A chance too good to miss

[eborr]

I was Internet browsing the seven days ago, and I came across a group called the Humans who are composed of Toyah Wilcox, Philip Wong and Bill Reiflin, who is known as the drummer with REM.

I noticed that they were undertaking an inaugral UK tour but not coming anywhere near home.

I then delved a bit further and noticed that they were doing a warm-up gig in a church some 35 miles from home, at which point possibilities became apparent. Continuing my reading I noticed that Robert Fripp (aka Mr Wilcox, who be proving guitar accompniment).

In the last article there was an email addy so I dashed of a note and low and behold I got a reply next day with the offer of two tickets.

Deep, deep joy, a chance to see two rock gods in a 12th Century church, less than a hour from home at no cost.

I didn't want to say anything too my wife as firstly I had to secure a baby sitter. Due to the nature of my family there is only one person we can really trust to babysit, my eldest son, so my next action was to chekc his availibily and fortunately he could help.

Thus on saturday I got up really early did all the shopping and came back and gave my wife the joyous news, without telling her exaclty who we were going to see - she is not a massive Fripp fan and thinks that Toyah is pretty awful.

We go to the Church in reasonable time, and joined the q round the building, it was freezing outside and there was a mild dusting of snow, neither were really dressed for the cold so things were a wee bit chilly. The demographics of the crowd were stange, not the sort of people you would normally associate with a rock and roll show- 80% appeared to be made up of the parish council and other worthies.

Unfortunately I have no photos for you because the email invite explicitly requested no photography and it would have been very ill-mannered not to respect that.

As we went through and took our seats in the nave, there was still no mention of who the group was =- and until Fripp walked in the love of my life had no suspicion of the entrapment.
And then when Toyah walked in looking pretty much as she did in the 80's a combination of cosmetic surgery ald lack of taste - then there was definately a little inter-marital tension in the air.

After a typical amibiant soundscape the group proper opened up, essentially the music format is 2 bass guitars, some samples and Toyah warbling over the top - which apart from the singing appeals to me- every now and then Fripp played some stringent guitar lines, including occasional references to his work in King Crimson.

Most of the music were original compositions which I thought were just a bit too long, in other words most contained interesting ideas, but they over-used and over-stretched them.

The best bits were the two covers at the end, "These Boots are made for walking" and "purple haze". Fripp did cut loose just a bit during the latter, and the comparison with the other great left handed from the late 60's. In summary a really good evening seeing some great musicians in an audience of a couple of hundred people

[axordil]

I recall a Ben Folds Five concert I took my now-wife to when we were first dating. She married me in spite of it.

Most of the music were original compositions which I thought were just a bit too long, in other words most contained interesting ideas, but they over-used and over-stretched them.

Now that would remind me of his days in King Crimson. But you know, there's a place for overwrought. I may go poke around on iTunes now...

[Inanna]

Oh wow, eborr, intimate audiences are so much better for music.

I still kick myself - third eye blind - played in a small theater in my university town. And I came to know of it the next day. What an opportunity I missed.