1,374 EXTC, Gloucester Guildhall Arts Centre, Saturday 15th March 2025

 

Night 2 of my late “Dance Card” additions thanks to my old friend Paul Crowfoot’s UK visit, and this is a closer one as promised, just up the A419 to Gloucester to see EXTC at the splendid Guildhall! This lot, ex-XTC drummer Terry Chambers’ brainchild to keep on performing his iconic former band’s classic idiosyncratic back catalogue mix of 70’s herky-jerky new wave and smoother, 80’s Beatles-based melodic and slightly-delic pop “live”, had of course been recent regulars on my gig schedule. However, our paths hadn’t crossed since late 2021 (gig 1,188), as Chambers and co. had taken their music beyond the ‘don to more far-flung fields, also trimming their number down to a 3-piece in the process with the departure of wide-eyed, wild haired centre-of-attention vocalist Steve Tilling. This latter point had, in all honesty, been on my mind when I initially eschewed the chance to book for this one, but when Paul suggested this one as well as last night’s trip, I didn’t really need too much persuasion…!

He picked me up this time in his rental, and we hared off up the A419, parking around the back of Gloucester’s Leisure Centre, scene of some legendary 80’s gigs from the likes of The Smiths and The Bunnymen, then we met Roger and a group of locals he’d befriended in The Thirsty Pine pub, enjoying some rock chat to the backdrop of some noisy locals cheering on the egg chasing on the big screen. They carried on to another local hostelry, but I popped into the venue early to suss out the scene and running order. A couple of sets with interval and no support awaited, and I picked up a fully signed setlist from the merch stand for a tenner, to avoid the bunfight afterwards, because do I really care where I get a list from, so long as I get one? I do not! The guys arrived and we grabbed a spot near the front, house left, as the 3-piece band arrived at 8.15, opening with an understated version of angular oldie “This Is Pop”, with bald, wizened guitarist Steve Hampton taking a growly lead vocal on this one, then exclaiming, “look at you! There’s millions of you!”

Fears that the performance may suffer in comparison to the 4-piece line-up happily didn’t come to pass; despite Hampton lacking the manic ebullience of former frontman Tilling, he was a relaxed and affable main man, at ease with the crowd and bantering with the front rows. That said, the initial set was a little muted and low-key, the song selection mainly drawing from latter day deep cuts and album tracks. “No Language In Our Lungs”, for example, plodded along, enlivened only by a lengthy outro note from Hampton, causing him to exclaim, “can someone hand me my spleen back?”, although the lugubrious “Towers Of London” was an early highlight, followed by Hampton’s story of borrowing the XTC album “Black Sea” from bassist and long-time comrade Terry Lines, and hating it! We also got an early singalong for the jolly chorus of “Senses Working Overtime” and I enjoyed the descending plaintive hook of “Peter Pumpkinhead” but overall, this opening set was proficient, sedate and reverential, with the “Handle With Care” warnings fully observed.

Took a late loo break and ran into old 80’s gig buddy Tim Lezard, who then joined us for the second set which, following the pastoral breeze of opener “Grass”, happily took things up several notches. The undulating pop of “Mayor Of Simpleton” got me shaking a leg, and the excellent growling backbeat of “No Thugs In Our House” kept it going. Thereafter it was Hitsville, North Wiltshire, as the fist-pumping “Sgt. Rock” (a song with, “more hooks than a longhaul trawler!” quipped Hampton) and the jagged angular rhythmic shapes of “Rocket From A Bottle” kept the momentum high. The bluebeat chant of “Living Through Another Cuba” segued effortlessly into a brilliantly bouncy “Generals And Majors”, the singalong middle-8 “almost sexual!” according to the vocalist. The inevitable “Making Plans For Nigel” capped the set proper, although Hampton announced their intention to plough through into the encore, mainly to avoid, “going down the [venue’s] Death Stairs – [they’re] like going down to Mordor… or Portsmouth!” Overall set highlight, the ridiculously infectious hook of new wave classic “Life Begins At The Hop” ended a superb sweaty second set, the band, with Chambers deferentially front and centre, taking a bow after a right proper game of 2 halves, but one which rightly saved the best till last. 

A gathering of breath and farewells to our accumulated gang, then Paul and I hit the road, grabbing a Penhill kebab on the way home. So overall, another excellent night out with old friends, but this time – the second EXTC set in particular – the entertainment matched the company. Safe travels, Paul, let’s gig again when you next muddy these shores!

1,188 EXTC, Swindon The Victoria, Thursday 2nd September 2021

 

One of my last gigs before lockdown bit in March 2020 was a properly intriguing one, the debut “warm-up” gig from EXTC, the post-TC&I project from former XTC drummer Terry Chambers, following his return to these shores from “Down Under” a couple of years ago. XTC, of course, were Swindon New Wave legends back in the 70’s, initially playing an itchy, agitated brand of propulsive and hypertensive New Wave, then smoothing the rough edges off and evolving into quirkily melodic and quintessentially English pop storytellers. Long gone now, but Chambers, following his recent brief TC&I liaison with fellow original XTC man Colin Moulding, has clearly rediscovered his love of playing, and has gathered a band together to continue bringing XTC classics to the faithful. As vocalist Steve Tilling actually said during this gig, “we really want to make a go of this,” so no surprise that they announced some immediate post-lockdown shows, one of which was a return to the scene of their last Swindon triumph. So, despite finding out about it only last week, I was still well up for that!

 Trundled up the hill and secured the last parking spot in the car park opposite the Vic, then mooched around and chatted with a few folks before heading in for the first set at 8.30. Quite a crowd for this one in this old pub back room; a venerable one too, I felt quite young! “Had your jabs, have you? All deloused and everything?” joked Tilling as he led the now-4 piece band onstage, bursting into the angular opener “This Is Pop”, eliciting the first of many singalongs this evening. “Good to be out! We’re going to start another plague tonight!” quipped the jovial Tilling before an early languid, meandering “Language In Our Lungs” and deliciously slow, swayalong “Towers Of London” double.

 “Languid” actually seemed the by-word for the early part of this first set, in fact, with slower, more melodic material to the fore, although Tilling, wide-eyed, shoulder-length crinkle-haired and harlequin-trousered, remained a riveting frontman throughout, deftly walking the line between the centre-of-attention frontman and XTC fan, never trying to ape either Moulding’s or Partridge’s vocal styles, just letting the material shine. That said, a couple of (very) deep cuts dragged a little, the very (overly?) proficient band overplaying a little and veering too close to prog overload for my liking…

 However, “No Thugs In Our House” brought us right back, a brilliantly bouncy observational little number and followed by equally excellent first set closers “Ball And Chain” and “Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead”, at which point it dawned on me that listening to this material, so parochial and provincial in mood and subject matter, in the Vic on a Thursday night seemed just about the most SWINDON thing it was possible to do!

 Took a breather outside mid-set, chatting with a fellow punter who’d travelled down with his posse from Bromsgrove! Now that’s dedication for you – I pretty much have to take my handbrake off and freewheel down the hill afterwards, and I’m home, me…! Set 2 opened with some punter heckling, “who’s on drums?”, Tilling deadpanning, “oh just some old bloke,” in reply. “Sgt. Rock”, “Earn Enough For Us” and the splendidly groovy “Mayor Of Simpleton” again got this devoted crowd singing along, and the lovely, pastoral “Grass” (“about getting fruity in a field – probably Coate Water!”) diffused the mood before an unexpected but welcome “Respectable Street”. Thankfully, “Generals And Majors” was given the full-on, propulsive bass treatment, along with a Tilling-led crowd singalong false climax, before the band kicked in again for a speeded-up denouement. The off-kilter rhythm of “Making Plans For Nigel” allegedly finished the set, although Tilling announced, “we’re not going to do that going off and coming back on again thing!” and powered into the ticking, quiet-loud (well, louder…) “Senses Working Overtime”. At this point they did go off, inevitably returning for closer and set highlight, the brilliantly herky-jerky coming-of-age tale “Life Begins At The Hop”. It certainly does; the only way to see out a great 2 hours of nostalgia for now.

 Half a list and a handshake from Mr. Tilling later, I let the handbrake off and trundled home (!), bidding safe travels to my Bromsgrove buddy on the way back to the car. And you know what, on this form, I don’t blame him one bit for making that journey to hear Terry, Steve and the boys once again do full justice to XTC’s fine canon of work!

1,179 EXTC, Swindon The Victoria, Tuesday 10th March 2020

This one was thrown into my “Spring Dance Card” as a last-minute extra… and an enticing one too! Following the 2017 semi-“reunion” of former XTC stalwarts Colin Moulding and Terry Chambers in their TC&I project, which yielded a suitably Beatles-esque, smooth and lushly melodic EP, and, surprisingly, a slew of immediately sold-out Autumn 2018 gigs at Swindon’s tiny Arts Centre (one of which I got along to, in the process righting a couple of wrongs – see gig 1,113 for details!), it seemed that Moulding’s subsequent proclamation that he was done after the shows put paid to any further activity. However, Chambers, a couple of years removed from his return from Australia, still has the “live” bug, it seems, and with the recruitment of a couple of the TC&I wingmen and a couple of other local muso types – and, just as importantly, the blessing of his former bandmates Moulding, Gregory and even the famously reclusive Partridge – thus was birthed this new project “EXTC”, apparently the only suitable name for it, again according to Mr. Partridge!

So, when they announced a “warm-up” gig at Swindon’s own Victoria back room (“warm up” for what, I wonder… only one other date thus far…) I paused briefly on account of my already hectic March, before ultimately going for it. The only gigs to regret are the ones you miss, and all that… Rich May had already booked, happy that this gig fell on an “off day” on his new shift pattern, so I picked him up and we headed up the hill, parking behind the Roaring Donkey and wandering in, immediately noting the number of guitars racked up onstage, plus the size of Chambers’ kit, making the already-small Vic stage look really cramped!

The place was pretty rammed for the introduction of EXTC at just before 8.30, but we managed to find a spot house left, as TC&I stalwart Steve Tilling, all angular, tousled and wild-eyed and the de facto onstage leader and rabble-rouser, led the band into the off-kilter rhythm and clipped, staccato hook of (very) oldie “This Is Pop”, followed by the languid, meandering bass of a similarly vintage “Statue Of Liberty”. Great openers – they can stay in this XTC era for as long as they want, I remarked to Rich!

The mix was very clear despite Tilling’s concerns (an early sound-related comment of, “I’ve got organ in my ear!” prompting titters), the 5-piece band were clearly all accomplished in their particular art, and Tilling in particular was a fine frontman, constantly exhorting the packed crowd to sing along to these oh-so well-known numbers, whilst fairly authentically replicating Andy Partridge’s idiosyncratic, West Country round-vowel vocals. But it was, inevitably, Chambers who was the centre of attention, his hard-hitting drums the main feature, underpinning and propelling this splendid EXTC set. “Towers Of London” was marvellously louche and lazy, “Wonderland” more pastoral, hazy and Summery, “Big Day” featured some excellent psych-guitar from Tillings’ fellow guitarist/vocalist (and a man with more than a passing resemblance to Dave Gregory!) Matt Backer, but it was the excellent, acerbic backbeat of “No Thugs In Our House” that proved the first set’s standout (although, surprisingly, a lushly harmonic descending melody of an almost Gigolo Aunts-like “Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead”, which closed out the first 50 minutes, ran it close!).

A short pause, then the band were back on at 10 to 10, the second set drawing a little more from the latter, more crafted and Beatles-esque XTC albums, opening with a fine Tilling vocal for a stripped-back, guitar and keys only “Dear God” before a bouncy, singalong “Sgt. Rock” and, “a powerpop song about real estate!”, namely “Earn Enough”, which The Pills famously covered during their Swindon gig back in 2004 (gig 634!). “Mayor Of Simpleton” and “Respectable Street” were bouncy pop gems, although the subsequent “Generals And Majors” could have done with more of that pulsating bass sound to propel it along. No matter, I still loved the speeded-up finale…! An inevitable and slightly messy “Making Plans For Nigel” finished the set, before a 3-song encore fittingly concluded with the highlight of the night, “Life Begins At The Hop”, over 40 years old but still bright, brilliant and ridiculously fun, the band taking a bow at the end, bringing Chambers to the fore for a deserved ovation.

A lengthy wait for someone – anyone! – to come back onstage afterwards finally netted me a set-list… well, part, at least! Dropped Rich off and back at midnight, after a splendid EXTC celebration of XTC. So, well and truly warmed-up, we await what EXTC will do next with interest and anticipation!