I was fortunate enough to have 'dropped coin' for a VIP ticket to the Madchester gig. Via a lengthy set up process for the sound check, John and Benge finally appeared and rehearsed 3 fantastic tracks, Evergreen, Hiroshima and Running Man (I think). After the sound check I got to meet with Mr Quiet Man with a couple of other fans. I was struck on how polite and laid back he was. He was a bit vague on whether he would eventually colaborate with Bill Nelson, but did confirm that he intends to produce some further Quiet Man stuff, perhaps including some more spoken word readings by himself. After the signings and photos, John disappeard and it was almost time for Tara Busch.
For me the jury is still out on Tara. Her music was completely new to me and I think, not instantly accessible. But with perseverence I think it will be a grower.
Then after what seemed years, the sculptured jawed one was back on stage with Benge and 2 ladies. I was in front of Hanna Peel the keyboard/violinist and John was to my right. Kicking off with Shatterproof, he took us back to the late 70s/early 80s with Hiroshima Mon Amour, Just For A Moment, Dislocation, No-one Driving, Plaza, Underpass, A New Kind of Man The remainder of the set was pure Inerplay, except for The Shadow Of His Former Self.
All in all a fanastic night with a new cd and a rare cd to liik forward to back home.
The ONLY disappointment for me was no A Falling Star. Shame that, it's my favourite album track.
Empty Clothing
I'm not terribly sure about this picture on flickr but judging by the comments loads of people seem to think it's good!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotpixuk/6280475123/