Old Wave

Revisiting nostalgia can either be a good or a bad thing depending on who you talk to (and how old they happen to be), so as soon as I heard that Magazine had reformed, I decided to pay them a visit at The Royal Festival Hall to see what all the fuss used to be about. I downloaded their first two albums just so that I'd be well versed with their songs only to be treated with a full rendition of 1980's The Correct Use Of Soap. Shite, I wasn't aware that album existed, not being a huge fan of the band an' all. I decided to sit this out politely which took us all the way to the interval. An interval? At a rock gig?!? That's one of the things about the RFH that bugs me along with a distinct lack of ticket touts hanging about in a shifty way outside the building. This isn't your typical rock venue that's for sure, but an arts complex that seems purpose built for middle class Guardian reading trendies who say "ya mkay" a lot (so I'm isolating what audience I have left with that last remark. Get yourselves a sense of humour, you fake Commies). Not that it matters much once you've managed to get a few of their pricey Bourbon shots down your gullet in time for the polite notice announcing that "...the performance will be starting in ten minutes...". Having been assigned seats slap bang in the middle of the rear stalls just above the mixing desk, I was actually delighted to find that this was the best sound I'd ever heard at this particular venue. Howard Devoto's vocals were clear, Dave Formula's synths were well balanced with guitar and drums although Barry Adamson's bass did get sporadically lost during the first half. After adjusting the overall sound to louder in the 'second act', we were treated to such marvels as "Permafrost" and "Rhythm Of Cruelty" amongst others. They returned for an encore of "Definitive Gaze" before finally buggering off after "Give Me Everything". The last track, being one of their stronger songs, was a sound inclusion but to play a full gig without "Shot By Both Sides" had the effect of a serious anti-climax. 7 out of 10. How did I ever miss this?!? Last year, The Monochrome Set briefly reformed for the 30th anniversary of Cherry Red Records and gigged at a private party to celebrate the fact. Not that I would've been able to gatecrash the event although I would've tried my damned best to do so had I'd known about it. Still, those wonderful people at Cherry Red have filmed the event and even recorded a fifty minute interview with lead singer Bid (the latter being a must watch for hardcore M-Set fans). If, after all that, you still have a hankering for all things Set, here's Iggy Pop's version of "He's Frank" recorded for The Brighton Port Authority album. Oh yes, even the mighty Iggy bows down to the cult status of Bid, Lester, Andy and co.