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I'm
a real 'old school' fan first buying '100cc' way back in '73 and I'm a great
fan of 10cc, G&C, Wax et al, my only regret being that I never got to see
the original 4 being only 12/13 when they split. However, I have seen them on
almost every tour they did from 77 onwards. I went along to the GG10cc tour
last time out (2002 – Ed.) and I really
enjoyed the show at St David’s Hall, |
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The
theatre was 90% full and the pre show vibe was really good, Kiki Dee warmed
the crowd up really well, her accompanist guitar player was amazing, a real
talent. Then, it was time for the main event and the opening riff from WSS
belted out across the PA and I thought, yep, here we go! However, all wasn’t
well… the sound was a little flat and whilst the band were clearly having a
good time there was something that I couldn’t put my finger on that just
wasn’t right. Yes, it was virtually note perfect even if GG's voice is
getting a bit thin and of course the quality of the songs is unsurpassed but
I found myself getting more uncomfortable as the night wore on to the extent
that the best part of the whole show (for me)was actually when they did the
medley of GG songs from the 60’s. By the end of the night the whole
thing had fallen completely flat for me and it was only afterwards, in the
bar, did I work out why. |
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Firstly,
the set list was almost 100% the same as the 2003 show and whilst I know they
were plugging a greatest hits compilation, there is such a goldmine of
material they could have played it was really quite disappointing to hear the
same songs again. Secondly, and I think more importantly, Mick
Wilson just left me cold. I wasn't sure if he thought he was Lol or Eric
but to me, he just doesn't fit in and made the whole gig seem like a cross
between a tribute band and karaoke. Ok, the guy can sing, very well and he’s
clearly good with a crowd, but he isn’t 10cc. 10cc were always much more than
that, they had integrity and real belief in the music and it was always
really important to me that the guys who wrote the words, sang the words.
This was like watching X Factor where the theme of the night was 10cc and
what made this even sadder was that with Paul and Rick there, I’d expected a
bit more ‘authenticity’ but to me it was just ‘10cc by numbers’ (even though
Kev made a few guest appearances). |
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Despite,
or possibly because, I'm such a huge 10cc fan, I won’t ever go to see GG10cc
again; I’d rather wheel out my “Live and Let Live” or “King Biscuit Flower
Hour” and remember what the real 10cc were like. |
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Regards |
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Gary
Carvell |
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The 10cc fan club thanks
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Review number 2 |
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Shepherds
Bush Empire - Friday the 16th of March 2007. Myself and three friends, Matt, Diane and Amelia, are off to the
Shepherds Bush Empire and the excitement had been building for a long time. I
have seen other bands at the Empire and know it has a really good 'vibe' and
most important of all it is a venue where you can stand up, dance and get to
the bar without any problem. All of these are obviously very important but
access to the bar is vital. Beer was
consumed and then it was time for the opening act - Kiki Dee and her guitar
player, sorry I cannot remember his name, were very impressive. She has such
a great voice, seems so nice and I have fancied her for such a long time -
Which always helps. More beer is
consumed and the atmosphere is building very nicely. Diane wanders off to
find out if it will be possible to get any autographs at the end of the show
and comes back with ……. four guest tickets for a small after show
drink/party. Matt and I are so excited that we drink lots more beer. Added
excitement for all concerned is that the show is being recorded for a
possible DVD release - We all wonder if we might get our faces on it? The lads come
on stage and the rest of the evening becomes a bit of a blur. They are really
on fire tonight and one of the things I love about this band is the fact that
they look like they are having as much fun as the rest of us. Great songs
come and go, we dance, jump up and down, drink more beer and shout for 'The
Dean and I' at the end of each song. They finally play it, I always think it
is just for me, and I am an even happier man. As soon as we
walk in we get yet more beer and see Kevin chatting away to some friends. We
bide our time and then make our move - God knows what the poor man made of us
but he was very kind and it was a chance to say thank you for 'The Dean and
I'. I shake hands with Rick, we chat with Mick (who was on top form tonight),
and finally get a few words with Graham. As always he is a real gentleman and
does not appear to be to concerned by the drunken
idiots in front of him. Thank you to
everyone for such a great night and if you need a fans eye view for the DVD
extras you know how to contact me. " Church bells, three swells - The Dean, his daughter
and me". Mark Andrews |
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Review
number 3 |
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Set List: Wall Street
Shuffle Due to
illness, what was supposed to be the first night of the tour became the last
night of the tour and I think the audience at It was an
evening of The Dean And Us, as Liverpudlian
singer/songwriter Dean Johnson provided the support and did a sterling job, undertowed with typical Scouse humour. Alone on stage, save for his guitar, Dean managed
to get the audience to join in on most of his songs whilst they waited for
the main event. 10cc
founder member Graham Gouldman took to the stage with long-time 10cc
musicians Rick Fenn and Paul Burgess, together with multi-instrumentalist Mike
Stevens and percussionist/singer Mick Wilson, bursting immediately into
"Wall Street Shuffle", safest of openers, before slowing the pace a
bit with "The Things We Do For Love". The legendary complex 10cc
vocal arrangements were expertly shared out between Wilson (who sang like a
bird behind his percussion set and bongos, thus reminding this writer of
Jellyfish's Andy Sturmer, another vocalising drummer who felt the need to dispense with the
drumstool), Gouldman and Fenn. After "Life Is
A Minestrone", Rick Fenn played an instrumental piece that enventually morphed into the quasi-reggae of "Art
For Art's Sake". Next up was
one of the highlights of the show. Many people forget that Graham Gouldman
wrote a number of classic pop songs in his pre-10cc days in the Sixties. And
now, in a small acoustic set, we were treated to most of them. "Bus
Stop" and "Look Through Any Window" were recorded and made
famous by fellow Mancunians The Hollies, "No
Milk Today" was offered to Herman's Hermits and "For Your
Love" was one of the songs that brought the legendary Yardbirds to a
wider audience. Indeed, it could be said that "For Your Love" is
one of the most important songs in rock music history. The reasoning behind
this bold statement is that Yardbirds' guitarist Eric Clapton disliked the
song so much, he left the band. This allowed Jimmy Page to join, come to the
fore and be in a position, when the Yardbirds split, to set about putting
together his own band, which eventually became Led Zeppelin. So, in a round
about way, I think I am justified in arguing that if it wasn't for Graham
Gouldman, Led Zeppelin may never have existed ; and I dread to think what
might have happened to rock music if that had been the case. So, Graham, once
again, a heartfelt Thank You. This celebration
of Graham's songwriting was followed by a trio of early 10cc fare,
"Silly Love", "The Dean And I" and "Donna",
which hit #2 in Graham
introduced the next song almost apologetically by saying that it wasn’t 10cc
but then shrugged his shoulders, intimating "so what?".
In the early Eighties, Graham formed Wax with Andrew Gold (who had himself
found fame with "Never Let Her Slip Away", "Lonely Boy"
and the theme tune for Channel Four's sitcom "Golden Girls",
"Thank You For Being A Friend"). In another slice of classic pop,
Gold and Gouldman wrote the incessantly catchy and much underrated
"Building A Bridge To Your Heart". I would hazard an educated guess
that the majority of the Ipswich Regent's patrons last night were sadly
hearing the song for the first time. For my part, I had not anticipated it
being part of the set, but was rather chuffed to see it included. Next came
what probably most of the audience had been waiting for, massive #1 hit in
1975 and staple of jukeboxes and pub soundtracks up and down the country, "I'm
Not In Love". Again, Mick Wilson worked wonders with the original Eric
Stewart vocal. As the song wound down in its own inimitable and unique way, a
curious thing happened; the audience, almost to a man (and woman) gave Graham
and the band a standing ovation. They followed this up with the last of their
three UK #1 singles, the full-on reggae of Dreadlock Holiday, supposedly
inspired by Moody Blues singer Justin Hayward's experiences on holiday in
Jamaica. As an
encore, Graham sang another collaboration with
Andrew Gold, "Ready To Go Home", which appears on 10cc's final
album release, "Mirror Mirror".
Interestingly, a-ha vocalist Morten Harket covered the song on his album "Wild
Seed". Very cleverly, Graham countered that they weren't ready to go
home just yet as they had one more to do, their first chart-topper, 1973's
"Rubber Bullets". Always popular, a fitting finale - even the lyric
"when Uncle Sam is the one who belongs in the exercise yard"
brought a wry cheer from some quarters - rounded off by a stirring saxophone
solo by Mike Stevens. A very enjoyable evening's entertainment. Very 10cc, Very Wonderful. Liam Rigby |
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Review number 4 |
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I think I must of been at a different concert than Gary Carvell I am not what you would call an avid 10cc fan,
however, I am a bit of a nostalgic listener, and recall many great
tracks from 10cc. Having never see them live
before, I cannot comment of their quality comparisons of today as of yester
year. I too was at the recent Thanks again guys, may you keep on going Dave & Nikki Calvert |
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Sorry no photos or video
for the show but as to a review here goes!!! On a wet Sunday evening
I ventured from Beast wishes to the band Jane Ricketts |