UCCA Bar, Canterbury
UCCA Bar, Canterbury, 21st March 2006
This looks likely to be our last gig with soon-to-emigrate drum-maestro Luke Willis. It was also our first with multi-instrumental drum/bass/keyboard wizard Leo Cookman, tonight appearing on bass with Pretty Bones (Das Zumas being unavailable) and on keyboards with us. This is the third time I’ve played KIAD (now UCCA). The cavernous acoustics make everything sound like it is coming from the bottom of an underground reservoir, and the students are even more apathetic than even I’d realised. This was a gig arranged through a third party (always risky, admittedly) and supposedly to raise funds for some unspecified student activity or other. However, none of the potential beneficiaries of any proceeds turned up, so no money was taken and therefore none raised! Beats the shit out of me…
Still, we had a reasonable crowd and a dedicated hardcore even stayed until the end, and bought a couple of CDs (always welcome). Despite one or two technical problems, I particularly enjoyed the addition of keyboards as it made the sound a lot more akin to Rumble (from which most of tonight’s material was drawn). The keyboard replicated a lot of the second-guitar parts that even super-human me can’t reproduce live on my own (not with singing and trying not to fall over and everything). Phil sat in with his sparkly blue Jazz Bass and Luke played with fearsome gusto. Sadly this time there are no photos or recordings (always the way). The gig ended, as has become traditional, with some guitar (and now keyboard) frottage and, for the first time, Luke demolishing the drums. Someone else’s drums. Not big or clever, but the £27 in repairs was worth every penny, he tells me…
Set list:
- High Noon (DJ Shadow)
- ES-40 (Williams)
- The Medway Crab Fisherman (Williams)
- Force Of Nature (Williams)
- Last Train (Williams)
- What’s Under The Stairs? (Williams)
- Cocoon (Williams)
- Put Your Weight On Me (Williams)
- It’s A Small Town (Williams)
- Bass VI (Williams)