A couple of big birds killed with one stone, this one; I’d long been familiar with these 2 long-lived veteran 70’s New Wave bands, namely Athens, GA kitsch college pop pioneers The B-52s, and Akron, OH’s mutant art troupe Devo, loving certain numbers by both and liking others fine, but not quite enough to shell out to see either band “live” on their admittedly rare (and usually expensive and London-only) forays across the pond. However, their announcement a couple of years back of a double-header “Cosmic De-Evolution” tour of the States piqued my interest, my reaction being, “ooh, I’d like to see that if they bring it over here…” So, when they actually did, I was true to my word, lining up my first ever gig at London’s cavernous (and slightly inaccessible) O2 Arena, scene of a 5-day hangover-inducing BT Y2K Team party binge during my only previous visit, in its’ former guise as The Millennium Dome!
Regular gig friend and the ‘don’s own mutant punk queen Debby was up for this as well (no surprise really, Devo being her favourite band), so we booked balcony tix (the floor and first level seating prices being too spicy for us!) and headed off just after lunch, scooping up her friend Nigel on the way. Nigel, a chap I’ve known of since U18 Brunel times (!) but mainly by reputation only, proved quite the character, so the lengthy journey to our parking spot at Hayes & Harlington and onward via a swift Lizzie/ Jubilee line tube to North Greenwich was peppered with entertaining punk rock stories and anecdotes! Hit the huge dome itself just after 3, meeting up with a bunch of Deb’s Rebellion Festival “punk rock family” in the Stargazer pub (one of the many hostelries/ eateries skirting the edges of the O2) for a similarly enjoyable couple of hours of drinks and tales from the punk rock frontline! Debs’ friends Paul and Fi had 2 spare tix and Nigel arranged to sit with them, so I suggested that Debs also join them in their much better seats, down a level and opposite from our nosebleeds, also figuring I’d have a much better chance meeting Deb and Nigel afterwards, rather than Deb and myself having to track down our wayward companion!
So we all headed in just after 6 and I ventured up and up.. and up… on my own to my vertigo-inducing Block 420 spot, plonking down just before the opening act. This purported “double header” was in fact a quadruple whammy, with a couple of similarly veteran and like-minded quirky punk acts on the undercard. So, on at 20 to 7, ten minutes late after a fiddly soundcheck and in front of a disappointingly sparse crowd in this all-seater arena, was 70’s oddball New Wave one hit wonder Lene Lovich. Her short set was plagued with quiet sound (at least in my rooftop seat!) and felt a little flat throughout, la Lovich even asking at one point, “are you all ready? Are you awake?” The proto Florence was all expansive of gesture and hand movement, and of course those octave straddling vocal gymnastics and yelps, but, the poppy “hit” “Lucky Number” aside, this was not a brilliant start, although in all honesty I wasn’t really expecting it to be…
Met up with Thursday night’s gig buddy Howard (gig 1,447) and his charming daughter Tilly in the balcony walkway afterwards; Howard is a confirmed Spud-head (the nomenclature for Devo fans…!) so we enthused about the nights events before I popped back in for Scot’s 70’s New Wavers The Rezillos, next up at 7.20. Thankfully, the sound had been turned up for them, a rampaging punk opener of “Someone’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight” sounding fulsome and powerful. The twin vocal attack of Fay Fife, all dayglo pink and black PVC, and her hefty and menacing leather biker-clad partner in crime Eugene Reynolds, were the visual focus throughout, and the early sci-fi doowop new wave stylings of “Destination Venus” was an early highlight. This was however topped by the later call and response hook of their “hit”, “Top Of The Pops”, also featuring Fay singing along with her younger self projected onto the big screen! Overall, a pretty good set which sagged slightly in the middle with a couple of newies but finished strongly thanks to the aforementioned “TOTP” and the frantic Ramones/ rockabilly rush of “Good Sculptures”.
Took another break in the still-quiet walkway, and was offered a seat upgrade by an O2 employee! Result! So I headed down to my new 1st level Block 111 seats, running briefly into Ant-Trouble mainman Mitchell and his lovely partner Beth, before taking a fine viewing spot, house right, for Devo at 8.10. A short film of their record company signing (or not?) culminated in the featured record exec welcoming, “my biggest career regret, Devo!” to the stage, the band kicking straight into top gear with a brash and beaty synth-propelled “Don’t Shoot” and a surprisingly thrusting and powerful sounding “Peek A Boo”. Great start!
Devo were actually incredible
tonight; I was expecting quirky mutant new wave numbers, retro 60’s sci-fi
visuals (costumes and films) and odd, dyslexic time signatures, and got all of
that. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was brilliantly sounding, powerful,
punchy anthems, delivered with determined conviction by these Akron veterans…
and I got that as well! The fabled flowerpot hats – sorry, energy domes –
came out for the irresistibly groovy angular riff of “Girl U Want”; main vocalist
Mark Mothersbaugh then announced, “in times like these, it’s more important
than ever… to Whip It!” the subsequent “Whip It” being accompanied by
retina-scalding colourful cartoon imagery; then after a brief intermission
(during which we were entertained by a space film on the screen!) the band,
yellow boiler-suited up, returned to deliver the tough, rocking powerpop of set
highlight “Uncontrollable Urge”. A tense and claustrophobic “Mongoloid”
featured a regimented backbeat and suitably moody vocal from co-singer Gerry
Casale, before Mothersbaugh again queried, “do you believe in De-Evolution? The
evidence is clear… Are We Not Men?” to a resounding response of, “we are Devo!”
from the assembled Spud-heads, leading into the herky jerky descending backbeat
of “Jocko Homo.” An almost Springsteen-esque anthemic rocker “Gates Of Steel”
rounded off the set proper, the “Devo Corporate Anthem” heraldic fanfare
preceding encore “Freedom Of Choice”, Mothersbaugh then pointedly leaving us
with the advice, “Freedom of Choice – use it or lose it!”
Decided to wander around the first level walkway to see if my folks were hanging around outside their block, noticing that the entire back row of said block was unoccupied! So a brief cheeky chat with Customer Services got me my third seat of the night, in the Pepsi Deck at the back of Block 101, house left and in line with the stage. Result! Again! So, I was in situ on my comfy revolving seat for headliners The B-52s at 9.40, again welcomed onstage by a vintage film compilation from their younger days. The chirruping psych-pop of “Cosmic Thing” opened the set, some fine and clear call-and-response vocals from the impressively-maned and sequinned-up Kate Pierson and the more sardonic sounding Fred Schneider, before Kate announced, “Hello London! We’re the B-52s… but I guess you knew that…!”
Of the 2 dual headliners, The B-52s
were the band with which I was most familiar; initially not a fan but then warming
up to their early taut mutant sci-fi college pop whilst then drifting a little
on their subsequent hit era. So, like that Blondie gig in 2004 (gig 636) I was
expecting a mix of the brilliant and the banal, which was pretty much what I
got… “Give Me Back My Man” (always one of my absolute B-52s faves) therefore moved
the groove factor up a few hundred notches after a somewhat flat “Mesopotamia”,
keyboardist Cindy Wilson delivering a fine, plaintive vocal; “Roam”, whilst
slightly lacking the bright vibrancy of the recorded version, still featured
some lovely choral harmonies between Wilson and Pierson; then after a couple of
okayish numbers, “Private Idaho” was terrific, the robotic rhythm and
off-kilter hook building to a crescendo. I took a quick break during inevitable
set closer “Love Shack” (sorry, but that one’s overplayed for me) then popped
down the stairs to scoop Deb and Nigel up to my empty back row, using some
space behind the seats to dance good and proper to utterly superb encores of a
creepy, beepy “Planet Claire” and the doo-wop surf rockabilly and descending,
yelping hook of “Rock Lobster”. A great way to finish an uneven but overall memorable
and particularly well-sung set of retro new wave from these Athens veterans!
From our back row, we then got a quick exit from the O2 and onto the tube, getting back to the car at H&H just after midnight, only because the Lizzie line was surprisingly slow. A quick blast along the M4 singing raucously along to old U18 Brunel punk classics saw me drop the folks off and hit home at a slightly red-eyed 1.30. On the sofa recovering all day afterwards! Nonetheless, a great day with splendid company throughout; and as for the bands themselves, they mainly lived up to my expectations, apart from Devo, who exceeded them by some distance and were comfortably my favourite band of the night. Either way, though, I’m glad I took the opportunity to kill off these 2 big birds!
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