18-12-16 Sunday - PWEI @ The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton on 15th Dec 2018

It had been a while coming; Ewan had bought the tickets back in June. And after a Christmas works do on Friday night, travelling from Worthing to Wolverhampton felt like an odyssey. But here we were, in Wolverhampton, about to see PWEI at a relatively small venue. We’d had a beer or two in The Giffard Arms, which had been described to me as “a rock pub”, and it certainly fitted the description. There was a lot of black and leather going on, as well as a ceremonial throne which Ewan tried to get a picture of unsuccessfully. Not only were there lots of musicheads about, but Wolves had beaten Bournemouth 2-0 so the town was full of celebrants.  

Once we’d girded our loins sufficiently, we headed to the Slade Rooms with our dancing shoes on. Beers were £2.50 each, which was lovely, and of course the first stop was to review the merchandise. PWEI always do a good t-shirt, and they hadn’t let us down in Wolves. I picked up a nice purple number, which started off being too small for me, so I had to exchange it. I think they’d given me a girl’s medium by mistake! But issue resolved, we watched a bit of the support, Cut La Roc, as he DJed a host of big beat “choonz”. He was good, but it was clear that the crowd were waiting for the Poppies to take the stage. We were right down the front, and I was considering moving to the back. But we were chatting, and time got away from us.  

All of a sudden, PWEI were on the stage and tearing through “Ich bin ein Auslander”, and I was pressed up against the barrier, with people pushing and shoving behind me. It was too much for me, and when I got the chance I headed to the back. The first song hadn’t even finished, but I was already pumped full of adrenaline. The Poppies have been going for a while, and this latest incarnation certainly know how to get the crowd going. The songs they choose to play from their extensive back catalogue all have pace and verve. They actually played quite a few from Dos Dedos, which I don’t have, so I shall have to keep an eye out for that. They obviously covered all the favourites – “Def Con One”, “Preaching to the Perverted”, “Wise Up Sucker!”, “Dance of the Mad” – and it got to the point where I didn’t know what they had left to perform during the encore. But they didn’t let us down, they had kept “Not Now James, We’re Busy” and “PWEIsation”. They also performed a tribute to Pete Shelley, which didn’t go quite to plan but was certainly heartfelt. And then, they were gone, and it was time to get a nightcap and then hit the hay. Since we are now in our late forties, Ewan retired with a cup of herbal tea, and we enjoyed the hospitality of the Wolverhampton Premier Inn.  

Today we took things easy, and had a good hearty fry-up before another epic journey to get home, but I had slept okay and didn’t overdo the lagers last night, so I’ve been feeling okay. Ewan and I have agreed that we’ll have to find another gig to go to in November / early December next year, and so that is a plan.  And if it is half as good as the Poppies were last night, that’ll be a gig worth going to... 

TTFN.  

The Wonder Stuff not Wonderful Any More...

So I went to see the Wonder Stuff on Wednesday; they were appearing on a triple bill with PWEI (Pop Will Eat Itself) and Jesus Jones in a night entitled "Sleigh the UK".

I met up with my sister at Victoria and we made our way to the Shepherd's Bush O2. We got in just as Jesus Jones were starting up, with International Bright Young Thing. They stormed through a number of songs off Liquidizer, as well as a couple from Doubt which I recognised, and of course they played Info Freako - but it wasn't the closer, surprisingly.

The songs were good, but it seemed there was something missing; I'm not sure what it was, but the music didn't seem quite rounded out. It was very enjoyable though, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle at several points during the set.

Next up were PWEI, which now only contains one original member - Graham Crabb. But he's backed up by (apparently) an ex-member of Gaye Bikers on Acid, and they certainly look like they're having fun on stage. The guitarists looked younger, but also joined in the fun. I saw PWEI last year at the Concorde II in Brighton and was initially sceptical, but they produced a full-on wall of sound and they know how to get their crowd moving. There was some serious moshpit action, which looked scary to me! But from my vantage point, they were the highlight of the night.

Lastly, The Wonder Stuff came on. Again, they only contain one original member, but I think we would all agree that Miles Hunt is the original member; he was the songwriter, the mouthpiece and the creative engine-room of the band. Miles took the stage like the all-conquering hero he is, but the band didn't seem to interact at all. It seemed like they were doing it by the numbers, and the only one enjoying themself was Miles. Things did pick up a bit when Erica left the stage so that the band could "play their boys' music", and the band romped through a few of their hits, but it was 22:45 by this time, and it was too little, too late.

The last time I saw the Wonder Stuff, Malc Treece and Martin Gilks were onstage (must have been 2005 or 2006) and the sense of communal enjoyment was palpable. It just wasn't there last Wednesday, and it probably would have been better billed as "Miles Hunt sings The Wonder Stuff". I still listen to 'Groove Machine and Hup, and I was reminded how good Never Loved Elvissounds (and my sister re-bought that for me a few years ago). I also have Escape From Rubbish Island and Suspended By Stars from their new incarnation, so I think the creative spark is there, but there was some enjoyment, some joie de vivre missing from the gig.

I'm glad I went; it was good to see Caroline and hear Jesus Jones and PWEI again, and Miles had his moments, but I shan't be attending Sleigh the UK 2013.

TTFN !! 

Posted via email from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site