THE BATH FORUM CONCERT CLAMSHELL BOX

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And it works quite well! You feel the grey clouds coming in the midsection while they handle the heavy thunderstorms inside the venue while Peter goes into this theatrical measure work on his vocals, knowing that his character has caused massive chaos, doom, decay, and no chance in hell to redeem himself of the damage he has done to the people, and the city itself.

This is a classic in the tradition of the live album, and like the band is focused purely on the music and the performance, and makes every moment, every space between the notes and every lyric count. PH posted this photo of VdGG on 6th June 2019 with the words "We 3, still..." - Is something afoot?Interestingly since I wrote the above words I found an interview by Geoff Barton, which mentions "old" Van der Graaf songs and in particular Killer, and whether the band would play them. The article has a certain relevance to Reading and you can cut straight to that section). M.I.G. Music have released (25th May 2018) a DVD and CD set of the Leverkusen show from 5th November 2005. Buy Here. We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal by The Amorphous Androgynous and Peter Hammill came out on 20th November 2020. Buy it Here. As the final notes ebbed away, Hammill sat still over his piano, perhaps contemplating that they might now actually be done.

At this time I was studying at N.E.London Polytechnic along with several friends from home, one of whom was involved with the union at the Barking (mad) precinct. He was a budding journalist and set up an interview with the band. I went along as photographer and there appears below previously unpublished photographs of the band and the text of Tim's article. Here’s how I see it: everything is going fine until the third verse, just before the chorus. Hammill, reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper in front of him, skips the line “Michelson-Morley with a point to disprove,” ending the verse with “improbable physics ON THE MOVE!” much sooner than Evans or Banton anticipated. Whether Hammill noticed his mistake or not is up for debate, but he nevertheless embarks on the chorus before Evans and Banton have been able to register what has happened. As a result, the first chorus is an absolute mess as the three of them play out of time with each other, scrambling to catch up with Hammill, and then ultimately finishing out of time as well. In such a tightly orchestrated song, the smallest mistake can lead to dire consequences. In an ironic way, it’s a metaphor for the song itself! Unfazed, the band continue and finish the song with no further issues. Richard could be quite funny and sent me this Christmas card many moon's ago that I came across recently. We, like many daft people still do, found PH/VdGG lyrics to suit any occasion. We knew all the songs by heart then, which would be difficult now with 40 albums to learn, and annoyed everybody with never ending renditions. In 1974 Richard moved to Hove to a 4th floor flat. Whenever we returned there from the pub just prior to staggering onto the final staircase we would chant "So onto the familiar top steps! in cloud-scud moonlight glow...the tower reels....". A bit silly really! Richard's card Hamill when playing guitar in his unique style always looks like a man whose surprised to be holding an electric guitar and his style is in keeping with the band’s sound, there were no soloists here, no ‘look at me’ ego on display – this was a well-oiled musical ensemble performance, anchored by Evans’ skills (he is one of the prog scenes most underrated drummers – and also one of the best) and Banton on the organ fleshing out the sound and working in tandem with Hamill’s keyboard work. This is undoubtedly a positive step and I’m sure they’re going to do a much better job with The Work than I’m now capable of doing.Practically nothing. Hard to compare them with any other band, including their progressive contemporaries. How many of those are still releasing albums of new, strong contemporary material? Arguably, Do Not Disturb is the best of the post 2005 trio albums – and it happens to be the most recent. Well. Well, well, well.” Peter Hammill says after a roaring applause while he, Guy Evans, and Hugh Banton get down to business at The Forum in Bath, England last year on Tuesday March 1st, 2022. The moment that Van Der Graaf Generator play ‘Interference Patterns’, you can just close your eyes and imagine yourself being at the venue. Almost nearly two years when everything shut down due to the pandemic and COVID-19. We’re fortunate that we now have a record of the tour with the release of the entire Bath Forum concert. One mixed by Stephen W Tayler,whose involvement in the recent reissues of the VdGG albums puts him in prime position of having the perfect set of sympathetic ears for the band.

I mentioned relevance earlier, and what is a 70-something year-old guy going to sing about if not the frustrating process of aging? Present and correct in the first set were two “your slippers are in the fridge” anthems, namely Over the Hill and an angsty All That Before. The latter, with Hammill’s nervous mangling of the riff from You Really Got Me makes me smile every time. I certainly hope that I get to enjoy these wonderful musicians in the future, but if not, we will never see their like again. In February 2022 Van der Graaf Generator embarked on a UK tour which had been rescheduled several times due to the Covid pandemic. The final show on these dates took place at The Forum in Bath on March 1st and the event was captured by a film and recording crew. The audience were also treated to such classics as A Louse Is Not A Home, La Rossa, Childlike Faith in childhoods End and the closing power of House With No Door, which ended the show with a standing ovation from the audience, who really enjoyed what they saw.Burning Shed: Limited facsimile LP editions of the genre-defining 1970-1975 studio releases from Van der Graaf Generator - The Least We Can Do, H to He, Pawn Hearts and Godbluff - available as a bundle with the 7" singles Refugees / Boat Of A Million Years and Theme One/W. The source used for the vinyl was the same re-master as that used for the boxed set. Peter Hammill's brother Andrew was at Sussex University in Brighton at the same time but we didn't meet despite efforts on the part of my Sussex Uni housemates (inc Richard) to contrive for us all to be at certain parties) Autographed Killers... PH: "Last time I posted something here I was in the process of working through live recordings from the last set of tours. On the 30th of November the (first) fruits of these labours will be released. It's a somewhat unusual set of songs. The front cover sported an unusual picture, entitled "Band of Millions of Years", which was used to publicise the Godbluff tour and appeared on a compilation album cover.

On the night, this would have probably breezed by, a fleeting moment. But here, captured on disc for posterity, the error can be heard every time it’s played. Like watching a car crash unfold, it’s fascinating to rewatch the scene over and over to figure out what exactly happened. On the plus side, it is a joy to see these old workhorses still striving to delight their fans, even if the performances are not as brimming with energy as they once were. Evans, in particular, remains lithe and limber on the drums, his menacing bouncer-like appearance at odds with his dexterity on the kit. The filmed concert is directed well, with a crane camera hovering over Hammill as well as static mini cameras to give close-ups of all three of the band members; these intimate cameras are the best part of the set up and are used effectively, such as when Banton gives a solo, or Evans provides a particularly technical fill. With the band shown from so many angles – impressively, the cameras were apparently no distraction on the night, according to an audience member – it’s a chance to see them hard at work like never before, and live vicariously through them on stage, through the great moments and the not-so-great. The first surprise of the evening: a pin-sharp version of A Louse is not a Home, from the earliest of Hammill’s three solo albums recorded in 1974 (The Silent Corner and The Empty Stage). At the time, this song was planned for the next VdGG album, before they split in 1972 – and the whole band played on the solo recording at the time. It was also played live after the reformation in 1975, but rarely since – and it’s astonishingly good! Hammill’s vocal is spot-on (nearly 50 years after its original recording) and the band are right on top of the changes.You could watch any one of them individually for the entire show and be mesmerised. Banton’s feet bounce around the bass pedals as he peels off magnificent runs or uplifting chords that fill the venue with warmth, a calming presence of precise movement. Likewise Evans’ sublime subtleties, vision and hard-hitting intensity. All the while Hammill shrieks and swoops, his vocals setting an other-worldly scene in which the music happily resides. In other circumstances, his guitar playing would no doubt be seen as almost laughably amateurish, sometimes appearing as if he had barely held the instrument before, but the visceral intensity he rings out of it works perfectly in the swirling whole of the sound the band presents. This is the first live album since the release of their latest studio album, Do Not Disturb, and it must be said that The Bath Forum Concert acts as a great advertisement for that album, containing three of its best songs, including the mournful Go which closes the first half of the set, just as it closes the album proper. Well, I’m here to tell you that that high quality record has now arrived. Through the power of Blu-ray – or, in my case, the MP4 files I was given – I can spiritually be with TPA’s Jez and Leo as they witnessed Van der Graaf Generator eleven months ago at the Bath Forum. We even dared suggest how Peter Hammil and his partners in crime – Hugh Banton and Guy Evans – that make up the 2022 VdGG, continue to challenge rather than become a watered down version of what they once were. You’d expect nothing less from Peter even as he hits the age where he might be considered an elder statesman.