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!

1,113 TC&I (TERRY CHAMBERS AND COLIN MOULDING), Swindon Arts Centre, Tuesday 20th November 2018

Okay, let me share my XTC lament with you. No, not the one where I turned down an opportunity to see them "live" at Swindon Oasis in 1980, an event which would have been my first ever gig (I thought I was too young, my 'rents wouldn't let me, I'd have a chance to see them when I was older... ha!), the other lament... This one predates that by a year or so, when I was a painfully shy early teenager, slowly coming out of my shell thanks to a burgeoning interest in the then-current punk and new wave scene. My Aunt Helen, only 10 years older than I, got wind of this and suggested I might like her friend's husband's band XTC, subsequently turning up at my folks' house with the friend, Carol Moulding, in tow, along with a signed copy of said band's latest single, "Life Begins At The Hop". I thanked her, played it sporadically, liked it fine but no more, then later sold it to a schoolmate for a fiver. Yup, I know. Shoot me now.

I came to regret that in later years, as I revisited and came to revere XTC's taut, nervous and quirky art-school punk early albums, and, to a lesser extent (and largely thanks to the enthusiasm of a slew of my Boston friends), their more cerebral, studied and Beatles-esque melodic later material. Andy Partridge's decision to stop performing "live" back in 1982 seemingly put the kibosh on ever hearing that stuff onstage, although I jumped at Dave Gregory’s fairly recent "live" involvement with Tin Spirits, putting up with their anodyne prog for a brief smattering of such as "Towers Of London". That was probably it, though, thought I, until... Scarcely believable news emerged that a recent collaboration between original XTC members, drummer Terry Chambers (returning from a 30-year Australian sojourn) and bassist and co-songwriter Colin Moulding (that'd be Carol's hubby, then...!), which had resulted in a 4-track EP under the clever pseudonym of TC&I, would then be followed up by a series of low-key gigs at Swindon Arts Centre. Incredible! However, the first set of shows coincided with our family holiday in Turkey, another one with “Shiiine On”, but a final date, the day after my return from Minehead, afforded me the chance to finally see at least half of XTC "live", and (thanks to my finding a copy of "Hop" in an Edinburgh record shop last year) maybe even right an ancient wrong...

A potentially serious spanner was thrown in the works on the day of the gig, when my wife's London meeting overran, leaving me biting my nails at home, as the band’s onstage time of 8.15 loomed ever nearer. Thankfully, she arrived home at 5 to 8, I hared it up the hill to my secret car park, hitting the venue and taking my seat at 8.11. Result! The anticipation was palpable in the small sold-out hall, with people having travelled from far and wide (I sat next to a high-heeled gent from Tintagel!), so it was to a rapturous welcome that Colin led the 5-piece band onstage, announcing his intention to, "play some songs from the Jurassic Period again", then quipping, "I've got my flask of cocoa... rock'n'roll!"

The early stages were given over to more latter-day XTC material, Colin's compositions only (of course) and whilst it was all effortlessly melodic, relaxed and wistfully lovely, played with suitable reverence by Colin and the band (also featuring his drummer son Lee on percussion, plus guitarist Steve Tilling, a wide-eyed, stripey-trousered young Wilko Johnson clone), it felt, to me at least, like the warm up rather than the main event itself. "Ten Feet Tall" with an almost calypso rhythm, was a gentle early highlight, as was the McCartney-esque earworm of "Scatter Me" from the TC&I EP, and the pastoral vibe of "Wonderland". In fact, the poppier Beatle was clearly a touchstone for the late-period XTC and therefore the early stages of his set... never been a massive McCartney fan, so that's possibly why the first part of the set merely meandered pleasantly along for me, but after Colin announced a break, "so the management can fleece you in the bar," I have to say I was expecting more from part 2...

And I pretty much immediately got it; "Wardance", second number in, was much more upbeat and dynamic, whilst retaining that effortless melody and quintessentially English feel. "Big Day" saw Colin espouse on the perils of marriage ("which we know are many... but not in my case," he added with a glance to wife Carol in the wings), and "Ball And Chain" was the highlight thus far, upbeat, joyous and buoyant. However the best was well and truly saved for last; a great, racey "Generals And Majors" finally got everyone out of their seats, followed by set closer, the inevitable and superb angular backbeat of "Making Plans For Nigel". A first encore of the soaring "Statue Of Liberty" (introduced as, "for my old bandmate Andy Partridge," and the only Partridge composition on show tonight) merely set the table for the highlight of the night, a thrilling second encore of "Life Begins At The Hop", the taut metronome rhythm bring propelled along by Terry's superb tubthumping, Colin’s boisterous, bolshy vocal and that brilliantly undulating guitar hook. Brilliant way to end an overall sublime evening of melodic delights.

And, after a long wait (during which I chatted with various Mouldings, primarily Carol, who warmly remembered both my Aunt and my Nan, and Lee's wife Alexandra, a Level 3 face from those halcyon 90's days), I rather sheepishly got to tell the "Hop" story to a stern Colin and Terry, who nonetheless signed my Edinburgh copy and posed for pix. Result! Headed off home late but vindicated, after an overall splendid night's celebration of Swindon’s finest musical exports, XTC, and that ancient wrong righted!