- Open The Boxoctosis
- Contraflow
- Mere Pseud Mag Ed
- Groovin’ with Mr. Bloe
- Green-Eyed Loco Man
- Clasp Hands
- Mountain Energei
- Wrong Place, Right Time
- I Can Hear the Grass Grow
- Theme from Sparta F.C.
- Spoilt Victorian Child
- What About Us
- Blindness (instrumental – aborted)
- Blindness
- White Lightning
NOTES
- 01:06:00
- Possibly a soundboard
- Excellent recording
REVIEW
Weetabix, scones, tea and chocolates all phoenix like as are Cadbury’s Shredded Wheat (sic) and Country and Western songs in the middle of “Pseud Mag Ed”. This is an excellent gig with the 2004 band in fine fettle and Smith focused and playful. Described by attendees at the time as a return to form.
An early version of “Clasp Hands” is played well but a little lacking in the lyric department focusing on NYC road blocks, grey and blue uniforms and clasping hands behind the back.
“…and now I get the benefit of the afternoon joining in of the singing of the local whup….” introduces a synth led “Mountain Energei” with country and western guitar mores from Ben and some excellent rhythm playing from JJW.
The early arrangement of “Grass Grow” I think is superior, with a lot more dynamic than the thrashy 2005 version with more of a rock feel to it. There is an altogether wonderful version of “Sparta” with Mark moving Ben’s microphone early on leading to a lack of backing vocals and great stripped down version with only Eleni doing the middle rant and the closing backing vox being somewhat restricted. Nice to hear “Spoilt Victorian Childe” which gets a bit of a false start after Spen comes in late – after a re-start we get a very speedy version with Mark in garrulous mood – together with a strange middle section with blues guitar licks, descending chords, picked guitars and scratchy rhythmic figures which jumps back into the main riff.
A slow start to “What About Us?” building up to the riff with a more funky feel than the later version – mainly due to Spen a couple of extra beats during the chord changes giving the whole thing a new identity. Less motorik than later versions however I assume Ben pushes the riff to a more straight version when he comes. The lyrics are still being developed and its interesting to listen to Mark’s phrasing here which is more drawn out.
The third live outing of “Blindness” is a tour de force of fuzzed bass, clashing guitars and industrial sounding synth with Pritchard burying his guitar deep in some swampy miasma of echo and feedback. The first two minutes fifteen are a brutal instrumental version – we then get a break and it starts again even more hypercharged but with the synth taking the lead rather than the guitar. Talk of big indestructible posters, MTV, curfews and men in newspapers leads to a surreal visionary epic with Mark howling and yelping “Do you love me or not?”, Sensational last few minutes with Mark controlling the dynamic and screeching balefully into the night. Immense.
The version of “White Lightning” is frankly a little perfunctory after what has gone before. Incredibly fast and moshy.
An amazing gig
The Track Record 