November 2002 - Sat 2 & Sun 3 - London, Mean Fiddler
From: "Nick"
Subject: New Album/Live Dates
Just bought the album this morning - I got to the store first thing before they'd even put it on shelves!
I've booked my ticket for the Sunday gig this weekend. It's at the Mean Fiddler on Charing Cross Road and doors
open at 5.00pm 'cause there're several groups playing.
tickets can still be ordered online at http://www.meanfiddler.com/version1/meanfiddler/index.asp or phone 020 73440044.
Expect to pay £15.00 which includes a service charge.
Love On
Nick
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002
From: "Nick"
Subject: Suicide at the Mean Fiddler 3/11/02
Hi folks,
I've just about recovered from the awesome experience of seeing Suicide live last night. They were absolutely suberb.
Both Alan and Marty were in great shape and high spirits, despite battling against a few technical problems at
the start of the show (Marty's sequencer kept crashing!).
The set opened with the now familiar crushing riff of 'White Man' and the guys wandered on stage a few moments
later to much applause. Alan did some new lyrics over the top of the track and then straight into a blinding remodeled
'Ghost Rider'. After that it was mainly tracks from the new album, although typically they messed around with them.
Like Alan singing 'Death Machine' over what sounded like a slightly reworked 'Show Me Tha Money' backing track.
And when the music for 'Child, it's A New World' started, Marty began playing a familiar, ghostly organ melody
over the top and then Alan began singing 'Cheree'. It all made sense.
Watching Marty perform is just amazing. He's developed a unique, highly stylised method of playing keyboards, throwing
poses as he punches, jabs and strokes the keys. At one point his hand flexed out claw-like and began stabbing spazmodically
on the keyboard with his back arched and face contorted in a grimace, looking like some kind of horror-movie ghoul.
Another time his hands were a blur and his whole body was vibrating as though possessed. My jaw was on the floor.
He's also still as thin as a rake.
Alan was part charming showman, part angry old man. He was obviously enjoying himself and was happy to shake hands
with (and even kiss!) people in the front row. But he also liked throwing his mic stand around. And he was having
some kind of running battle with his mic lead, which he kept getting tangled up in. The thing is, they're both
hardened veterens, yet come across like glorious amateures - nothing is ever too rehearsed and they like to have
little chats between songs as though deciding what to play next. I think they've developed some kind of telepathic
bond over the last thirty years, which means that one or the other can go off on a tangent confident that his partner
can adjust to the changes. And it's all just so fascinating to watch: these two guys on stage with no backdrops
or props of any kind, just totally magnetic personalities that you can gaze at in wonder forever. Every now and
then they'd let the sequencer run on it's own whilst they wandered around the stage collecting their thoughts or
whatever. There's nothing on God's earth like these guys.
The audience was mainly young people (I'm 33 but felt a bit old!) with a few old punks dotted around. There were
a surprising amount of women too (some extremely foxy looking) who were absolutley loving the whole thing, which
I found pleasing, 'cause there's nothing worse than a room full of beer-swilling blokes. I guess there must be
some sex-appeal left in the old dogs yet, judging by the young lady who tried french-kissing Vega at one point.
He looked pleased as punch!
The last two tracks were brand new, as far as I can tell. One was a bouncy disco house thing
which Vega said he hadn't even written proper lyrics for yet. He said it was a 'back- to- the- 70's Saturday Night
Fever Track' .and the encore was this amazing glam-rock type track with the RIFF FROM HELL. Fucking brilliant!
Suicide are the greatest. No contest. My only complaint being the complete lack of merchandise on sale, apart from
a couple of standard CD albums. Support act The Liars had T-shirts, Ties and badges, so what gives?!
I got chatting with a few other Suicide fans, including a couple of real hardcore fans who claimed that Marty has
a new album ready for release in a much harder style than his other recent solo stuff, and that he's completed
a remix of a Depeche Mode track (??!!). Obviously, I can't confirm or deny such rumours, but it's something to
be aware of.
I did take a bunch of photos. There are 19 to look at in the photos section of this group. Go to http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Revega/lst and select the folder 'Mean Fiddler 3/11/02'
to view my handywork. My favourite shot is also on the homepage.
I'm sure there're plenty of little details I've neglected to mention, but hopefully these words (and pictures)
give you some idea of what it was like.
Nick
Setlist :
(a bootleg dvd has surfaced - the 1st night)
photos by Nick - more photos by Nick through REVEGA