Radio Gnome Is Visible

Now that the Divided Alien has departed Planet Gong for the Great Teapot in the sky two of his little PHPs were intrigued as to how his collective band would fare in his absence. The wee little pixies had lost their painted shirts over the decades and the first little pixie's Camembert Electrique T shirt had disappeared into the ether. Ether that or stolen by a grumpy gnome and I do have my suspicions, dear readers. The drizzle had just about stopped when the little guys met on Mare Street and after downing the IPA that the second little pixie with the cute pointy boots had kindly brought along they made their way to the scene of excitement after donating a bag of chips and a bit of dosh to someone who needed it more than them. The wee pixies joined the anarchic queue of ageing gnarled gnomes and eventually were allowed upstairs into the back to the future world of a pre Gong warm up. The wee ones had to get another drink to drown their temporary sorrows as the hotly anticipated Spratleys Japs had been called to an alternate dimension and we were too tardy to get in on time to see both the Doors, presumably being beamed in from another dimension, and Ed Wynne. Soon enough Gong take the stage this set up being drummer, bassist with a nice shiny CD on his hat, saxophonist and two guitarists. And appropriately psychedelic light show. They go straight into a couple of favourites which sort of meld together and set the scene that they have retained a hard edge and no jazzing about being all musically intellectual. The front guy is from Knifeworld (see December's missive) and does a fine job of the singing, blazing guitar and generally throwing rock n roll poses so's we know we're all on our feet at a gritty rock and roll gig (well, most of the audience are stood up) rather than sat around candlelit tables at a jazz club. The two wee pixies are very excited and start bobbing about with others and even some of the gnarly old gnomes are shuffling their feet. And some even smiling. The band cover a variety of styles as you may expect from, as I said, pretty hard rock with ever present psychedelic guitar and sax riffing over it through meandering riffs with a lot of glissando guitar work and into some of the more basic neo nursery rhyme tunes which are both jokey playful and hard psychedelia. A couple of times during the meandering bits we pop outside to check if the world is still where we left it and search for teapots in the sky. Yes and no. And to get draught beer. On coming up we find an ageing tall figure being hustled out by security - turns out he's collapsed and not being arrested for PH activities. Second wee pixie follows him out to uphold his Hippocratic Oath and although the guy's a bit clammy he's not having a cardiac arrest (nice link there band wise) and so our medically trained pointy toed pixie leaves him outside with a glass of water. We see him again back in the gig later so obviously recovered. Anyway the gig is great with everything thrown in from tinkering guitar, blasting sax going improv at times, glistening glissando guitar with metal rod, psyche thrash, space rock channelling Hawkwind (there, I had to say it), punky overtures and towards the end a dark heavy riffing session which is the nearest these little pixies will get to seeing Black Sabbath. Honest guvnor! Then they're off. Of course they are old school so come back for another couple of crowd pleasers that brings whoops of appreciation and then after a stint of formal bowing they are off for good. It's a 10pm curfew, possibly a portent of things to come, and the two pixie who have intrepidly ventured into east London jump the 10.03 from Hackney Central to Highbury and then southwards bound to the land of the pixies and home to bed at a very reasonable hour. A thoroughly enjoyable evening. Thanks second PHP.

Missed both the Doors and Ed

Soz drummer boy