Kindred Spirit Gig Reviews 1983-4

When writing my fanzines there was a heavy emphasis on providing coverage to the local music scene and up and coming bands, but I also chose to include a smattering of well established bands and artists.

This post includes gig reviews featured in issues 3 and 4 of five of those well established bands and performers along with some background information and other memorabilia. Reading back over the reviews now 35+ years further on down the line they provide a really interesting snapshot of the era in which they were written.

The reviews are as follows:

1 - The Police - Leeds Queens Hall 
2 - The Clash - Brixton Academy
3 - The Smiths - Hull University
4 - Robert Plant - Sheffield City Hall
5 - Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Belfast Maysfield Leisure Centre 

So, let's start the ball rolling with a review of The Police at Leeds Queens Hall from December 1983.

I didn’t write this review but I was at the same gig. It was part of the Synchronicity tour and I was pleased as punch when I managed to find a full audio recording of the very gig I was at on You Tube. Here’s the link if you fancy having a trip down memory lane and reliving it. 

The set list was as follows:

Synchronicity I
Synchronicity II
Walking In Your Footsteps
Message In A Bottle
O My God
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Wrapped Around Your Finger
Tea In The Sahara
Hole In My Life
Spirits In The Material World
Invisible Sun
One World (Not Three)
King Of Pain
Don't Stand So Close To Me
Every Breath You Take
Murder By Numbers
Roxanne
Can't Stand Losing You/Regatta De Blanc
So Lonely

The following review was written by Neil and appeared in issue 3 of Kindred Spirit:

We arrived at the Queens Hall as the support band were leaving the stage and after a 60 mile drive in a Fiat 126 we were ready for anything!

It was only a matter of minutes before Sting & Co dashed on to the stage – the aforementioned blonde gentleman clad in “heavy” leather jacket – and began to leap around the stage singing two hitherto unknown songs, to me anyway.

‘Message In A Bottle’ followed and the crowd really started to move, but the leaps and bounds we were treated to earlier were no more, as the song was now warming the crowd sufficiently. ‘Message In A Bottle’ did nothing for me, but that was probably due to the appalling sound in the Queens Hall. Leeds Council had the best use for that place 50 years ago. Shame the trams no longer sleep there.

Then came ‘Walking On The Moon’. For this one Sting played a weird looking electronic double bass and we start to feel the reggae coming through. Towards the end of the song Sting, with steam swirling round his ankles took to the front of the stage shouting “yo-yo-yo!” This really indulged the front row screamers and saw many people clambering up the Victorian pillars for a better view of the three heroes.

‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’ and gosh… articles of clothing were flying stage-ward. But super cool, mega hero Sting carried on as though it was all in an evening’s work. At this point also I spotted three female backing vocalists, not really making their presence felt and going through some simple dance routines.

 

For the next few songs the band seem to chip down a couple of gears. By the 11^th or 12^th number the only constructive thing to enter my mind was “God I need a pint!” I think it was around this time I noticed that a fourth member of the band – another guitarist.

What is he doing? I thought. All was soon to be revealed.

Summers broke into an excellent lead break whilst guitarist number three filled in the gaps. I began to wake up again. The stage lights were getting better (up to this point they had been terrible), Summers was radiating enough cool to keep the temperature right down. The 15^th song was a non descript version of  ‘Every Breath You Take’. Once again, our enthusiasm was waning – at an all time low in fact – when it happened.

“RAWX…ANNE!” One word and the audience were alive again, myself included. The band were really moving at last. This was what we were here for… Then they left the stage.

Upon their return they started with ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’, Sting was bare chested and further indulging the screamers at the front. The lighting again was good and the band soon whipped the audience up to a climax with a wild stage routine that would have gone down well at a Motorhead gig.

After this heavy free for all, they broke into ‘Ilkley Moor Bar Tat’, more “yo-yos”, then back to ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’. A grand finale and they were gone.

After a few shouts for more they came back with ‘So Lonely’, the backing girls at last making their presence felt. The song digressed into improvisations and returned to ‘So Lonely’, then that was it.

I think for a band the size of The Police the stage show was weak. The entire first ¾ of the gig was tinged with frustration and expectation. Was it worth standing through a tepid ¾ for the last three or four songs? I think not, but for me (unlike over half the audience) The Police had something to prove. Unfortunately they failed.

Next we have a review published in issue 4. It was of a March 1984 gig by The Clash at Brixton Academy. It was one of a series of UK dates they played on the Out of Control tour.

It’s interesting to note the tone of the review is fairly lacklustre and I think this can be attributed to the fact that the gig took place not long after Mick Jones and Terry Chimes (who replaced Topper Headon) had left the band.

The line up for the tour was Joe Strummer (vocals/guitar), Vince White (guitar/vocals), Nick Sheppard (guitar/vocals), Paul Simonon (bass/vocals), and Pete Howard (drums).

I managed to find the full setlist for the gig as well as stacks of other interesting Clash related stuff over at the Black Market Clash site. 

London Calling 

Safe European Home 
Are Your Ready For War 

Rock the Casbah 

Ammunition 

Know Your Rights 

This is England 

Clampdown 

Guns of Brixton 

The Dictator 

Magnificent 7 

Sex Mad War 

Clash City Rockers 

Police and Thieves 

Three Card Trick 

Janie Jones 

I Fought the Law 

We are the Clash 

Brand New Cadilac 

Tommy Gun 

Bankrobber 

Complete Control 

White Man in Ham Palais 

Police on My Back 

Garageland

The review below was written by Jeff Hutchin and I remember when I read through it feeling a little sad that the one and only time I’d been able to feature the mighty Clash in one of my fanzines it was at a time when they were in a state of flux. Honesty was always my policy though and I printed exactly what was sent to me warts and all!

Here it is…

“An’ I wanna hit the town to the Clash City Rockers.”

The return of The Clash minus Mick Jones. Spoilt rock star he may have been but he was always responsible for the rhythmic, tuneful background of Strummer’s ever attacking words.

Predictably they opened with ‘London Calling’. Three guitars bash out the riff sounding tight and full of tension, but it wasn’t difficult to see they were not at their best.

“Don’t you ever stop long enough to start, get your car outa gear.”

The drums hammered into Sandanista’s high point – ‘The Magnificent Seven’. The drummer does not have Topper Headon’s obvious technical ability or the huge Terry Chimes beat, but he held the sound together okay whilst everyone else crashed around the stage. They certainly came across well on the visual side.

Strummer worked hard across the stage, a microphone stand hooked over his shoulder. He blew a fuse at someone spitting at him.

‘Clash City Rockers’ finally saw them fully take off and they seemed to know it.

The Clash returned with revenge and vengeance, but the real test comes on the vinyl front. The bunch of new songs sounded catchy and hard edged but as usual with The Clash, they were not helped by the awful sound.

Do they ever bother with soundchecks I wonder?

The third review is one of my own offerings written after seeing The Smiths at Hull University in March 1984. The support slots for the tour were shared by The Telephone Boxes, Billy Bragg, The Redskins and  Hull's very own Red Guitars. However none of these bands supported at the Hull gig. In fact I've racked my brains and I don't recall seeing any support acts at all. 

The mystery was cleared up a short while ago (and I'm kicking myself now) when I discovered it was in fact Paul Heaton and Stan Cullimore of The Housemartins who were the support artists that night. The reason we must have missed them was because the Hull University Union had a habit of putting smaller bands on a smaller stage. This meant Paul and Stan played in a different room to The Smiths.   

A poster from the same tour

Now before going any further I should mention that my view of The Smiths’ performance was rather tarnished, hence the lukewarm nature of the review. The reason for this was because we approached the band for an interview after the show, but to our dismay the only response we got from them was (and I quote) “we’re not pop stars y’know – go away!”

This came as a huge disappointment because as I understood it the band were normally very accommodating when it came to doing interviews for fanzines. Obviously it just wasn’t our night! A missed opportunity, but thankfully they were the only band we ever approached who refused us an interview.

To counterbalance I would like to share with you the blog of my Twitter friend, Angie Cooke who is a lifelong fan of The Smiths and Morrissey. It is a goldmine of information!

The set list from the gig was as follows:

Hand in Glove

Still Ill

Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now

This Charming Man

Girl Afraid

Pretty Girls Make Graves

This Night Has Opened My Eyes

Barbarism Begins At Home

Back To The Old House

What Difference Does It Make

Reel Around The Fountain

You’ve Got Everything Now

Handsome Devil

I found a rare picture of the "Sold Out" poster which was stuck on the doors at Hull University on the night of the gig. It is on the Manchester Digital Music Archive site. My guess is there were plenty of similar signs pinned on the doors of pretty much every venue The Smiths played on this tour. I clearly remember a lot of very disappointed people being turned away the night we saw them.

An audio recording of the gig has been posted on You Tube. The memories came flooding back immediately when I listened to it!

So without further ado, here’s the review:

Had we been allowed the opportunity to have a chat with ol’ Morrissey and the boys after viewing their performance, one of the questions I would have liked to have asked would have quite simply been “what difference did it make?”

Before wandering within 100 miles of Hull University they must have known what lay in store. A full (almost claustrophobic) house, a relaxed and contented audience (most of them suffering from something called post exam fever), waves of gratitude and relief that chart/Smash Hits stars like The Smiths should actually take the trouble to play a mere university gig… Need I go on?

After waiting outside for 45 minutes and being pressed up against the glass doors like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon we all held out high hopes.

At 10.30 pm the foursome took to the stage amidst natural green lights. They started the crowd a-reeling with ‘Hand In Glove’.

They ploughed on quite contentedly for a further 30 minutes without a murmur. No feeling, no variation. Mournfully melodic, Morrissey stooping down to view the audience from all angles, his arms swinging around like the hands of a grandfather clock.

The only breaks in the monotony were inevitably ‘This Charming Man’, ‘What Difference Does It Make’ and another poppy little number I wasn’t familiar with, but which prompted Johnny Marr to join Morrissey for a boogie.

After being on the stage for 35 minutes, it was time for the final encore.

Half of Kew Gardens were dragged across the stage to the strains of ‘Handsome Devil’, which raised a cheer or two and quite definitely pleased the masses. But just as things were beginning to warm up a little, the lights went on, the daffodils were handed out and a voiced over the loudspeaker mumbled something to the effect of “that’s your lot folks!”

There was an unmistakeable feeling of emptiness floating around as everyone was hustled out of the large room. Heads kept turning back towards the stage in disbelief. Had we really paid £5 for that?

And as for The Smiths, well what difference does it make?

Fourth on the list is a review of a December 1983 gig Robert Plant played at Sheffield City Hall as part of the Principle of Moments tour. I did not go to this gig but I remember somebody I worked with at the time, who was a massive Led Zeppelin fan who was unable to concentrate on what he was doing on the day of the gig, he was fizzing with excitement so much.

I managed to find an image of a ticket from the gig. 

I couldn't help but smile when I read the conditions of sale, especially the part where it says “no cameras..."

Yes there really was a time when you went to a gig to watch and listen minus the use of any electronic devices! Sorry - grumpy old woman moment!

Here is the set list from the tour:

In The Mood

Pledge Pin

Messin' With The Mekon

Worse Than Detroit

Moonlight In Samosa

Fat Lip

Thru' With The Two Step

Other Arms

Horizontal Departure

Wreckless Love

Slow Dancer

Like I've Never Been Gone

Big Log

Burning Down One Side

Stranger Here... Than Over There

I also found this audio recording of one of the gigs on the same tour.

The review below featured in Kindred Spirit issue 3 and was written by Sally:

Well let’s be honest folks, the audience had come solely to see Robert Plant. He could have just stood there for two hours and everyone would still have cheered (myself included). However favouritism aside, here is a completely unbiased (!) review of the concert.

On the stage early, he started with his new single ‘In The Mood’, which appeared to get the audience into a relaxed frame of mind ready for the onslaught. He stuck adamantly to material from his two albums only, despite persistent requests for Led Zeppelin numbers from the front row. His only ventures into other realms of song being instrumental breaks, and at one point a reggae tune which was not readily appreciated, but at least he’d tried.

Although his new material is good and comes over well on stage, it was obvious that not all members of the band showed Robert’s enthusiasm for it. The tended to wander off at tangents of their own and consequently, not all of the songs were all together all of the time. Fortunately this didn’t happen often enough to become either noticeable or a problem.

Excellent renditions of ‘Pledge Pin’, ‘Wreckless Love’ and ‘Like I’ve Never Been Gone’ allowed Robbie Blunt to display his expertise on lead guitar, a thing not always apparent on the slower numbers which rely on drums, keyboards and of course vocals.

‘Horizontal Departure’ let Robert indulge himself and the audience in his vocals, incorporating well worn phrases from ages past into the song. I’m glad to say these were only momentary lapses, much appreciated but better left in their own era.

Rounding off the set with a stunning version of ‘Slow Dance’, they left the stage with the audience shouting for more, which of course they duly got with the obligatory encore of ‘Big Log’ and ‘Burning Down One Side’. Things weren’t over yet however. Despite what Mr Plant may have thought Sheffield had other plans as they dragged him back for a rendition of ‘Stranger Here… Than Over There”, further indulging the audience in Zeppelin nostalgia as he drifted into ‘Whole Lotta Love’. Guaranteed to turn the most frigid to jelly.

This may be the new Robert Plant but the old one is still lurking beneath the surface, with a stage presence unchanged. Although the band is still in its infancy and therefore not without teething problems, they managed to overcome this with all the professional ease you would expect from Robert Plant.

Last but by no means least is a review of a Kid Creole and the Coconuts gig which took place at Maysfield Leisure Centre in Belfast. The gig is dated 1983 and I stand corrected but I think it was part of the Lifeboat Party tour. I’ve struggled to find much information about it, so any additions would be more than welcome.

The review was written for us by Martin, who if my memory serves me correctly was the creator of the excellent Youth Anthem fanzine. 

I can’t move on without expanding a little further.

In researching this article I came across an amazingly informative website about the punk scene in Ulster 1977-1982. It is called Spit Records and includes among other things a full feature about some of the brilliant Irish fanzines there were around at the time. Youth Anthem was one of these.

The review…

Very few bands grace these battered shores with their presence, so it is always gratifying when one does make the effort. Especially when they take the shape of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, who are arguably the world’s best live band.

This concert was to be held in the King’s Hall, the city’s largest hall but bad ticket sales forced the venue to be changed to the comparatively small Maysfield Leisure Centre. This speaks volumes for Belfast concert goers. Okay, so some may say that £7.50 is expensive for a ticket, but considering the band were on stage for 2 ½ hours, it’s good value. And what a show! It would be worth pointing out at this stage that I met various members of the band both before and after the concert which only added to the night.

Most bands look at concerts as an opportunity to play a few songs, but KC&C take it so much further. Each song is acted out, giving each band member a chance to show their many talents. They almost go too far. On a couple of occasions the music almost seemed to take second place to the goings-on on stage.

The other criticism I had concerned the overall sound. The volume was loud (I’m not complaining about that!) which only added to the hardness of the sound. It was thump-thump all evening, which meant that most of the subtleties of the recorded versions were lost.

KC&C are one of those bands who will always be remembered for their live shows as opposed to their records. Certainly I have found their albums patchy affairs. The latest album ‘Doppelganger’ is curiously under-highlighted with only five tracks.

Despite these patchy albums they still have a very strong catalogue of songs: ‘No Fish Today’, ‘Dear Addy’ and ‘Loving You Made A Fool Out Of Me’ are all gems, and they weren’t even played!

Personal highlights were ‘Stool Pigeon’, ‘Lifeboat Party’ and ‘Ticket To The Tropics’.

Throughout the show we were treated to the antics of Kid’s sidekick – Coati Mundi. Although I admit to not going a bundle on his music, I found him extremely funny.

All too soon the show was over and the happy crowd made their way home – many of them aware of the fact that this was the best concert they had ever seen.

Wow! That was another wonderful trip down memory lane for me. I hope you enjoyed reading it too. As always any comments are more than welcome.

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