Tuesday 18 January 2011

122 JAMES, Inspiral Carpets, London Dominion Theatre, Wednesday 12 March 1989

Caught the train up with Veronica to this, James' biggest headlining gig to date, also meeting Lester Noel (North Of Cornwallis vocalist) there. The Dominion is a huge and very grand theatre on the corner of Oxford Street; it doesn't seem right somehow to see James in such a place!

Young Mancunian support band Inspiral Carpets sported a super backdrop - a freaky cartoon cow! - and a slideshow to augment their impressive, keyboard-driven 1,000 Violins-ish pop set. Good stuff! As for James, well despite the prestige of this occasion, they were back in their usual habit of playing a set of largely unfamiliar new numbers predominantly in their set, and as such were confusing, but as always they put on an action-packed, unorthodox, rhythmically off-kilter, "strange" but superb show. Vocalist and mainman Tim Booth was a shaven-headed staccato dancing marionette, replying to one heckler, "my hair will grow back but your brains will never return"! Nuff said, Tim...

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