[kj] 25th

iPat pmdavies at gmail.com
Wed Mar 2 06:48:51 EST 2005


The plane was late in so having jumped on the Gatwick Express, jumped
on the tube and booked into a lovely two star hotel [I've seen worse
3stars!] in Hammersmith I didn't hang around and quickly made my way
to the Goldhawk Tavern. Within a couple of minutes Rob (Horbag) had a
beer in my hand and was kindly introducing me to a couple of
gatherers.

It had been one of those days at the end of a busy week where you have
a splitting headache and could happily have curled up at night and
slept but here I was in London going to see a band I hadn't seen for
10 years but who had come to epitomise something best described as a
statement in todays throw it away cheap world. Killing Joke. This was
the moniker I had adopted on internet sites for a long time before I
came across the gathering, a band whos first two albums were listed
amongst my all time favourites. From the first time I saw them on
their inaugural tour in 1980 to the Eighties tour [Coasters,
Edinburgh] I had watched the Joke many times all over the country.
Life twists a different route and the Jokes route and mine were to go
on different routes until Saturday when they once again became
entwined.

What I must impress is that I'm the type of person who sometimes has
to listen to a song live before I can really appreciate it, so most of
the material on the 2003 release was not really sitting with me
comfortably although it was a move back to the right direction for me.
Today I can listen to the album with new ears.

I was fortunate to meet a lot of people who I have had the opportunity
to correspond with and bore over a short while and there were many who
I never got to speak to, dare say that there will be a time where that
opportunity may come. It dawned on me that I hadn't eaten and while I
was starving it was close to kick off time.

The Empire is a lovely place and situated next to the bar I had a good
view. Some of the company decided that they were going up front to get
sweaty but I refrained, happy to indulge myself further with the beer.
Half way during Wardance I was down the front bouncing away like I was
18 again although when I looked around there was only old gits like me
in evidence. If theres a 50th anniversary then I dare say we'll be
there with our zimmers and hearing aids.

Has anyone got the set list? Song after song was simply wonderful and
bar one mixing blunder after the encore the sound was good. I had ear
plugs and only used them a couple of times when the volume seemed to
increase. As all good parties come to an end so did this. The band had
a drink to their birthday and people started to drift away. I looked
at the tee shirts but they weren't very good at all. I did buy a hat
though. There was opportunity to hang around for the after gig party
but that's not really my thing and so after a few quick goodbyes, I
was out past the bored policemen reminiscing of the post gig rucks of
punk gigs gone by.

Gigs in general have moved on since the late 70's and early 80's when
there was always a scuffle and tension outside afterwards. Here I was
heading of to the tube and there's no one about, nothing in the air.
Hammersmith was a quick stop away and the bed a welcome friend.

The video clips off the camera are useless for sound quality but do
show the light show, if anyone wants to host them, I might first edit
them together rather than have them as 9 seconds.

Anyway, see some of you again in Cheltenham. Heads up to the chelsea
boys, a good weekend for us!

Pat Davies


More information about the Gathering mailing list