THE HOUSE OF LOVE have already had the Complete John Peel Sessions treatment bestowed upon them, so do we really need another BBC-branded outing?
Well, yes, we do, judging by the incendiary contents of this Live At The BBC collection, recorded primarily at gigs in Preston in 1990 and an ecstatic London Marquee show from 1991.
Of course, diehards may argue as to the validity of these recordings as the HOL'S original mercurial guitarist Terry Bickers had been ejected from the band by frontman Guy Chadwick before either of these shows were recorded. Thus, replacement guitarist Simon Walker duels gamely with Chadwick as the House of Love plough through sets heavy on songs culled from their best-selling second album 'Fontana' and its' under-rated follow-up 'Babe Rainbow'.
In truth, though, Bickers' absence is not such an issue. Although he's been related to minor player status in the HOL story, Walker's playing is fluid and inspired at the best of times here. His presence even seems to lift his bandmates, too. Chadwick's his usual cool, charismatic presence, while drummer Pete Evans and bassist Chris Gruithuizen assert themselves as one of rock's great, unsung rhythm sections throughout.
Countless column space has been taken up describing the dreamy, ethereal quality of their guitar sound and Chadwick's otherworldly songs, but from the off – a taut and anthemic 'I Don't Know Why I Love You' – The House of Love rock in a no-nonsense and purposeful fashion here. The Preston set also includes tough, sinewy versions of 'Road' and the under-rated 'Never', not to mention the deceptively blues-y blow out of 'Se Dest' and a 'Shine On' sounding as classic as the day it was first minted.
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The urgency blazes even brighter during the Marquee show. Sure, 'Christine' is as glacially Godlike as ever, but Evans' majestic drumming injects steroids into '32nd Floor' and an extended 'Hannah' finds Chadwick and Walker's guitars starsailing deep into psychedelic oceans. Naturally, there are moments of tangible beauty, too, courtesy of a tantalising 'Hope' and a beautifully restrained 'Beatles & The Stones', while the under-rated 'Nothing To Me' finds grace and danger slugging it out in fine style.
A real boon of Live At The BBC is the opportunity to hear most of the songs from the HOL'S first Bickers-less album 'Babe Rainbow'. It's immediately obvious that the standard of Guy Chadwick's songs never slipped significantly and songs like the bewitching 'Girl With The Loneliest Eyes', 'Yer Eyes' and the Eastern-influenced 'Cruel' (surely the HOL'S 'Tomorrow Never Knows') make it clear this album is due for an extensive re-appraisal.
Even sans Terry Bickers, Live At The BBC is a fine snapshot of an on-form House of Love. It veers from vicious rock'n'roll to glorious pop to dream on to and is a very welcome addition to their already impressive canon.
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