No Rock And Roll Fun

"WRONG BAND, MATE": We awake to an inobx containing a review of Cinerama in Cambridge last Tuesday, from Karl:

Four years ago Cinerama were playing a gig in Harlow to about 20 people. Admittedly, that wasn't the typical size of the audience, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. In those days, shouts for Wedding Present songs were greeted with a scowl and numerous "Wrong band, mate" comments. Fast-forward four years, and they're in a pub in Cambridge, full of thirty-something ex-indie kids and students.

In the intervening years, Cinerama have slowly metamorphosed (back) into The Wedding Present... no more keyboards or flutes: Just two guitars, bass and drums. There are far more people at their concerts these days; possibly because they avoid most of their own albums, and play some old-time crowd-pleasers. The biggest cheer of the night was for Kennedy, a song David Gedge admits he "never really liked much", and the crowd barely moved until a back-to-back Dalliance and Dare.

At least five new songs were played, and there were more Wedding Present songs than ever before. The new songs are, well, not too different to the old songs: Quiet, loud, quiet, very fucking loud. You know what you're getting, but then I guess you always did.

Of course, Cinerama themselves are hardly a new band any more (three 'proper' albums, two compilations, two Peel Sessions albums and two live albums!), but they've ditched their legacy in favour of Gedge's own. I still don't know whether that's good or bad, but it makes for an entertaining night.

The last song of the night was the new single, 'Don't Touch That Dial', a song Gedge said should be number one in this year's Festive Fifty. I reckon he deserves it, if not for the quality of the song then at least for keeping us entertained over the last 18 years.

Karl - I tried to send you an email thanking you for this but it bounced back due to some sort of issue at your ISP... so I shall thank you publicly, instead. Thank you.