Facelift Magazine - The Canterbury Scene and Beyond

#1 Going Going (The Fridge, Brixton 199?)

Simply the strangest tribute band I've ever witnessed. Going Going

supported Gong at the Fridge and could have been billed as a Canterbury

Supergroup. The lineup of Richard Sinclair, Mark Hewins, Hugh Hopper,

Andy Ward, Jimmy Hastings and Vince Clarke (if memory serves), kicked

off with "Hope for Happiness" and continued to present a whole bunch of

various other "Canterbury Classics" - like an affectionate respective

of the entire genre. Shockingly beautiful.

#2 Phil Bates "trio" plus Jimmy Hastings/Phil Lee/Alan Marshall (Red

Lion Twickenham c1995)

Just another of the regular jazz sessions I attended at the (then)

thriving Red Lion. This week's session was eagerly anticipated as the

guests were to be Jimmy Hastings and Phil Lee. I'd seen them both,

individually with Phil Bates' resident trio but had no idea that the

star of the show was to be the Soft Machine's monster rock-jazz

drummer: John Marshall. Standing in for the absent resident drummist,

Mr. Marshall was awesome, none of the reserved politeness of normally

displayed by drummers of this genre. At the end, Phil Bates, who'd

manfully struggled to keep up with the most perverse and contorted

rhythmic variations throughout, introduced the drummer as "the man who

put the 'hard' into Soft Machine". Excellent!

#3 In Cahoots (supporting Caravan at Astoria October 1996)

Phil Miller's jazz/progressive/compositions band presented to an

enthusiastic rock audience: great sound, great audience and an exciting

(if sometime approximate) performance. The best InCa gig I've ever

seen to date.

#4 RSVP (Stoke Newington 1994?)

This tempestuous ensemble was assembled by Richard to tour the material

from his 1994 album of the same name. I caught them at the "The Samuel

Beckett" in Stoke Newington ("don't look for it, it's not there

anymore"). The line-up, containing Pip, Didier and Patrice Meyer

self-combusted shortly afterwards. Big shame. I'm left wondering

whether the team were ever captured on tape during their short life...

#5 GongFest

'nuff said?

Highlights, for me:

day1 Fluvius, Short Wave

day2 Tim Blake, Here & Now, Classic Gong

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