This gig was a special one as it was the first London performance by MATT PIUCCI since the day the Rain Parade got dropped by Island 25 years ago and the band responded by playing at London's sleaziest venue The Tunnel Club by the southern exit of Blackwall tunnel.
In the intervening years, Matt has put out the odd solo album and played in some vaguely-known band called Crazy Horse and also the Billy Talbot band. To say that most of the audience are excited at the prospect of seeing Matt again is an understatement. The fact that I found Matt sitting outside nursing a pint and chatting to anyone who wanted to chat was a nice surprise. He was in good form even if he was surprised at how many Simons he had met already!!
But before the main event THE GREEN RAY were in support. They are a long running Psych Prog band that feature former members of among other bands Help Yourself, Ducks Deluxe, Man and Robert Fripp who could all play without doubt, only they didn't always seem to be playing the same song as each other and in between songs the main singer seemed to have to explain the chords to the seated guitarist who at one point told us how he had managed to set his kitchen on fire while changing the machine heads on his other guitar earlier in the day!
The songs all meandered all over the place and had that sort of West Coast frazzled feel to them. Not really my thing but if they could get their act back together they would be good at what they do.
Still the hardcore Paisley underground heads were only there for one thing and that was to see Matt Piucci who was looking and sounding good. I thought I'd make reviewing this easier by taking a picture of the setlist, well it would have helped if it was in focus!!
Still any set that opens with You Are my Friend and Depending On You will always be good with me. Matt's voice sounds pretty much as it always did even if these days playing solo a first for him apparently means I'm not tripping my nuts off straight away which is the effect The Rain Parade had on me back in the day and the classic Bootleg cassette of the show at Dingwalls on 9.5.85. I remember this date well, for it was the catalyst for the first time I hallucinated while driving listening to it at full blast going up the Harrow Road. On my way to The Mean Fiddler to see either the Dream Syndicate or Green On Red, as I recall. I remember getting out of the car and wondering how I had survived!!
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But of course solo with only one red Gretsch guitar for company along with a couple of effects pedals makes such soaring Psychedelia a touch more difficult, but he mixed in some of his solo stuff from the Hellenes album ( www.uah.de/inbetweens/) and the Boat Club album (www.boatclubband.com) both of which seemed to be bought by most of the audience. I know I had never seen them anywhere before.
Matt's guitar did plenty of shimmering and shaking as we wandered through the years and some of the music I missed. I'm pretty sure he did a real nice version of I didn't mean to make you cry. I know he made some fun out of the steps down to what would have been wharfside in this venue before Spectacular Dive. (Please correct me on this I know many of the fans are keen on details).
Antigone was floaty and got me thinking and floating before long It Was No Time For An Argument. Well is it ever? Matt then made everyone happy by playing What She's Done To Your Mind and No Easy Way Down. Well is there ever an easy way down from a gig like this - a great jaunt down memory lane.
I'd love to see Matt again a lot sooner than 25 years time in some sort of 'Legends of the Paisley Underground' band round up some of the usual suspects and see what it does to our minds. Thanks to Chris Cacavas for putting the word out on this one special night on Matt's very short 2 date tour. The only other European date being in Bilbao spain on the 27th June.
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