[kj] SBE - A Neutral Perspective.

[David Schofield]

Hello all,

 

This is my first posting to the gathering, so be easy on me ;)

 

I must start by stating that I'm not a big KJ fan, but my wife is (hello
Chris!) and as a result I have had a fair bit of exposure to the music.
There are some songs I like, and I can appreciate the influence of KJ on
bands that I do like. Also, there are some songs (and at least one
album) that I don't like. I have seen them before a couple of times back
in the mid 90s and enjoyed it, but couldn't make the 2003 gigs due to
work. However, Mrs S persuaded me to stump up the readies for a weekend
in London for the anniversary shows....

 

Thursday.

Started off with a couple of pints of murky cider in the Goldhawk
tavern. We didn't talk to anyone in there, but we were stood near the
bar looking to see if we recognized anyone from the various posted
photos and trying to rembember faces to put names to when the photos of
the evening appeared ;)

 

Left at 7:45ish and had a wander down to the Empire to gawp at Alex.
Remember being vaguely disappointed that hes middle aged (last and only
photo I saw of him was probably 20 years old!). After another couple of
pints and deciding that dub is among the great under-rated musical
genres, Alex went off and KJ appeared.

 

By this time I was really up for it, and for the first couple of songs I
was dancing along with the best of them. But then it all went downhill.
I don't know if its because we were stood less than 6 foot from the
speaker stack to stage right, but the sound was atrocious. Apart from
Asteroid and Requiem, I didn't recognize another song - mainly because
every one sounded exactly the same. I have never heard the sound so bad
at a gig before and I have never been so bored at a gig before.

 

Ended up having an argument with Mrs S when I stated that I really
wasn't impressed with it ;(

 

This left me really not looking forward to Friday night, and if it had
been in Leeds/Sheffield or somewhere else close to home, I wouldn't have
gone. But the weekend was already paid for, and after a family day in
London and meeting up with one of the wifes old friends (Susan) I was
suitably cheered up ;)

 

Friday.

Started off again in the Goldhawk tavern; again we didn't talk to anyone
and neither of my companions recognized anyone from back in the day, but
I did recognize some people from the night before...

 

Wandered down to the Empire at 7:45ish again and found a space by the
side of the bar to the left of the stage near the side steps. The view
this night wasn't as good, but the sound was considerably better. I
actually enjoyed tonight and thought it was a significantly better gig -
even though the birthday cake was very cheesy (and seeing as the first
song was written in 79, a little too late!).

 

In conclusion, Thursday night was more of a poor warm-up gig for the
main event, but Friday was good. If I had just been to Thursday, I would
not be going back to another KJ gig, but Friday just about pulled it
back enough to contemplate doing the return drive down to Cheltenham
(depending on when it is), and we'll probably be somewhere on the next
tour.

 

Dave

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