Good quality audience recording - Mark is a tad distant at times. Some records have "Hey Student" as also being played but I dont seem to have that on the version I have.
This is a tight muscular performance with some excellent renditions particularly a completely over the top "Two Librans" and a sultry "Bucks". However Marks lack of presence tends to distract and what might be regarded at an exemplary recording loses a few brownie points.
Starting with an exceptional funky "WB" which is unfortunately very short we get a very shouty/loud version of "Touch" followed by an on the button "Joke". "Billy" is typically raucous and probably the best version of the number I have heard to date given that it sort of works in the context of a Fall gig. "Foldin" takes a while to get started, has minimal audience participation, and nicely sloppy in a good way. "Temperance" is magnificent - a steamroller bludgeoning its way across the dancefloor.
"Antidotes" is a mass of constipated grungy sound with effective howling from MES - again an exceptional reading on the edge of falling apart but not quite. "And therein" leads to the guitar being turned down ever so slightly but this is still a brutal version....Mark repeats the first line and then gets into it. The guitar solo but is a bit naff due to slight tuning irregularities. "Way round" is all swirling synth and pulsing rhythm....followed by an excellent restrained "Birthday" full of melancholy....Mark is actually quite audible for this. We get the heavy metal version of "Eve" which a mass of inchoate noise followed by a relentless "Ketamine" which gets to sound something like the Swans in parts.
Baleful noise, DAT drums, analogue beeps, the sound of distressed pigeons, the synth riff from "Free Range", its mostly Julia and Spencer and with no vocals. A great fallabilly version of "Insekt" is held together by Spencer as Julia plays monstrous chords on the synth and the band meanders slightly and Mark barks. An atonal keyboard splurge starts "Paintwork" which feels a little ponderous and tends to take a while to get started as Mark does not start until 1:50 in but when he does he has it down great. A chipper "Serum" concludes matters, loses its form in parts but generally very good. Mark joins in for the last minute.
This is a great - a pity the vocals were not captured more effectively
This is a tight muscular performance with some excellent renditions particularly a completely over the top "Two Librans" and a sultry "Bucks". However Marks lack of presence tends to distract and what might be regarded at an exemplary recording loses a few brownie points.
Starting with an exceptional funky "WB" which is unfortunately very short we get a very shouty/loud version of "Touch" followed by an on the button "Joke". "Billy" is typically raucous and probably the best version of the number I have heard to date given that it sort of works in the context of a Fall gig. "Foldin" takes a while to get started, has minimal audience participation, and nicely sloppy in a good way. "Temperance" is magnificent - a steamroller bludgeoning its way across the dancefloor.
"Antidotes" is a mass of constipated grungy sound with effective howling from MES - again an exceptional reading on the edge of falling apart but not quite. "And therein" leads to the guitar being turned down ever so slightly but this is still a brutal version....Mark repeats the first line and then gets into it. The guitar solo but is a bit naff due to slight tuning irregularities. "Way round" is all swirling synth and pulsing rhythm....followed by an excellent restrained "Birthday" full of melancholy....Mark is actually quite audible for this. We get the heavy metal version of "Eve" which a mass of inchoate noise followed by a relentless "Ketamine" which gets to sound something like the Swans in parts.
Baleful noise, DAT drums, analogue beeps, the sound of distressed pigeons, the synth riff from "Free Range", its mostly Julia and Spencer and with no vocals. A great fallabilly version of "Insekt" is held together by Spencer as Julia plays monstrous chords on the synth and the band meanders slightly and Mark barks. An atonal keyboard splurge starts "Paintwork" which feels a little ponderous and tends to take a while to get started as Mark does not start until 1:50 in but when he does he has it down great. A chipper "Serum" concludes matters, loses its form in parts but generally very good. Mark joins in for the last minute.
This is a great - a pity the vocals were not captured more effectively