THERAPY? & DEUX FURIEUSES
Nostalgia may not be what it used to be but the early songs of Therapy? are as vital now as they were 30 or more years ago.
The last time I saw THERAPY? was at the Reading festival in 1992 and I remember absolutely loving them. I stuck with them through Baby Teeth, Pleasure Death, Nurse, Troublegum and Infernal Love. I never fell out of love with those early records but lack of funds and real life got in the way and I just lost track of what they were up. I approach tonight with some trepidation given the time that has passed but Therapy? absolutely delivered.
This tour is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of second full length album Troublegum. From the intro tape of a chamber music version of Lunacy Booth through to the encore’s finale of Screamager, everything in the set list dates from that time or before. And that suits me just fine.
Andy Cairns remains a truly great frontman. His vox maybe more rounded and less feral than I remember but still deliver and the guitar work is as fiery as ever. Michael McKeegan pogos around like a loon and plays some fantastic seething bass lines. Powerhouse drummer Neil Cooper doesn’t try to mimic the long-departed Fyfe Ewing’s truly unique style but is a more than decent replacement.
I’m afraid I can’t tell you whether second guitarist and backing vocalist Stevie Firth is even on stage – there does seem to be someone lurking stage left but, from my vantage point at the back, I can’t tell if they are playing or not.
In a 21 song set, for me the highlights are Totally Random Man, Turn, Opal Mantra, Teethgrinder and the aforementioned Screamager, possibly one of the best pop-punk songs ever. Great as it is, it’s not perfect. Potato Junkie is my favourite Therapy? song ever – whilst it is a joy to hear it, the drum solo and the extract from Sabbath’s Iron Man are distractions from its brilliance. Talking of the drum solo, surely these are unnecessary in the 21st century, even if it is Cooper’s birthday and the electronics take it into borderline rave territory? Or is that just me? Whatever, Therapy? deliver a masterclass tonight in commemorating the past without turning into a cliched nostalgia fest. And maybe I really do need to check out what they have done since the mid-90s.
Openers DEUX FURIEUSES (AKA Two Furious Women) are vocalist/guitarist Ros Cairney and Greek drummer/vocalist Vas Antoniadou. After three albums as Deux Furieuses (and releases under their previous name of We Rock Like Girls Don’t), along with a stint in Brix Smith’s touring band, Cairney and Antoniadou know what they are about. The vox are fairly clean but very strong, there’s some sterling grungey guitar work and the drums veer from tribal to jazzy percussion. All the elements suggest that I should really like this band. They are clearly talented but things tonight don’t quite work for me. That said, I’d like to see them again before coming to a conclusion and think they’d win me over in a smaller space like, say, Voodoo’s or the Waterfront Studio.
