Wehay!! Fish came to my home town and played The Bolton Albert Halls!
Pics:
I ruined most of the pix by having my camera speed set too low (iso 50 instead of 400) for most of the gig.Also,kiddies,remember to keep the flash switched off or you will have lots of pictures of middle-aged mens bald patches...
The Return To Childhood Tour:
The sound wasnt great (there is a mighty row of organ pipes to the rear of the stage just above the lighting rig which seemed to amplify the bass to Concord levels of distortion.) but it was an honest performance brimming with nostalgia,passion and goodwill.
The first half of the gig consisted of Fish solo tracks and there was an eerie atmosphere as most people remained seated as if waiting for an invitation to stand from The Big Man. Big in personality the trimmed down frontman held the audience in the palm of his hand as he related his usual drink-related party-pieces and self-depricating monologues.Standout tracks in the first half were Big Wedge and Goldfish and Clowns.
After a 10 minute interval (which caught many people out) the band returned for the main event-Misplaced Childhood.Suddenly people were on their feet and singing happily as Pseudo Silk Kimono was swiftly followed by the hits Kayleigh and Lavender. Fish's voice which had seemed on the verge of giving up in the first half of the show (wasnt it ever so?) suddenly found new depths as he pumped out these anthemic favourites building towards Bitter Suite and the glorious Heart Of Lothian.The second half of the album has never been my favourite but played live (as in 1985) it somehow reaches heights of passion and intimacy only hinted at on the studio version.Waterhole,Childhood's End and White Feather are a tremendous platform for Fish's impassioned style and I warmed to the tracks for the first time in 20 years.Make no mistake this was a very professional performance played out to an audience of 40 somethings who treated the show as a celebration of their younger days. Not to be missed by fans,maybe a difficult evening for the uninitiated.
7 1/2 out of 10
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