Hello, I have only just stumbled across the Metamatic website and read the scores of discussions about John Foxx and Ultravox !!! It took me back 20 years to a time in my life when the music was 'electric' in so many ways and the whole ethos of life was to try and look cool and have high cheekbones !
1977 was so exciting, my friends and I went to strange places with strange people and saw the most exhilarating bands ever. Ultravox at the Marquee Club, supported by Neo ( I saw a posting on the site from one of the band ! ). I stood at the front of the stage in the Marquee watching John Foxx swing like a pendulum while singing ' I want to be a machine' !!! Follow that up with a pogo to 'Satday night in the city of the dead'.................
I saw Ultravox fronted by John Foxx many times, it was 20 years ago so the dates and venues are vague, definitely at Croyden Guild Hall around the time of Ha Ha Ha and with Robin Simon on guitar in that big place near Covent Garden ( Lyceum ? ) for the Systems of Romance tour.
You would think it could not have got any better, but then John went solo and I saw him play at the Adelphi ( or Astoria, I am getting old ) in London. He played ' The Garden' , the best live performance I have ever seen from anyone !!!
My only sadness is that Eddie Maelove and Sunshine Patterson who supported John on this tour seemed to fade away.............
I know that I sound very old now, reminiscing about the good old days but I assure you these were brilliant times with brilliant music and nothing I hear now compares to the atmosphere that was created through the music then, I try to pick a favourite track but where to start, I listen to the intro to 'Slow Motion', the lyrics to 'My Sex', the anger of 'Young Savage', the sheer beauty of 'Europe after the rain'....... No contest, for me 'The Garden' sung live, two mikes taped together for the echo and the whole front row of the audience throwing roses onto the stage !!!
I was there, a life time away but not forgotten !!! My thanks to the website and your input for reminding me so vividly.