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@sleepynaut – Thanks for the sticker warning – I'm just about to open mine… Ooh, that did not go well. Oh well, I'm in now and nothing's damaged. No artwork at all – just the vinyl (green) in a plain black sleeve, and the book/mag. When I bought it at the merch desk, presumably just before or just after you did, the guy said (IIRC) that they had run out of posters. Presumably all the artwork, the signed stuff was limited.
@sleepynaut – Glad you enjoyed the show too. And that you got off on Psychonaut. I loved the beginning. Hopefully it'll work for me at the next gig
@Blashrykh – It was exquisite. They were in very good voice and the guitars were crystal clear. Seriously beautiful.
@Juergen – More than everyone expected I think.
@fillmore – You're welcome.
@coldnebraskablue – Great shots – thanks for sharing them.
Year Zero – Opening with this was genius. The venue was a small club, perhaps more suited to a jazz setting, so the slow move through the gears in Year Zero, which was played beautifully, brought the audience and band together. Exquisite – almost had me in tears.
Triggerman – This was a barnstomer. Energetic, lively, bouncy, punchy. Smoothly executed and all full-on forward motion. Superb improv. I'm feeling like I'm hovvering sllightly off the ground by this point.
Psychotzar – Massively awesome opening riff, but somehow I lost that high and came back down with a bit of a crash. I can't say this worked for me last night.
A Promise – And then the pick-up. Normal service is being resumed and …
The Cuckoo – … by the end of this we're off the ground again. The ending jam was sublime. This track just gets better and better for me each time I see them play it.
The Crucible – By the end of this I felt like the band had been restrained for too long – as if being bound by the complex structure of this piece they were not able to loose the shackles and go mad. However, the first half of the piece really moved with pace and spit. The middle pounding, heavy, mental section was just that – mental, heavy, pounding. An awkward segue through the quiet bit and then the finale. It was in parts brilliant, in others just too involved. I'm looking forward to hearing it played live again though.
August – I'm not much of a fan of this track, but the Fiske and Snah solos always make it a joy. Last night was no exception.
A Pacific Sonata – Track of the night? Hard to put into words just how brilliant this track is live. Completely overwhelming. And time here for a shout out to Tomas. It was during Triggerman that I caught myself open-mouthed, gaping at Tomas's ability to add rocket fuel to the mix. With frills, fills, rolls and restraint he gives tracks like Triggerman, A Pacific Sonata and the opening sections of The Crucible the jazzy chops that make you feel like your legs just can't keep up with the pace you're running. Masterful.
Uberpilgrim – And now the fun starts. Boogie, jig, pogo – whatever. Upbeat rhythmic playfulness carrying us through a shower of sparks.
The Other Fool – The fun continues. Loved it!
Master Builder/Om Riff – Thinking of my friends over at the Gong show (
) – which by all accoounts was brilliant, and did indeed feature the same track – I wondered what they would would have made of this brilliant excursion into Gong territory. But I soon forgot about them and just let myself get immersed in this riff that's been drawing me in over and over for decades now. What a trip!The Alchemyst – Hello wall of sound my old friend, its good to hear you once again. Loud. Insistent. Face-melting.
Lux Aeterna – A fitting ending to a wonderful show. I have to say the new tracks were not my favourites of the night, though each had their moments. It'll be good to hear them again. I'm curious to hear how they sound further down the line as the band continue to grow into them on stage.
All in all a brilliant evening. I had a position about three rows from the front, just left of centre, with a great view (I'm tall – so that helps), though for much of the gig the view was of the back of my eyelids
Year Zero, Triggerman, The Cuckoo and A Pacific Sonata were my high highlights. Now I'm looking forward to this evening's shenanigans.
@Juergen – Exactly what coldnebraskablue said – they hit the curfew. But it was no loss really. The show was magnificent, and very intimate.
Quote:Early on, when they modulated that insane Gong piece for 10 minutes and no-one knew what was going on, that's the type of magic we're chasing.@fillmore – I sent this quote to my friends who are going to see Gong tomorrow instead of going to see Motorpsycho.
@Anders – Thanks for the setlist. Glad you had a great show.
@boomer – Have a good night tonight.
@boomer – I totally agree. Gong's Radio Gnome Trilogy is brilliant. Three superb original albums. Great music, whacky lyrics, hippie madness. And a multicultural cross-pollination of sounds that just blows me away every time.
@Tomcat – I was wondering the same. It's possible the om riff will be blasting out of two venues in different parts of London at the same time on Friday evening. Enjoy You. A Sprinkling of Clouds might just be my favourite on that album, but Master Builder comes a very close second. All this great music past and present – just goes to show … You never blow yr trip forever.
@Bartok – Yeah I was thinking the same – but it's easy to forget something when writing a list, so I'm hoping there's confirmation from someone else who was there, or a recording
EDIT: Steve Hillage is one of my all-time favourite artists, both for his work in Gong and solo (though I'm not so keen on all his System 7 work). He recently decided to put a band together (which actually comprises the current members of Gong – of which he is no longer a member [are you confused yet?]) to tour his old solo material, and it's quite likely he'll be playing The Glorious Om Riff at some point on that tour. I have tickets to see him in London on 8 June. I actually have two spare tickets if anyone's interested.
The riff of The Glorious Om Riff originally appeared in Gong's brilliant track Master Builder. Here you go:
Somone has posted on Facebook the typed out setlist for last night. Two differences: the typed list does not include the Om Riff, but it does include A Pacific Sonata. Geeks like me need clarification and confirmation.
@Bartok – Thanks so much. Om Riff? Brilliant!
@supernaut – Gong / Hillage
