A Fellini Night - Cambridge 'The Junction' May 6th 2001- and 'Fellini Days' with Fish
Fellini
Days
1. 3D
2. So Fellini
3. Tiki 4
4. Our Smile
5. Long Cold Day
6. Dancing In Fog
7. Obligatory Ballad
8. The Pilgrim's Address
9. Clock Moves Sideways
Musician's
Fish - Lead Vocals
John Wesley - Guitar
John Young - Keyboards
Steve Vantsis - Bass
(Yet another) Dave Stewart - Drums
*John
Martyr -
Drums (Live)
The Company Of Fish : http://www.the-company.com/
Album site : http://www.fellinidays.com/
The concert started, as does the album
with the nine-minute '3D'. Immediately you get a feeling that
Fish is seeking a new start. It also heralds a very John Wesley
guitar dominated album (and live set). The music is rockier, more
direct, more 'American' sounding, in fact it immediately reminded
me of late 70's Alice Cooper.
The concert and the album carry on in the same vein with 'So
Fellini'. However, by this stage, the sound was really beginning
to bother me. We found out later that Fish's extremely talented
album engineer and producer, Elliot Ness, was actually sitting at
the side of the stage ready to be the butt of some of Fish's
later humour. What a waste! He could have done Fish and us a
great service by kicking whoever was doing such a botch job of
the house sound, firmly up the arse and taking the desk over
there and then.
Next up 'Tumbledown' from 1999's "Raingods with Zippos".
The only track played tonight from that album.
In fact now, as I listen to the new 'Fellini Days' and remember
last night, I think back to that album and an interview I did with Fish at the same time. With the album
and the interview we found Fish in crisis - professionally,
personally and financially. "Raingods with Zippos" must
perhaps now be looked back at, as an end of an era, a 'ghost'
exorcising exercise. (Was that what 'Plague' was all about?)
Certainly after all those troubles Fish appears to come out the
other side renewed, refreshed and in a far happier state of mind
and humour.
'Tiki 4' followed, introduced by Fish as about a magical 'Fellini'
time he spent in San Diego last year with a bunch of people
living an 'alternative' commune existence. 'Tiki 4' is known
locally as "The Party Pad that Time Forgot"
hosted by four bisexual throwbacks to the early 70s. Best track
both live and on the album to date. 'Happy' guitar 'groovy'
rhythm. This will become a strong live favourite 'sing-along'
with Fish, as ever, arms aloft leading the throng for some slow
clapping. There is strong 'single' potential here I'm sure.
About this time, I've lost my set notes, we had 'Our Smile'. The
most 'normal' Fish track of all the new material. A love song -
ballad. This albums 'Rites of Passage', 'A Gentleman's excuse me'
but not as good as either.
It was a very brave decision that Fish was taking here. Over
three quarters of the set originating from a new album that doesn't
hit the shops to July (but was on sale this evening). Fish has
made a decision - he's taken command of his own career by
releasing the album on his own label and touring without any
record company support. It's brave; it's bold; it's certainly to
be respected and from what I hear to this moment it might just
pay off.
From here we proceeded to 'Long Cold Day' and 'Brother 52' (from
"Sunsets On Empire" 1997). Both similarly veined
riffing rockers. But the Live sound was now really beginning to
hurt. Can't these sound guys realise that not every single
instrument has to be set at such a volume that it just becomes
one wall of high volume 'noise'? Fish's lyrics by this time were
indistinguishable and his vocals seemingly lost in that "halo
of distortion". Perhaps a lot of it also had to do with
guitarist John Wesley who appears to have a custom amp with two
setting's: '9 and 10'.
I'll take a break
here from the live set in keeping with the album order. Turning
towards 'Fellini Days' the album for two tracks that didn't make
last night's line up. 'Dancing In Fog' "dancey" in the
same way as the earlier 'Tiki 4' but this time it just doesn't
seem to work so well. Perhaps it s just one of those tracks that's
a creeper - something that initially leaves little impression
only to become at a future time an album classic. That's always
the problem with reviewing things within a few limited plays.
Immediately 'Obligatory Ballad' appears to be the ballad
highlight of the album. Just Fish and gentle strumming distorted
electric guitar. In an otherwise quite 'joyous' album, a very sad
song with Fish at his lyrical best.
And back to the gig. At this point an otherwise very jovial Fish
turned serious for a while and told us of some of the work the
band does playing benefits for the Army in Bosnia. A subject
close to Fish's heart and of course a subject that shouldn't be
forgotten by anyone. He made the very strong point that it's
closer than you think. The co-pilot victim of the recent Puma
helicopter crash had actually ferried the band round on their
last visit - literally one person removed in contact from the
audience members. With that he went on to introduce the
penultimate track both from the 'Fellini Days' album and tonight's
performance of the same. Dedicated to anyone currently or in
future serving in the Army. 'The Pilgrims Address' is a heartfelt
questioning of 'our' involvement in world-wide conflicts such as
The Gulf, The Balkans etc. "Was it really worth it?"
"Was it worth the Cost?" - were 'we' right?
The set drew
towards a close with a powerful performance of 'Perception of
Johnny Punter' (also from Sunsets On Empire).. I'd never heard
this track live before but what an absolute stonker! Blistering
solo from 'Wes' pushing Fish to give his all.
After some comic interplay between the band members recreating a
musical Monty Python's 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch ("We
had to put up with dwarf roadies and eat turnips from the fields").
"And we were…"- 'Lucky' /'Credo' and 'Vigil'
segued into each other.
Encores.
Fish closed the concert with what also closes the album - 'Clock
Moves Sideways',.
A dark broody song which I must say worked better live than on
the actual album, followed by crowd pleaser 'The Company'.
To finish - by bravely going back on the road for a full tour, by
presenting a set of completely new and young material (nothing,
with the medley exception, older than 5 years), Fish appears to
be shouting "forget the past - this is me now - just accept
it". As one of Rock's truly great 'front-men' and with his
returned confidence in both himself and his material he may well
just pull it off. But, judging from tonight's performance, if all
else fails a new career as a 'stand up' comedian could easily
beckon.
As a 'vocalist' and 'lyricist' rather than 'musician', all Fish's
albums are, out of necessity, dominated by his current 'musical'
writing partners. With 'Fellini Days' its John Wesley who has
pushed not only the more guitar-dominated sound but also a more 'mainstream'
approach which may or may not entice a new audience. I have to
say that I still prefer, to any of Fish's solo albums, 1999's
"Raingods with Zippos" which was recorded and written
under a lot of influence from keyboardist Tony Turrell and
Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson. But
then again I'd rather see the happy, beaming and confident Fish
of 'Fellini Days' than the downtrodden, dispirited, disenchanted
one of 'Raingods'
Finally a quick
mention of last nights support band the evidently (so they kept
on telling us) "Big in Germany" Sky Clad a 'Pagan folk
Punk' band from Newcastle. I really rather enjoyed their 45 min
set of Fairport Convention meets Motorhead or perhaps The Pouges
on acid! Well how else would you describe a band that, in their
ten album history, started out as Thrash Metal took on a fiddle
playing folkie then tried to mix the two sounds?!
Sky Clad home page: http://www.skyclad.co.uk/
Ian Oakley May 2001
PS: Fish - Please do something about that live sound!!!!
Copyright Bathtub of Adventures 2001
If you don't
have the BoA navigation to the
left of your screen click below to reload