Gang Of Four.

hahaha

...yup...it was white with a black front door. jon king used a short baseball bat type club to utterly destroy it. again...i can't urge people enough to catch them should they play your town in the next two weeks. i was really surprised the commodore ballroom was not more than 75% full.

Did he start banging on it while it was on a platform of some kind and then continued to bang on it as it fell on the floor of the stage? What happened to the microwave on your end? I recall a roadie also conveniently moving the microphone closer when it fell on the floor.

xpost - brilliant! A destroyed microwave from Gang of 4! Next trend in music will be...toaster ovens on stage!

(You can like !!! better if you wish, though.. no one's going to stop you there)

(They were a really weird disco-punk band in that they fully integrated a Syd Barrett/"Nuggets" Acid Bubblegum element to their post-punk-disco that was pretty genius.)

"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" and "I Love A Man in Uniform" musically are sorta in the same ballpark. I like 'em both.

I like Ian and the G04 but for the most part, it's kinda apples and oranges. I'll take Entertainment over New Boots, if I haveta choose.

What they do have in common is they mixed new wave and disco. Although Ian Dury's music hall/pubrock was of course a different kind of new wave from GoF's postpunk.

I think I have not heard their music for years, but I have a feeling it is rubbish, also.

Radio 4 looked like the fucking Mighty Mighty Bosstones after weight loss and a class in Disco-Wave-Punk 101. (Sorry to the Radio 4 lovers.) They're not terrible live, but I'd punch their mugs if I had to deal with them in a bar or, oh say, a dressing room.

Not quite praise there, is it?

i missed radio 4, thank god

Gang of Four I thought were pretty fantasic...a few flubs, but what energy and just the sense of "wow this is what the REAL THING looks/sounds like"

radio 4 can eat a bag of bongo dicks.

1/ Took everyone's advise and walked in just to see the last song by Radio 4. Not terrible live may be true, but seemed way too calculated and faux-earnest. Plus, it didn't help to have Ben Stiller fronting the band
2/ Reminded about how many great drum riffs Hugeo had (has)
3/ Shocked at the intensity of the Gang of Four. I've seen them now 6 times, and this may have been the best. Part of that is the minusing of Sara Lee and the addition of Dave Allen, but part was the abandonement of playing near the end of a tour that may be their last, FOREVER. They seemed older, and that sure hampered Jon's gyrating rhythm into the show, but he sure made up with it with sheer relentlessness.
4/ Little hints that there's still difficulty between them, esp. Andy and Jon.
5/ A bit surprised that Dave played with a pick. When I saw him with Shriekback, he was tremendous, and played without a pick. This time around, the bass sound was way too tinny and had little bottom.
6/ I expected there to be more youngsters there.
7/ I became more solid with the idea of reunions. After last night, and seeing Wire a couple of years ago, I imagined how great it'd be if the young wannabeez could sit at desks, watching these two aged bands play, and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT.
8/ Was surprised to heard something offa Shrinkwrapped.
9/ wtf, He'd Sent In The Army,? That was amazing!

Because of this thread, I'd expected greatness, and got it.

If you didn't believe me, Ben Rayner said the same thing in this morning's Toronto Star.

"To Hell with Poverty" was the greatest live music moment I've ever been involved with.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Pardon my French.

Worth the 25 fucking dollars.

Goddamn.......my neck hurts.

Anyway, yes, he saw show..

"All that fell away with the set's final song, 1981's "To Hell With Poverty"; as they performed it, everyone in the room held their breath. It belongs to the handful of greatest single-song live performances I've ever seen."