After the chicken burger and chips I loitered around checking out all the comings and goings, like the scalpers on the corner trying to buy and sell tickets for the show, blackboards and signs saying the Carter gig was sold out, and hundreds of Carter fans wearing their Carter t-shirts. After lining up, I got in and positioned myself at the very front, just off-centre. After having to be a bit of a wus at Barrowlands on account of feeling rubbish I was more than going to make up for that at Brixton, and I knew that if I didn't get up front then I would regret it afterwards. 
First up were the Sultans Of Ping who played a really well received set of their classic hits and a couple of new tunes. Tracks like Give Him A Ball And A Yard Of Grass, Stupid Kid and Where's Me Jumper? all went off and the crowd up front were really enjoying it, except for a point where some over-exuberant feller raised the eyebrows of some of the security and a few harsh words were exchanged in both directions. After Sultans of Ping there were the same tunes played through the soundsystem as at Barrowlands which gave a fine selection of classic and relevant indie tunes.
Then it was time for that fat bastard Jon Beast to come out in the buff again with an excess array of polysterene cups and whatnot masking-taped around his privates. Thankfully for the sake of the stage and my clothes, there was no beer thrown up on stage this time... was it simply because of the stronger security presence, or because there weren't as many Glaswegians in attendance? The mysteries of the universe...
After introducing the band, Jon Beast left the stage and Les and Jim belted through a brilliant set of songs based on the Barrowlands set but with a few minor alterations, the best of which was Shoppers Paradise. Courtesy of Mark Read from the Carter forum, here's the entire set list (my personal favourites from the night are in bold type...Surfin USM
Everytime A Churchbell Rings
My Second To Last Will And Testament
Say It With Flowers
Rubbish
Billys Smart Circus
Taking Of Peckham 1-2-3
Do Re Me So Far So Good
This Is How It Feels
Anytime Anyplace Anywhere
The Only Living Boy In New Cross
Prince In A Paupers Grave
Shoppers Paradise
After The Watershed
RSPCE
Glam Rock Cops
Lean On Me I Won't Fall Over
The Impossible Dream
Bloodsport For All
The Music Nobody Likes
A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb
(plus the encores...)
England
A Sheltered Life
Rent
Sheriff Fatman
GI Blues
Being right up the front I got to see what a classic Carter gig was like in all its glory - ducking for cover from crowd-surfers, getting rammed up against the unpadded security barriers until I was covered in bruises, absolutely cracking tunes (at a sensibly loud volume) and only the occasional painful wince to wipe off the otherwise permanent smile, singing, pointing, shouting and all those other things that you would do at the best concert ever. Indeed, it's the best gig I've ever been to - I declared it as such five hours before it even started and had no reason to change my mind at any time throughout the night.
Other non-musical highlights were Richy presenting Les with his first beer in seven months... an ice cold bottle of Coopers Sparkling Ale (nice touch!) as well as the clothes change before the encores which brought Jim out in a crown and gown (a bit like a low-budget version of what Neil Tennant wore on earlier Pet Shop Boys tours when singing It's A Sin), and Les in a cycling cap, EMF shorts and a Senseless Things t-shirt. Another interesting thing is that it was so jam packed at the front of the stage, I couldn't safely get the camera out of my pocket the whole time in order to take any shots, so it looks like I'll be relying on the photography of others (big thanks to anyone whose pictures I use here - I'll give you 100% royalties).As with all good things however, they eventually come to an end, in this case with the crowds dispersing slowly as people hunted around in a zombie-like state for things that had gotten lost or broken during the course of the madness - shoes, glasses, (where's me) jumpers, mobile phones etc.. Earlier in the week Les had promised to get me a pass to come backstage after the gig but without being able to get in contact with anyone on that side of the fence, I started to become worried when security started trying to prompt myself and others along out of the building. I spoke to security about it and one of them helped call Richy over who confirmed he knew me and helped stall the security until Crissi found me, escorted me behind the scenes and arranged me a pass. A quick note about the security - I thought they were absolutely brilliant... no testosterone driven machoism, just swift efficient management of the crowds which mainly involved catching crowd-surfers as they got to the front of the set, but also squirting drinking water for the fans up front and even rescuing some smaller women who were really struggling with the vice-like crush of the moshpit against the barriers.
Being backstage afterwards was amazing, humblig, exciting and totally special. I got to say hello to Jim for the first time ever and congratulate him on the excellence of the gig... well worth coming over from Australia for! I also got to catch up with a few old faces including Les, Crissi, Richy, Arran, a frisky Ben Lambert as well as quickly meeting Jon Beast and then Marc Ollington... the man who put together this wonderful night's entertainment. He also thanked me for the remix I did of Jim's track Mission Control, which was used on the bonus disc of his Greatest (post-Carter) Hits compilation which I thought was really sweet.
After a few drinks it was through to the bar area where there were more familiar faces including Jason Bootle, Neil, Lydia (and her mum), Nat (Fruity's housemate) and a whole lot of other people who were in good spirits after the show. Before, during and after, everyone was in such good spirits and was really happy and priviledged to be there throughout the night to genuinely celebrate the brilliance and importance of South London's finest.
A few more drinks and then it was off to Jamm for... um... a few more drinks! 
Bandwise, I saw some of the Subliminal Girls set and was impressed at how cohesive their sound was. I can see why there's a lot of talk about them at the moment and I thought their cover of Carter's The Only Living Boy In New Cross. Later on the same stage, Richy's other band Allergy were playing a mix of original songs and covers. Not to be outdone by the Subliminal Girls, Allergy also gave a Carter cover, the wonderful Let's Get Tattoos which alas didn't make the Carter setlist because the drum machine doesn't know how to play that one. 
It was a quality rendition, as was their cover of Gary Numan's cars, fronted by Neil who looked suitably dark and spooky in the pale blue light. The final song of the set was pure gold - a cover of Abdoujaparov's Beer Scooter. 
In some ways you could say it was a cover, but in reality, it was more as if Allergy transformed into Abdoujaparov for the final song, because Bomber (the drummer) plays for Abdoujaparov, as does Richy and the specialist guest vocalist... Fruitbat! It was a suitably excellent end to the night's live performances.
Bandwise, I saw some of the Subliminal Girls set and was impressed at how cohesive their sound was. I can see why there's a lot of talk about them at the moment and I thought their cover of Carter's The Only Living Boy In New Cross. Later on the same stage, Richy's other band Allergy were playing a mix of original songs and covers. Not to be outdone by the Subliminal Girls, Allergy also gave a Carter cover, the wonderful Let's Get Tattoos which alas didn't make the Carter setlist because the drum machine doesn't know how to play that one. 
It was a quality rendition, as was their cover of Gary Numan's cars, fronted by Neil who looked suitably dark and spooky in the pale blue light. The final song of the set was pure gold - a cover of Abdoujaparov's Beer Scooter. 
In some ways you could say it was a cover, but in reality, it was more as if Allergy transformed into Abdoujaparov for the final song, because Bomber (the drummer) plays for Abdoujaparov, as does Richy and the specialist guest vocalist... Fruitbat! It was a suitably excellent end to the night's live performances.During the night, I'd also spent a fair bit of time dancing like a lunatic to the wonderful selections played by the DJs... being a Carter aftershow, many of the selections represented similar bands from the early 90s and the crowd loved bopping along to the likes of Pop Will Eat Itself, EMF, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Sultans of Ping, Inspiral Carpets, James, Northside, Jesus Jones and Carter USM themselves.
Feeling so much better than I did at Glasgow (despite the 2 inch red line across my chest from where I'd been bruised and squashed into the barrier at the Academy) I was far more sociable and able to take the time to do some proper hellos and dance with other Carter fans, including those from the forum. 
Here's a picture of a couple of fat bastards who just happened to be there on the night and now to finish, here's a selection of photos I took throughout the night of a whole lot of totally chipper people who I've met through the Carter forum and other Carter-related links... all of whom seemed to having a great time befitting such a wonderful occasion. Note Les catching up for lost time with a bottle in each hand!
Here's a picture of a couple of fat bastards who just happened to be there on the night and now to finish, here's a selection of photos I took throughout the night of a whole lot of totally chipper people who I've met through the Carter forum and other Carter-related links... all of whom seemed to having a great time befitting such a wonderful occasion. Note Les catching up for lost time with a bottle in each hand!
The Impossible Dream
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run whew the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are to weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest, to follow the star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right, without question or pause
To be willing to pass into hell for a heavenly cause
And I know, if I'll only be true to the glorious quest
That my heart lies peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last once of courage
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest, to follow the star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right, without question or pause
And to dream the impossible dream
The impossible dream
The impossible dream
The impossible
So here I am the following afternoon, battered, broken, bruised and bent... but I could not be happier about how everything went. For someone who loves Carter's music so much, and to have missed out on it all first time around, it was the most wonderfully orchestrated 30th birthday party anyone could imagine. Giant thanks to Les, Jim, Stephanie, Marc, all the smiling Carter fans, and to all the friends and family who helped chipped in for the trip by giving me an early cash birthday presents - you're all diamonds.
1 comment:
A fantastic review of a truely wonderful wonderful night, thankyou
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