Delta 5……Altered Images, Chameleons in the Hebrides, Fall. Conversations punctuated with oblique reference points
from several miss-spent pasts, spewed out in the Crown & Cushion prior to the gig Alex has put together for his
birthday.
Hedz Jellmo start the fun, with a dub drenched, echo laden 20 minute trip to more
tropical climes. Franscois on the mixing desk starts the evening as she continues,
producing a spot on sound for each of bands
Next up is Gary, AKA Badly Broken Finger, AKA Mentalist, bravely following the
maxim that the show must go on despite his handicap. Backing tapes help out, Gary's
powerful vocals even turning to a rendition of `Happy Birthday to You' dedicated to
Alex
With a crowd more substantial to the 8 or so that turned up at the Witchwood last
year, Ark turn in a bass driven display, even reprising their Madonna cover of
`Beautiful Stranger' that was served up @ the Girly Show
Approximately 10 years since the last time they
did, Dub Sex take to the stage and deliver a
blistering, brutal set. Playing around the
coruscating vocals of Mark Hoyle, they sound
vibrant and intense, making one wonder what
they must have been like all those years ago. Of course the audience did
contain a -limited edition- number of oldies who eagerly chanted the mantra
`Yes I've got the LP and 3 EP's'. Yes, I'm envious
Time for a change of style, and welcome to Gerd & The Volkswagons, a super
group that you will probably never have heard of and probably never will. For
one night only, Alex (birthday boy, vocals) Gary (Mentalist, vocals) Barry
(manager of Ark, bass), Paul (Ark, normally on drums but playing guitar) &
Calvin (Delta 5, drums) take to the stage. Certainly the good intentions were
there as they speed into `Shot by Both Sides' a grossly underrated track. With
only a small amount of eyes flickering across to the other players to see who
was driving this all star vehicle, it was carried off extremely well
Wonky Alice take proceedings into a different, more melodic fun loving, direction.
Even the sight of Yves Altana being heckled/complimented by Marie Luce Giordano
merely added to the intimacy of the occasion
One thing about the tonight's line up was that the only way you could pigeon hole it
would be by saying that there was a bit of everything for everyone. Thus Drift, whose
set of new electronica is a more laid back affair, played continually for 20 minutes,
the sound mutating seamlessly from one form to another.
Getting on for two o'clock, Superstring,
reverentially waiting until DJ `Max Axe
Murder' Bob on the decks has finished playing
Ceremony, kick off their blend of samples,
keyboards, bouncing bass and anything else
that can produce a sound to round off a
sparkling evenings entertainment.