Space
So many bands have walked onto stage to Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra that it has become something of a cliché, yet when Space do it, a band that has been on their own odyssey for much of the last 20 years, it immediately raises a smile and brings back memories of the wit, humour and irony which made them so special. In fact, during the nineties they carried on the Merseyside tradition of writing wonderfully catchy yet relevant pop songs, a tradition started with Lennon and McCartney in the sixties and rekindled in the late seventies by Deaf School.
Launching straight in with Charlie M from the 1996 album Spiders we are taken on a journey that seamlessly weaves the hits into a fabric of new material, some of it as yet unreleased. Tommy Jones and keyboard player Franny Griffiths remain from the original line-up, and they are joined by Phil Hartley on bass and Allan Jones on guitar. It is Tommy's birthday, and he is looking good, a bit like a latter day Begbie from Trainspotting, or Daffy from The Beach. I almost expect to awake this morning with a map pinned to my bedroom door. But unlike these two characters of fiction, Tommy is a genuine bundle of warmth and wit that is delighted to be performing to a packed crowd in Norwich on a Saturday night. It is not long before he is amidst us, singing, shaking hands and embracing an adoring audience, and is happy to share the bottle of red wine supplied as part of the band's rider. Franny Griffiths, now looking a bit like Bill Bailey following a course of luxuriant hair restorer, recreates that authentic, and unmistakable, Space synth sound.
And that unique sound still pervades the new material. Songs like Kill Switch, Gorgeous Chaos, and Sharks Be More Friendly hint that the new album, Give Me Your Future, is not so much a return to form as a continuation of where they left off. Tonight, it is as though Space have never been 'outer' sight.
For The Ballad of Tom Jones it comes as no surprise when Cerys Matthews fails to materialise, but in her place is guest vocalist Nancy Doll from The Sex Pissed Dolls, who does a great job in conveying the wit and passion of the original hit. Avenging Angels, Begin Again, Female of the Species and finally Me and You Versus The World are all revived and given rousing renditions. But this is no greatest hits show or nostalgia trip. This is very much a tour to promote the new album. Although nobody complains when the band return to perform Neighbourhood, a song that has us all jumping and singing as one.
Tommy Scott is probably happy to slip away and enjoy what is left of his birthday, but like a true gentleman he turns nobody down as he is trapped by the exit with requests for selfies and autographs. A true Merseyside gentleman.
Support tonight came from The Novatones, a retro-sounding name for four indie-punk lads from Southampton, and fronted by Anthony Pittman. There is nothing particularly original in their set of self-penned songs, but they play with an energy and passion that demands attention. There are even a few Nicky Wire style guitar leaps thrown in, which on the crowded Waterfront Studio stage is a credible achievement. The Union Jack guitar is now a bit twee for a non-tribute band, but they do manage to cover all bases, from The Who and The Small Faces to Dr Feelgood, through Buzzcocks and The Jam and all the way to Franz Ferdinand and Electric Six, and all with their own material. Perhaps all they need now is a bit more of their own style. If you are going to the Isle of Wight Festival in June look out for them. Along with The Sex Pissed Dolls they could provide the ideal accompaniment to a lager or three.
