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Unsung Forum » The Canterbury Sound, 20/10/06 |
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Fitter Stoke 2615 posts |
Oct 22, 2006, 23:46
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Friday saw Canterbury's first ever official acknowledgement of the extended family of musical stalwarts, eccentrics and geniuses that had put the city on the musical map over more than four decades. That evening, the lovely Marlowe Theatre played host to three acts that included many of the chief protagonists of the Canterbury Scene, none of whom had lost any of the invention, edge and charm that had graced so many memorable concerts and cherished records over so many years. Despite the collective absence of original headliners Caravan (who had pulled out due to drummer Richard Coughlan's ill health) and the inevitable shadow cast over the event by the recent deaths of Elton Dean and Pip Pyle, a seven hundred mile round trip for yours truly was amply rewarded by, to quote one of the mainstay's own album titles, "an evening of magic". Part MC'd by best-selling author Jonathan Coe, no less, the concert kicked off with a delightful set of covers by The Puffins, a loose little acoustic combo jointly led by long-time Caravanners Geoff Richardson and Jim Leverton. Though the likes of Ronnie Lane's 'How Come' and the Traveling Wilburys' 'End Of The Line' were hardly what the sell-out crowd were expecting, the joy and grace with which they were dispatched quickly dispersed any genre snobbery therein - and a fine rendering of David Sinclair's 'Disassociation' near the end put things nicely into context. Check them out supporting Barclay James Harvest in your town soon. What came next couldn't have been more different - but any combo including members of Gong, Soft Machine and Henry Cow was hardly going to be mainstream! Brainville began their set with a fabulous freeform piece highlighting the gut-wrenching bass of Hugh Hopper, the alternately powerhouse and delicate drumming of Chris Cutler, and tape - making an AMM-like melee that had jaws dropping en masse...and this before antipodean godfather Daevid Allen had even entered the stage. Once fully constituted, this slightly further-out-than-Pluto combo treated all present to an all-too-short set of Soft Machine and Gong gems, including a delightfully chaotic rendering of 'I've Been Stoned Before' (touchingly dedicated by Allen to Pip Pyle) and a 'Dynamite'/'We Did It Again' medley enhanced with brasswork from Hugh Hopper's missus. Cutler's drumming was simply awesome throughout, and when Daevid gets that surgical glissando thing in his hands, it is as Elvis would have it, all she wrote. Life enhancing, no less, and something to brag to your grandchildren that you saw and heard. Caravan's regretful absence notwithstanding, it was probably appropriate that an event billed as 'The Canterbury Sound' was ultimately headed by Hatfield and the North, since they represent - to this punter, at any rate - the epitome of the scene: rock, jazz, avant garde and pop elements bonded together into an inventive yet unpretentious, fun-filled and unique whole. And to see Richard Sinclair, Phil Miller, Alex Maguire and Mark Fletcher doing their thang on home turf was a joy to behold. 'Share It' got things going, prefacing a varied set that included 'What's Rattlin', Pip's glorious 'Seven Sisters', a heavier-than-Sabbath 'Nan True's Hole' (enlivened in no small way by guest Doug Boyle's best Satrianiesque metal pyrotechnics), 'Underdub' (again featuring Boyle, handling the intricate melody while composer Phil Miller took care of the rhythm duties), 'Calyx' (superbly sung by Richard) and a beautiful 'Halfway Between Heaven and Earth'/'It Didn't Matter Anyway' medley that closed the set proper. A feather light, tear-inducing cover of Matching Mole's 'God Song', sung to perfection by Richard, was the only encore, he and Phil Miller giving each other what I fear was a valedictory hug before leaving the stage to loving applause. If this was indeed Hatfield's last ever gig, then they went out in style. No-one left that theatre without a smile on their face: I kid you not. An evening of magic indeed. And if there's anyone from Canterbury Council reading this, please can we have a concert like this every year? I do believe that anywhere else in Britain would be proud to boast a musical heritage as rich as this one. Let's make the most of it while most of its creators are still fit and well enough to perform!
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Valve 1736 posts |
Oct 23, 2006, 13:50
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Nice one. This, by yer man Coe, appeared in the Guardian on Friday: http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1926051,00.html
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horazio 433 posts |
Oct 24, 2006, 10:18
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I'm truly sympathetic of ur offer to the Canterbury Council. Many people in here would've been more than happy to be in attendance. 'an all-too-short set of Soft Machine and Gong gems, including a delightfully chaotic rendering of 'I've Been Stoned Before' (touchingly dedicated by Allen to Pip Pyle) and a 'Dynamite'/'We Did It Again' What a remarkable moment this had been alone!
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Fitter Stoke 2615 posts |
Oct 24, 2006, 18:46
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A remarkable moment indeed, in a concert containing a thousand more remarkable moments. I don't suppose anyone out there has it bootlegged...?
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