Matthew Seligman's tour diary from underwatermoonlight.com
Before the gig
Just a quickie, this one, cos it's late and I'm dog tired. First, this morning, Otis is pretty shy at the moment, I think perhaps somehow because of his brother Steve's new fame. We set off for Oxford about lunchtime, stopping in Camden market to buy another polka dot shirt for tonight.

Camden's as weird and wonderful as it was yesterday. Even the mannequins are cool. When we arrive at the Zodiac club in Oxford (having approached it from the north after missing our turning off the M40, so quite a bit late), Robyn says there's a nice review in the national press this morning. Pretty soon the minutes have flashed by and once again it is Sonic onstage, draping the room with his beautiful sound.

The gig
Robyn's in one polka dot and I'm in another and the gig's strong but a bit strangely disconnected. It's funny with bands, it's a very sensitive chemistry and some days the 'togetherness' isn't quite there on a kind of spiritual level and it's really noticeable. Like today. Still, the music's really fine and all seems to go OK. We rest Kennedy and put Hots in the set. And hatch a plan to play the whole original UM album at Portsmouth, but let's see if we do .....

After the gig
My old friends Bridget and Rick are there and it is great to see them and talk, plus my mate Terry who used to roadie for the pretty things in the 70's so he's potentially original spinal tap material. I remember he kept losing one of his guitarists, once through the floor when the guitarist jumped off his amp and just kept going and once into the audience when he trod on his wah wah pedal and just kept going (the Pretty Things, I think it was). Tonight, he's threatening seriously to disrupt the physical integrity of someone who's DAT-ing the gig but I explain we don't mind such things and he lets the poor soul live (I think) ..... then long sleepless drive back to London, and bed ..... Portsmouth Sunday (that sounds like Sheffield Wednesday, but it isn't meant to) ..... G'night.

— Matthew


In a final flourish Morris nearly managed to kick over his drum-kit, but in a typically sweet, un-rock'n'roll gesture Matthew leapt in and stop one of his cymbal stands from falling over...

Sound was the best of the tour so far and the gig kept up the high standard set at the Electric Ballroom. Pity it wasn't a little bit better attended.

Both Matthew and Robyn wore polka-dot shirts which prompted my extremely witty shout of 'Robyn Hitchcock's Polka-dot army' ('Tigana's black and white army' is one of the most popular chants at Matthew's beloved Fulham). It got a smile out of him at least. Robyn just looked perplexed.)

jmbc


> Good to see Tony and Matt Sewell. Godders, did you make it?

Ja ja. I was up the front idiot dancing to 'Old Pervert'. A young person attempted to freak out during AD but failed due to lack of the essential floppy arm-waving and Arthur Brown-style head waggling.

> 4) I Got The Hots
> Bluesier, more relaxed, groovier version than London performance. Following lyrical changes - "Best thing about you is your weight" then "Wait till you see the carcases in my abattoir." A foot and mouth disease reference perhaps, or has he done this one before?

Definitely F&M.

> 5) Tonight
> Introduced by the whispered phrase 'Come on feel the noise' or should that be 'Cum on feel the noize'. Has he ever done a Slade cover?!

No.

> 10) I Wanna Destroy You

Something went seriously awry in this one. Either Matthew or (surely not?) Morris lost the beat for a couple of bars.

> 11) Leppo & The Jooves
> Kim was going mental during this, even did a bit of a duck-walk and strange little run across the stage.

Oh for a movie!

> 13) Astro Dom

Introduced by a claim that he had learned it in someone's sitting room in Oxford in 1970. The bloke who taught it to him asked "Do you remember this _really old_ Floyd number?".

> "Fade away, Dave Gilmour."

A bit cruel, but that's what he said.

> Sound was the best of the tour so far and the gig kept up the high standard set at the Electric Ballroom. Pity it wasn't a little bit better attended.

Paul and Nick who gave me a lift up [thanks Paul!] were disappointed that the set was shorter than Bristol (no Where are the prawns, no Train round the bend, no Mr Kennedy, no Airscape, no Devil mask. On the other hand we did get the Hots and Astronomy Domine - hurrah!)


- Mike Godwin

PS Last time I heard Astronomy Domine live was when the Floyd played it in the back room of the Fishmongers' Arms, Wood Green in 1968, the only time I saw them in a pub (they were going through a career low at the time). My friend Hilary tells me that Voivod do a hot version. Have any other bands been known to play this Barrett classic?