Tuesday 29 May 2012

26th May 2012 - Buzzcocks - Brixton Academy

So, the Buzzcocks performing three sets firstly with their current line-up, then with their 'classic' line-up, and finishing up with their original line-up (featuring Howard Devoto) seems too good to miss right? I thought so anyway, and being absolutely determined not to miss a bally moment, I arrived at a somewhat sparsely populated Brixton Academy at about 7.30pm. No problem - gave me time for a pint.

A DJ who looked unsettlingly like Peter Buck (but wasn't) played a pretty inspired selection of punk and post-punk classics. It turned out that this was actually veteran music journalist and author Kris Needs. He did get a cheer when The Clash's White Man In Hammersmith Palais got stuck and  he swiftly managed to remedy the situation.

At 8.15pm four shadowy figures loped onto the stage, and the current line-up of the Buzzcocks tore into What Am I Supposed To Do from the All Set album. Steve Diggle is still a complete guitar hero, making an immediate connection with the audience. Pete Shelley has a somewhat less animated stage presence, whilst the rhythm section give a workman-like performance. The more recent songs (and by that I mean post-1990) compare well with the songs from the band's heyday, but frankly they're not what the audience have come to hear, and gradually people start disappearing to the bar and not coming back. It's actually a bit of a relief when this section of the gig ends. This is not really the band's fault, but the material in the first set was probably unknown to the greater part of the audience. Still, I suppose they got the kind of response that most support bands receive.

The second set is a completely different story. If the Academy isn't sold-out it gives a damn fine impersonation of somewhere that is. The contrast between the performances of the two line-ups is astonishing. You realise in retrospect that bassist Chris Remmington in particular looked as if he was just doing a job. He could almost have been playing The Birdy Song for all the enthusiasm that he conveyed. Steve Garvey's stage presence in comparison is only slightly less flamboyant than Steve Diggle's! John Maher definitely appears to be feeling the music, and his drumming in Moving Away From The Pulsebeat is superlative.

Something else that hits you is the sheer quality of the Buzzcocks' back catalogue. Not only did they have an impressive run of singles between 1977 and 1979, the album tracks they play could also have been singles: Fiction Romance, Fast Cars, Hollow Inside, Get On Our Own and Autonomy to name a few. Then there's the singles that have become classics: I Don't Mind, What Do I Get?, and Everybody's Happy Nowadays get given a good seeing-to. There's even the latter day hit that wasn't: Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore from 1980.

Pete Shelley seemed less entertained by Steve Diggle's antics than the audience was. Somebody chucked a plastic pint glass onstage and Diggle asked him to come up onstage if he was so brave, and he'd "wrap one of these champagne bottles around yer head". It did appear that he got through two bottles of champagne during the course of the gig, and he was noticeably more pissed as it progressed. Still - it didn't affect his singing or playing, and he windmilled like Pete Townshend! The classic line-up finished their main set and encored with Harmony In My Head, Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) and Orgasm Addict.

Now it was the turn of the original line-up (comprising Pete Shelley on guitar, Steve Diggle on bass, John Maher on drums and Howard Devoto on vocals) to perform the Spiral Scratch EP. Pete Shelley used the guitar (now missing about a third of its body) that he used for the recording of the EP. I don't know whether it's age, but Howard Devoto's vocals sound much richer than in the past. They still suit the songs though, Breakdown and Boredom working particularly well. They encore with what sounds like I Can't Control Myself bringing an excellent gig to an end.

However, this may have been a worrying evening for Shelley and Diggle, as there is a definite gulf in terms of quality between the current and classic Buzzcocks line-ups. I don't know what Garvey and Maher are doing for a living now but playing in the Buzzcocks must be a lot more fun, and probably just as lucrative. Well lads? How about it?

25th May 2012 - The Primitives + The School - London Borderline

The Primitives re-formed last year to play in memory of their recently deceased former bassist Steve Dullahan, and enjoyed playing again so much that they decided to continue as a band. They recruited new bassist  Ralph Moore and recorded an album of carefully chosen covers entitled "Echoes and Rhymes".

However, before we get to see the 21st Century version of The Primitives we are to be entertained by The School. The School are a seven-piece from Cardiff who have been supporting The Primitives for the last five dates of their tour. The band comprise a singer (Liz Hunt) who also plays keyboards, electric and acoustic guitarists (the acoustic guitarist also plays recorder and xylophone), bassist, violinist and trumpeter.

The plethora of instruments on stage makes one fear that this could all get a bit messy, but nothing could be further from the truth. The band's performance is both tight and deservedly assured. The set is reasonably varied. The first song comes over all jangly-pop with the guitarist's Johnny Marr indebted sound, Liz Hunt's honeyed vocals and farfisa sounding keyboard. The next song however has a real Stax / Motown feel powered along by insistently choppy chords from the Tele. Yet another song has a clear Velvets influence.

Something all of the songs have are great pop hooks. Liz Hunt's vocals have a certain purity which emphasises the melodies. She has very confident inter-song banter too. The band's assured performance is all the more surprising when it emerges towards the end of the set that the drummer and guitarist are standing in!

The School are an excellent pop band with loads of potential, if only as providers of a great night out! See for yourselves when they play at The Queen Of Hoxton on 12th June.

Finally it's time for The Primitives! Ralph Moore takes the stage first, followed by Paul Court and then Tig Williams. They start up a riff and then they're joined by Tracy Tracy. If it wasn't for the grins on the band's faces this could all be a bit showbiz, but it's obviously tongue in cheek.

They start off with Till You Say You'll Be Mine (by Jackie De Shannon) from the new album and it's like they've never been away. They're tight and energetic. Tracy is in great voice and has lost nothing as a frontwoman. She is still very kittenish, though this perception may have been helped by the bow in her hair which looked like ears!

Although Spacehead and Sick Of It follow, the set is heavily weighted in favour of the new album. This is no bad thing as it makes the point that The Primitives are alive and kicking as a band and not just an oldies act. However, this thought was swiftly barged out of the way by Thru The Flowers "from the old indie days"! This was followed by "Single Girl", which my mate tells me is a classic from 1965 by Sandy Posey. Obviously a classic that I haven't heard. It's a cracking song - good choice Prims!

Their disappointing third album Galore isn't ignored and You Are The Way gets an airing, sounding way better live than it did on vinyl. We get a run of three songs from the new album (including Panic for which the band are joined by the ladies from The School on backing vocals) before the band dip into the classics from their back catalogue: Stop Killing Me, Way Behind Me and an absolutely storming version of Crash (which is preceded by Nico's I'm Not Saying). Apparently The Primitives were huge in Japan and there are a large number of Japanese fans present, some of whom hold aloft 12" single sleeves of Crash when that's performed.  The set ends with two more songs from the new album, but it's not long before they come back to crash through "Buzz Buzz Buzz" and "Really Stupid".

All in all this was a great evening for both band and audience. If the covers they've chosen for their new album are an indication of the direction they'll take when they record some new originals then we're in for a bit of a treat. The band have obviously matured, but their new material sits well with their effervescent classics.