Haslemere Hall: 13 October 2023
There is always some danger when going to see a band who had some hits in one particular era, before fading somewhat from the limelight. Will it be a weird kind of tacky nostalgia, or a genuinely uplifting chance for reflection on the music of your youth?
Well, I'm here to tell you that I am one for nostalgia at the best of times. Around 1986 - 87, as a young teenager, Flaunt The Imperfection and Working With Fire And Steel were two of the records on heaviest rotation in my bedroom. China Crisis were definitely one of my go to bands.
The First Time:
By the time I got to see them live for the first time, in 1989, their brief run of Top20 albums and singles had dried up. The new album was once again produced by legendary Steely Dan man, Walter Becker, and it was fantastic - a truly underappreciated gems. Already excited to see them that night at Surrey University, things got even better. Chatting with someone in the queue who had managed to wangle their way backstage at an earlier gig, we headed into the bar pre-show. In walked the band - my new friend, full of bravado, did his 'do you remember me from the other night' bit, and there I was chatting with one of my favourite bands - and being bought a drink by bassist Gary 'Gazza' Johnson.
What I discovered that night was the slight bitterness of a band who were in the same Virgin Records pool as Simple Minds, who had also just released an album - and guess who got all of the marketing budget? But they were such lovely gents, and my sixteen year old self was absolutely buzzing for weeks afterwards (and maybe years, since I am still telling the story 35 odd years later).
The gig that time, as I recall, was a great night. So what about China Crisis in 2023?
The Gig:
First off, the venue and the crowd. Haslemere Hall is a small venue, holding just over 300 (close to a sell out tonight) and a history going back over 100 years. It appears that I am perhaps the youngest in the crowd. It is hard to judge, but it feels like the majority are here because there is a pop group they vaguely remember, playing in their town hall, rather than die-hard China Crisis fans.
So, it's interesting how part one plays out. There is an emphasis on some deep album cuts, and from the mellower end of their spectrum too. It is hard to tell whether this is to confound, or just build momentum up slowly. The band plays without 'live' rhythm, everything coming from the programming skills of keyboard maestro Jack Hymers. Founder member, Garry Daly's singing has lost none of its lustre, and the other stalwart and co-founder, Eddie Lundon, provides the subtle rhythm from his guitar, that drives many of their melodies along. We'll talk more about the fourth member later.
The other thing to note here is this; Garry Daly swears like a trooper between songs - and he loves to tell stories. Not to roll out a stereotype, but he seems to fulfil the legend that all Liverpudlians see themselves as stand-up comedians. As the first song concludes, he peers out into the audience, "f***ing hell, I thought I'd walked into an allotment committee meeting." A nod to the well heeled and older members of the Haslemere crowd. Every song is bridged by stories of young Garry and Eddie through the years - working with Walter Becker, signing for Virgin, supporting Santana on tour ("someone must have thought, lets put the Black Magic Woman guy with the Black Man Ray lot") and playing small venues, while some of their peers went on to arenas.
Back to the music. Here Comes A Raincloud gently wafts over the audience to get things going and I am already floating, the sound seems nicely in balance and we aren't missing the live rhythm section. But, The Soul Awakening feels a little flat and maybe too smooth, and It's Never Too Late, which Garry laments is the song that should have been on Fire & Steel and could have been a big hit, doesn't really hit the mark for me.
But then Temptation's Big Blue Eyes and the simple beauty of Red Sails come and wrap their arms around me again, and all is okay. Strength Of Character and Bigger The Punch provide a bit of much needed muscle as we near half time, which closes out with Eddie's lead vocal on Fool, from their most recent album, 2015s Autumn In The Neighbourhood.
As promised, they have reserved the more well known stuff for part two. Things start brightly with Arizona Sky, which has always been one of my favourite tracks and still sounds great, lots of waves, each building to its euphoric sounding chorus. Best Kept Secret was the follow up single to Arizona Sky on 1987's What Price Paradise? and it never quite hits the former's mark, it's pleasant familiarity makes me happy enough tonight. African And White was the song that started it all for them, back in 1981 - and yes, perhaps those programmed drum sounds do feel a little dated, heck, it still sparkles and gets the feet tapping (see clip below).
Garry jokes (or does he) that every day in the van, the band ranks audiences in a league table, like the Premier League, "and let me tell you, you lot are currently in the relegation zone, so you'd better start f***ing clapping!" The audience is told, that despite our advancing years, we really need to stand up for the next four songs and join in on the chorus's and not the verses (because you've paid to hear Garry sing, and not Peter from Croydon).
Black Man Ray was one of the best melodic pop singles of the 1980s (and comes, of course, complete with amusing anecdote) - it sounds no less wonderful tonight. The melody, as Garry points out, is very simple, yet provides a majestic backdrop to this most gorgeous of songs. And then we go straight from that into Wishful Thinking (see snippet below), which may almost rival Black Man Ray for simple pop beauty. Any doubts I may have had earlier are long gone - and I am now into wow territory. King In A Catholic Style is upbeat, vibrant and a real crowd pleaser - there is much clapping now, so hopefully we won't get into any more trouble.
The 'final' tune is Christian. It is haunting and ethereal, a real thing of beauty. It hails from a period when the band was pretty much just Garry, Eddie and a bunch of drum machines and keyboards. Yet they still managed to pull out this piece of magic, that is somehow greater than its parts.
The encore is interesting. It's the only tune on the night (sadly) taken from fifth album Diary Of A Hollow Horse, the second Walter Becker produced album. It's the title track, and the strident strike of the guitar that dominates the slightly spartan rhythm and piano backing, is perhaps the time where they sounded most like Steely Dan. The standout is the sax playing from Eric Animan (I told you I would get around to the fourth band member) - and to be frank, his contribution is fantastic all night. His skills are undoubted and for the most part understated, but he steps up to fill the gaps where necessary with flare, never getting so flamboyant that he overtakes the songs.
So, how do I feel? This could have easily gone down the road of stodgy nostalgia, and I wasn't sure how I would feel with no in-person rhythm section to drive the songs. The interesting, album orientated first half was a bold choice, as it could have killed the audience buzz. But the sharp playing and amusing anecdotes kept everyone in it, before they busted out the hits and rode the wave over the line.
And just like that, I was transported back to my bedroom as a fourteen year old, spinning Flaunt for the umpteenth time. Happy days......
Setlist:
Here Comes A Raincloud
The Soul Awakening
It's Never Too Late
Temptation's Big Blue Eyes
Red Sails
Strength Of Character
Bigger The Punch I'm Feeling
Fool
- Interval -
Arizona Sky
Best Kept Secret
African And White
Black Man Ray
Wishful Thinking
King In A Catholic Style
Christian
Diary Of A Hollow Horse
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