LIVE

Rip It Up, Issue 49, 1 August 1981, Page 22

LIVE

The Cure Auckland Town Rail, July 31. Rock bands with artistic aspirations tend to skate on very thin ice, especially when their audience doesn't quite see their work in the same light. The Cure, three very serious young men, must have felt perturbed by their Auckland fans, who yelled, screamed and bounced around ' like they would at any other : concert. Disconcerting when you're trying to make a statement. ' When the show moved, the punters loved it. 'Primary', 'A Forest', 'Jumping On Someone Else's Train' and 'Killing An Arab' went down a storm. But Robert Smith has a passion for weighty slices of Gothic doom, and some of the more turgid pieces from Faith were wisely dressed up . with spectacular lighting so people didn't lose interest. The Cure actually sound better for reverting to their original three-piece format. Smith and Simon Gallup both play hand and foot synthesisers, and Lol Tolhurst produces an awesome array of percussion sounds. The band rocked much harder than it did here last year, though a lot of this was due to vastly increased volume. The opening movie. Carnage Visors, seemed to consist of a bunch of animated Lego toys moving aimlessly about. Confusing, yet strangely absorbing, and like the headline attraction, you were left wondering what the point of it all was. Duncan Campbell Screaming Blam-matic Roadshow Otago University, July 27 The much-touted Screaming Blam-matic tour hit Dunedin at the end of last month and left a few new fans and revised opinions. Post-gig opinion, especially from the young punks, was that the Meemees carried the night. They were first on and since I last saw them (Sweetwaters) they've made big improvements in the musicianship department, and their songs, although still rough and lively, are neater and more definable. Still a fan. . • The Newmatics, two saxophonists in tow, are NZ's ska clones and on the night they had to work hard to regain lost momentum caused through a broken guitar string. Lead singer Mark Clare with his

Dexys' jacket," injected 'all* he had into an on-the-spot shank that moved the audience physically but failed to reach the soul. On a good night I'm : sure they can hold their own but this time out they missed. Revised opinion time. Blam. Blam Blam at Sweetwaters were too precious and selfconsciously artful to let themselves rock'n'roll. That criticism no longer applies. In the Union they gave a performance rich with ideas and excitement. Their songs are now durable. Sure, they still owe their rent to the Gang of Four and other academics, but they've trained their music into an intelligent and locally relevant toughness. Best of the night, minority opinion. George Kay New Entrants, Missing Tremble Rumba Bar, July 25. . Missing Tremble have been alive 4 months; and in that time developed a repertoire of about 15 songs weeded out from an initial 30 originals. They're a relief. A witty threesome with promise of things to come. Rumba dancers appreciated it. Bill Macßae and Bob Shepheard swap guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals, while Steve Duffels on drums provides a strong base for the two frontmen to work from. The sound wasn't as good as it could have been, however this was just gig number six, and it can only improve. Generally they're blessed with a crisp delivery. The songs vary from straight instrumentals 'B Tune', and 'Stupid Key', to commentaries 'Dictionary of Love', and 'A Clue'. Missing Tremble do their own song on that current theme of 9 to 5 living and what it does to your brain. Shepheard gets it across. . The New Entrants are more at ease on stage now. They follow a tested, tried and true blend of covers and their own songs. They don't cross any boundaries, but you can move to them. Vocalist Tony Johns has flashes of conviction. He sings 'Lives' with feeling, and in Entrants’ compositions 'Violent Night', and 'Scarlet Scarab' he tries a bit’ of saxophone while guitarist Craig Smith Pilling takes over on vocals. The sax is a welcome bonus, no matter how tentative. Variety otherwise comes from Smith Pilling's band and Dave Wilkinson's guitar work. Dave

Major scoots around mid stage on bass, and Tony's brother Andy is the beat.' The floor is packed for the second set, which includes notable versions of the Members' 'Sally', and the Gang of Four's 'Damaged Goods'. . New Entrants have earned a place, but they'll need a couple of cards up their sleeve if they intend to stick around. Ann Louise Martin The Pedestrians, Gladstone . “Don't get in the way of the pedestrian", sings Stewart with considerable justification.. The Pedestrians are much more than the average. Christchurch three-piece (of which there is a plague at the time of writing). Musically, they are hard to fault combining, as they do, the flash of the Solatudes and the exuberance of the Surge or Mainly Spaniards and adding a depth of perception not to be discerned in the works of any of the above except the last. In specific terms, Pedestrians' music radiates outwards from Kevin Stone's punchy bass lines. Drums and vocals follow naturally but then come the guitar parts. These flow from peerless rhythm playing to strikingly melodic and, for the most part improvised lead and back again. Like their music, the group's lyrics at first hearing seem not only accessible but a trifle conventional as well. But it could be claimed that 'Pedestrian', 'Traffic Light' and 'Looking Out a Window' evince a sympathy for the white-collar ethos unique in rock, certainly in Christchurch. One song in particular, 'On the Balcony', must be singled out for splendid lyrical irony. On stage, too, the Pedestrians make their mark. Kevin's static and apparently nervous figure provides a foil * for Stewart's manic cavortings and-Town-shendesque windmill arm-move-ments. This dichotomy extends to their stage apparel. Kevin dresses in the usual jeans and T-shirt, while Stewart's taste runs to dress shirts, loose-fitting trousers and a truly stupendous red cardy ("S4O that cost me!") The Pedestrians - are determined. Like many local bands, they hope to do a 45 this year. Chances are' they'll succeed, because unlike most of their peers, they don't have to try to be special they already are. Desmond Brice Coup D'Etat, Spaces Mainstreet, August 2 Seats to go round, and plenty to spare. Enough room on the dance floor to call it a luxury. Appropriately enough, Spaces start with 'Sitting in Uneasy Comfort'. The band is known in northern parts through the current single of limited airplay 'Just Like Clockwork', and soon to be released is reggae-based number 'Disadvantage'. Vocalist Warren Hydes leads the band with a rough, jumpy energy. Don Ray on keys adds sax, and bassoon on several tracks, giving a dark, rich feel to the -band's total sound, especially on 'My Interpretation'. By the final 'Everyone is Certain Sad', Spaces were moving fast, but the reward was negligible. The audience seemed baffled as to how to react to 45 minutes of solid rock. . . 1 .Vi V; - Vi Coup D'Etat are at the other

end of the scale. The band still drags them in, and Harry Lyon held it together without too many good-natured sighs after every song. It's smooth and professional, with keyboards man Murray Hancox taking a lot lower profile than Jan Preston. . 'Not Responsible' was one of the afternoon's better tunes. Lyon shouts and whistles in an almost Brazilian sound. 'Doctor I Like Your Medicine' was tired but the fans are young, and loyal, and no doubt got what they were after. Annlouise Martin