Tuesday 9 November 2021

1,198 HEAVEN 17, PETE WYLIE, Bristol O2 Academy, Saturday 6th November 2021

 


A swift return to the Bristol O2 Academy for me and Logan, but something completely different to Thursday’s night’s jam-packed “grunting rock pig” Biffy show… Heaven 17’s quite stupendous “live” renditions of The Human League’s seminal first 2 albums at the Roundhouse in September (gig 1,189) may have put them in serious contention for Top Gig of 2021 for me, but I still needed a bit of persuasion for this one. I’d drifted away from Heaven 17 after their fine debut “Penthouse And Pavement” album and before their catchy yet anodyne string of 80’s synth-pop chart bothering singles. So something extra was needed to twist my arm, which arrived in the ample shape of support Pete Wylie, a post-punk teen hero of mine, and the brilliant Wah!conteur and host of gig 1,141 in Birmingham a couple of years ago. I eagerly snapped up tix, and because this was a weekend, I ran a couple of tracks past Logan, advising him this would be somewhat different from his usual rock and folk/punk gigs. Surprisingly, he was still up for it!

 So a boys day out was planned; firstly the new Marvel film “The Eternals” on the IMAX, then a drive down to Bristol early, parking up just after 6 and joining a small queue outside before 6.30 doors, grabbing a bit of barrier house right (for a change here!) and chatting with fellow punters to while away the time. Waaay fewer out tonight; balcony closed off, and only a smattering of weekend couples present to welcome Wylie onstage at 7.30. Black camo-clad with a “Wah! Humbug!” hoody, and accompanied by a back-up guy playing backing tracks from a laptop (all recorded by Wylie, apart from female backing vocals provided by his daughter Mersey), he immediately strapped on his guitar and burst into epic, soaring opener “Come Back”, which sounded as brilliantly widescreen as if a whole band – nay, a whole orchestra – was playing it. Easily the best thing I heard all night, with Wylie pointing directly at me to sing the “it’s all up to you!” line, while I lustily joined in, not hurting either! Thereafter he was into a lengthy anti-tory and anti-Thatcher diatribe, comparing Bristol to Liverpool “before the wankers got in!” and dismissing tories with his motto, “give a shit or be a shit!” A marvellous “Sinful” (“this describes most of the politicians today!”) followed, impassioned and with bags of conviction, before another speech, this time thanking the NHS for saving his life after he broke his back in the 90’s, urging us to protect it and dedicating a heartfelt “Heart As Big As Liverpool” to this precious institution. It wasn’t all political sloganeering, however; Wylie wisecracking, “for Heaven 17 fans, this is a guitar!” and announcing, “I’m the best guitarist at this gig!” before another impassioned “Story Of The Blues” saw him run over time, but not before sneaking in a stripped back and quite poignant “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory”. A 40 minute vignette which seemed like 10, this was superb stuff from a National Treasure; the man should have a blue plaque on his back, or at least a National Trust preservation order!

 


A still mediocre turnout (I reckon about 1/3 full tonight!) were present to welcome Heaven 17 on prompt at 8.30 to the siren strains of “Introducing”, Glenn Gregory on last and immediately, and commendably, playing to the folks here rather than those not, all expansive gestures and outstretched arms for metronomic opener “Height Of The Fighting”. The clattering rhythm of a splendid “Fascist Groove Thang” followed, Gregory telling how Heaven 17 founder Martyn Ware had asked him to join his band on Monday, and they’d finished and recorded this number by Friday!

 Gregory was once again a consummate performer, striding the stage with imperious command, telling stories and bantering with the crowd and Ware with measured ease and bonhomie, and lending his rich, stately baritone to the material. “Live”, even tracks I had anticipated with little relish were given an extra dimension with the splendid synth work and Gregory’s performance, the likes of “Come Live With Me” plaintive and yearning, and an earlier “Play To Win” pulsing and buoyant. A mid-set “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” duet with Ware was again stark and stunning, but the subsequent “Let’s All Make A Bomb”, fun, flippant and the one track in Heaven 17’s canon which stands comparison with those first 2 Human League albums, was our highlight, Logan recording this number for posterity. The robotic Kraftwerk rhythms of “I’m Your Money” was dedicated to H17 uber-fan Sumo (who’d apparently seen them over 200 times! Yowsers!), before a smoothly seductive and funky “Penthouse And Pavement” featured excellent backing vocals from the 2 girls. Then, their “franchise number” and biggest hit, “Temptation”, got the crowd singing along (if hardly raising the roof as per Gregory’s demands) with a stretched and absorbing version to finish a well-performed set, an authentic cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and a final run-through of The Human League’s jagged proto synth-punk classic “Being Boiled” acting as encore bookends to the gig.

 


A set-list from a friendly roadie and a swift drive home for kebabs and Mexican Grand Prix qualifying on TV capped another fun gig night with my gig buddy. Overall, better than I’d expected from Heaven 17, with Gregory’s performance in particular serving to elevate their later material considerably. But Wylie, the “Come Back” kid, won the night for me tonight…

 

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