CONCERT REVIEW: 21st Century Schizoid Band at The Mean Fiddler 31/10/03
I was very lucky to be invited to see the band go through the sound check for this gig. I had never been to a sound check before, but it was as I expected, lots of banging things in that elusive search for “level”. After much banging and clattering, I had the good fortune to meet, shake hands with and chat to Jakko Jaksyzk (there’s goes the spell checker again!) and Ian Wallace. Jakko is a nice guy, full of humour and I got to ask him a few questions about the band and the tour. He cracked a few jokes, told me about John Wetton in Southampton and explained that Mel Collins was stuck on the M25 motorway in a traffic jam.
Then I got to chat with Mr Wallace, who told me how much he was enjoying performing with the Schizoids and how he has been invited to give a lecture about drumming. I was impressed. He explained it was all down to his online diary, which was opening new doors for him. Maybe the Internet is useful for something? Unfortunately, the other “winner” of the soundcheck competition interrupted our conversation. He was intent on getting everything he had with him signed by the band and before you could say “eBay Auction” Ian was gone. A shame that because I had some more questions to ask.
The band then continued with the soundcheck and went through a few abbreviated numbers. During this time I took the trouble to use my digital camera to capture the some photographs.
After the sound check we were escorted out of the venue and myself and The Missus decided to grab a quick bite to eat before rejoining the queue. The concert started promptly at 8pm and luckily Mel Collins had arrived and took his place on stage with the other band members.
They immediately launched into A Man, A City (Pictures of a City) just like they had done, a year and a day before at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I was immediately grabbed by the music. Unfortunately, the band were having troubles with the sound and much gesturing to the ape they had on the mixing desk was made during the first few numbers. However, this didn’t detract from the sheer power of the music.
Of course, there was a new drummer on the drum stool this year. I had never heard Ian Wallace perform before so I was very impressed with his take on the Crimson repertoire. Whilst Mike Giles is full of syncopation and precision, Wallace is a thumper, a drummer with power that can drill a hole in your chest. It was a pleasure to be assaulted by his drumming that night. I was going to use a rude word to describe him, but I know his Missus is probably reading this and would take it the completely wrong way (it’s a Brit thing, honest).
Then they went through the set, which featured an extended Cat Food/Groon and Ian McDonald/Pete Sinfield composition Let There Be Light, which is really growing on me. Then a savage retelling of Cirkus before they brought the audience down a notch with an three flute acapella of Cadence and Cascade, which then lead into the real thing. Sweet.
Then there was a great rendition of In the Court of the Crimson King, where Ian McDonald got the chance to show just how good he is on the flute. A big cheer went up when he completed the final flute section.
I normally don’t care much for Ladies of the Road, but tonight I was so locked into the music, I finally “got” that track. The band really blew and Mel Collins is a honker of the highest calibre. The band then showcased a Jakko Jaksyzk tune (or a band composition if we didn’t like it as Jakko introduced the song) of Catley’s Ashes. It’s an instrumental with a touch of Fripp in the main guitar part. In fact, it’s not a bad tune and it gave the whole band a chance to stretch their legs and play with it. I can’t wait to hear it again.
Then there was the track I was really waiting for. Last year, I said that if the band played Formentera Lady and had segued into The Sailor’s Tale, I would have wet myself. Well, this year they did. Fortunately, I had learnt my lesson from the Steve Hackett gig on Tuesday and made sure that my bladder was empty before the concert.
It was amazing. Peter Giles started Formentera Lady with his usual bass improvisation. During the song, the band really opened up and began to play around the main theme with Jakko doing well with the girly screams. When Wallace started the high-hat introduction to The Sailors Tale, I couldn’t contain myself and I screamed my lungs out. Whooo-hooo!
After this it was back to familiar waters with faithful representations of I Talk to the Wind, Epitaph and 21st Century Schizoid Man. The band then went off stage to rapturous applause, only to return to perform Starless. Well, this was brilliant. I had waited many years to hear this track performed live (just like The Sailor’s Tale) and I was not disappointed. The band really came together, with Jakko managing the guitar parts superbly and Mel Collins and Ian McDonald sharing sax duties. The song was amazing, a real rollercoaster and last night’s performance was a lot more memorable than any KC live rendition I had heard. Sacrilege I know, but these guys had it nailed.
Again they left the stage, but the audience still wanted more. Thankfully, the band returned for one more encore, the superbly gentle and melodic Birdman Suite from the McDonald & Giles album. A nice bring down to the rest of the musical mayhem that had been presented before us. This was an amazing gig and, dare I say it, my second King Crimson concert of the year.
My honest opinions? They were certainly a very different band to the one I saw last year. They appeared more confident, tighter (yet looser – does that make sense?) and like they were having fun. There’s lots of personality projected from the guys up on the stage and that’s what makes it a bit different from your standard gig. I was also impressed by the audience and while there were many digital cameras present, flashing during every song (my camera was stashed away as I was there for the MUSIC and not to WORK), they got behind the band and I felt like the band was being carried along by the audience. It was much better than Hackett, which seemed a bit boring and stilted in comparison.
So I will take my chance at thumbing a nose at my colonial cousins in the US of A. You may get Level 5 and Dangerous Curves, but we get Starless and The Sailor’s Tale. You are going to love it when the 21st Century Schizoid Band hits the US. But remember, they are only on loan. We want them back when you’ve finished with them!