Distant audience recording. Clear but a bit back of the roomy. Mark sounds like he is another room.
Third gig of the new line-up with the returning Jim Watts and Spen Birtwistle. Definite muscular and rocky sound on this occasion. Ben released to do more lead work with Jim taking rhythm role and vice versa. Trafford is mostly inaudible.
Most of the material is played straight with little variation. Very proggy in places and feels a little rushed - especially when Spen pushes the beat on "Sparta". Very little of note to report until later on in the gig with a quaint Sparkys Magic Piano keyboard patch on "Mountain" and an excellent scabrous early version of "Blindness" with extended verbal dexterity, feedback, long lunar notes, and funky guitar licks. There is also a completely untogether version of "Wrong/Right" where Mark is singing one thing and the band another. "Spoilt Victorian Child" is commenced before "White Lightning" and abandoned, and then started after and abandoned with some caustic comments from Mark and then taken at a very fast pace. "Dr Bucks" starts and stops as Spen appears to be playing another song (ie its too fast) - when it actually gets going it's a mammoth heavy rock tour de force recalling "Solid Gold" era Gang of Four.
This is a competent gig however given the recording quality this is not essential unless you are a completist.
Third gig of the new line-up with the returning Jim Watts and Spen Birtwistle. Definite muscular and rocky sound on this occasion. Ben released to do more lead work with Jim taking rhythm role and vice versa. Trafford is mostly inaudible.
Most of the material is played straight with little variation. Very proggy in places and feels a little rushed - especially when Spen pushes the beat on "Sparta". Very little of note to report until later on in the gig with a quaint Sparkys Magic Piano keyboard patch on "Mountain" and an excellent scabrous early version of "Blindness" with extended verbal dexterity, feedback, long lunar notes, and funky guitar licks. There is also a completely untogether version of "Wrong/Right" where Mark is singing one thing and the band another. "Spoilt Victorian Child" is commenced before "White Lightning" and abandoned, and then started after and abandoned with some caustic comments from Mark and then taken at a very fast pace. "Dr Bucks" starts and stops as Spen appears to be playing another song (ie its too fast) - when it actually gets going it's a mammoth heavy rock tour de force recalling "Solid Gold" era Gang of Four.
This is a competent gig however given the recording quality this is not essential unless you are a completist.