by Slim » Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:37 pm
Well, I'm back from my native North-East now, and I'm sorry to say - it wasn't a good one, not for me anyway.
For one thing, the sound was over-loud and a little bit rough. Some of Yan's vocals were distorting my eardrums. It was actually unpleasant at times and I wished I'd brought ear plugs. I think they may have eclipsed the Motorhead gig I attended at a similar-sized venue in Middlesbrough in 1978. Lanterns on the Lake had brilliant sound (and by the way they were worth a trip up north by themselves - a really powerful and emotional set) so that was a bit of a shame.
Secondly - some of Hamilton's vocals were way off. He's never been (dare I say) the most tuneful singer but he undoubtedly hit a few wrong notes, and chose some alternative vocal melodies in No Lucifer that might have been considered courageous in avant-garde jazz. I know that a replacement was parachuted in for a gig or two recently, so maybe he's recovering from illness. His bass-playing was fine anyway.
And I'm sorry to say that I had the distinct impression that Yan was inebriated in the later part of the set. His vocals were slow and laboured later on and he looked a little bit out of it at times. Curiously, he was wearing an ankle-length robe.
On the more positive side , despite all the above the gig had the usual joyous spirit and rapport with the crowd. Everyone enjoyed themselves, me included. I'm not complaining but they were a long way off their best. Looking forward to the gigs in October.