and saw such really enjoying the evening’s proceedings. Although the Missing Penguin did remain just that!
JET BLACK JET BLACK JET BLACK….
All too soon we were at the final encore and Jet was once more able to join in for the dual drum assault of tank. It really doesn’t get any better than this. Quite remarkable!
To summarize; the pace of the set was full on with a nice mix of light and dark (black) and the visual element was really great with the screens. I wish I had a rewind button and could go over it all again, the Directors cut… …but I lent the Sugar Tongs to Ravenette!
Slowly but surely we were ushered back out into the night from whence we came by the patient venue staff!
None wanted this evening to ever end and rightly so!
The Duke of Cornwall fell back at ease, while some of the others went back underground and a few of us brave souls ventured to India in search of nourishment.
We returned from India for a final report to the Duke before heading off, to a scene reminiscent of Jackie Brown, in search of Bag Lady’s Motor Vehicle.
The Black rubber hit the Black tar then the Black DMs hit the pavement and brought me home to drift off once more into the blackness!
Over and Out…
Black…
Thanks to Andy Miller for Photos of The Stranglers and to Audrey Grant for the Photo of The Stranglers set list.
