Line-up:
Fee Waybill (vocals)
Roger Steen (guitar, backing vocals)
Rick Anderson (bass, backing vocals)
Prairie Prince (drums)
David Medd (keyboards, backing vocals)
Venue:
The Waterfront
139-141 King Street
Norwich
NR1 1QH
Okay, back in 1977, and being of the tender age of 12, I recall watching an odd little television programme late one night (I had a sneaky late night and remember, this was a time when there was no Internet, no video recording, all watched when it was broadcast) called "The Old Grey Whistle Test" and seeing this seriously weirded-out band from America called The Tubes. There was this wild white-haired dude with odd make-up, dressed in a tin foil jockstrap and sporting 300feet high (exaggeration) platform sole boots, screaming something about punks and dope and then falling about everywhere. Had my parents walked in on me at that time, I now somehow feel, and possibly believe, that looking at porn (at the age of 12 don't forget) would have been a little easier to explain. Even stranger was that I was completely taken by it, I had no clue as to what the hell was going on, but boy, I thought it was completely brilliant. They were performing a song called "White Punks on Dope". The song and the imagery stuck in my mind.
So moving on a bit in time, I was completely enthralled by the purchase of a 7" vinyl single by The Tubes called "Prime Time" in March 1979, and the subsequent album "Remote Control", but I had yet to find a copy of that first Tubes song I had heard. I clearly remember sitting in my cousin's bedroom (in Edinburgh - not that it's important really) listening to the music of the time. As I said, it was now 1979 (I had reached the heady age of 14 by this time) and the U.K. music scene was at the tail end of the utterly exhilarating punk era and music was quickly evolving and heading at light-speed into the New Wave era and the prelude to the time of the New Romantics. My cousin and I had a shared love of music and we spent lots of time, whilst I was visiting, just listening to records in his bedroom and chatting about the various bands we both enjoyed. He then put on a record and I nearly fell off my chair - it was The Tubes and the song was, yes, "White Punks on Dope". I told him how I had not been able to find it where I lived (Great Yarmouth on the U.K. East coast - backwater), to which he urged me to get my coat and follow him into the city centre. We visited this crazy little record shop and there was the 7" single of "White Punks on Dope", backed with "What Do You Want From Life" on the B-side. And there started my Tubes fandom proper.
The history of The Tubes, a band that is quite impossible to pigeonhole, is long and fabulous, a real rollercoaster career and as dramatic as their lavish stage shows. In summary, they formed in 1972 in San Francisco, the coming together of two bands from Phoenix in Arizona. Their stage shows became a thing of legend for their incredible production and creativity, often involving numerous props, dancers and costumes, all created by various members of the band. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1975, contained the seminal track "White Punks on Dope", a song that was, to quote, an "absurd anthem of wretched excess" and one which quickly became a very firm fan favourite. Live performances were stylised using the iconic character created by lead singer, Fee Waybill, called Quay Lude, an outlandish physical parody of the drug-fuelled, alcohol soaked glam-rockers of the mid-1970's and something of a tribute to their wealthy white teen fan base in San Francisco. Over the next 30-odd years, they released 8 studio albums plus a raft of rarity compilations and live albums as well as videos. The line-up has seen numerous changes and their fortunes were most definitely mixed. The current 5-piece line-up (that we saw on this night in Norwich) consisted of 4 of the original 1975, and what some may see as diminished personnel in no way reflected in the quality of the night's performance. Check out the history of The Tubes on their Wikipedia page
HERE.
Another return for me to Norwich's Waterfront venue, where my passes were awaiting me and a certain, almost nervous, anticipation for what this evening was to bring. Because of the length of the band's set and a 10pm curfew, there was no support slot. As I walked around the venue, waiting for The Tubes to come on stage, I felt a little sense of pride for my home city as it seems that Norwich was the only headline gig after they had supported Alice Cooper on his recent tour. Nice one Norwich, and I hoped that we would show these dudes from across the pond that we were a worthy choice.
At dead on the appointed start time (8pm), The Tubes walked onto the stage and proceeded to blast out "Getoverture", an instrumental track from the "Remote Control" album - it was a hugely impressive start, strong, tight and on point throughout. The music continued with no break as frontman Fee Waybill came onto the stage for the next song, also from "Remote Control", the blinding all out frontal assault that is "Telecide". Dressed in a white jump suit, Fee owned the stage, his voice strong and commanding, the audience (and your reviewer) completely wrapped to his every word and move. Again with no break in the music, "Telecide" segued seamlessly into another "Remote Control" track, this time being "Turn Me On", rockier than the album version and always a track suited to the live scenario, this was the first of a number of highlights. Fee's voice didn't waver and the rhythm was relentless, the audience joining in as a matter of course. And for a fourth time, the music segued into a fourth "Remote Control" song, this time it was "TV Is King", not one of my favourites from the album, but that changed after tonight I can tell you. More audience singing along and the pace and scale of the evening was now set. At the end of this amazing kick-off, Fee stripped out of the jump suit to reveal a sparkly red shirt/black trousers/red shoes combo, finished off with a very loud red flamed blazer, Mr. Gameshow Host was here to sing "What Do You Want From Life" - sorry, but I was in fan girl nirvana, reminding myself that I had cameras around my neck meaning that I was there to take pictures as well as review the gig!!!
The classics just kept coming, interspersed with Fee's genuinely engaging and witty raconteuring (is that a word? it is now!!!). "The Monkey Time" and "Tip of My Tongue" (both from the 1983 album "Outside Inside"), with the appearance of a headpiece in the shape of a television (which Fee had "issues" with, he later explained he tried to put it on the wrong way, putting his head through the screen instead of the hole in the bottom intended for his head!!), preceded the instrumental "Crime Medley", a mash-up of the themes from (I think I've got this right - if I haven't, LET ME KNOW!!!) "Dragnet", "Peter Gunn", "Perry Mason" and "The Untouchables". Fee disappeared off stage to his little changing area as the rest of the band played the medley, reappearing for the next song, "Mr. Hate" (from 1981's "The Completion Backward Principle" album)......dressed in a straight jacket. Yep, this was what you have to expect from a Tubes gig, oh, and he did a terrific escapology act during a bridge part ready for the next song, "Amnesia", also from "The Completion Backward Principle".
We had a bluesy break in the form of "Golden Boy" from the 1977 album "Now", complete with Fee doing his Marlon Brando - fab. Another famed Fee Waybill quick change and this time he's bedecked in a kind of carnival mask and wearing leather jeans, holding a torch. No seriously, he was. The lights dimmed and Fee, lit pretty much only by the torch, gave us another Tubes classic, "Mondo Bondage" from the self-titled debut album. This was another fine example of The Tubes perfect wackiness as Fee writhed about with the handheld torch, at one point presenting it as his well-illuminated manhood, spraying his light over the audience like the climax of some seriously freaky 70's porn movie - my expectations of this evening were being met by the bucket load (no pun intended). After Fee told us that he felt he needed to get a new torch (it was a little flickery at times, but who cares!!!), the pace took off again with "I Was A Punk Before You Were A Punk" (from the 1978 live album "What Do You Want From Live") - clever, funny and excellent all rolled into one. Next up was, so I've read, a rarely played track from "Remote Control", this one being "Prime Time" - another personal highlight for me because, as I mentioned earlier, this was the first Tubes record I bought. I loved this version, it was edgier and rockier than the original with real power in this arrangement. Following this was a cover of the Beatles' classic "I Saw Her Standing There" - not a Beatles fan (never got the hype if I'm honest), but this was a great version and it had that Tubes edge to it, which made it so much better. Next up was another track from "Remote Control" and another highlight, the beautiful "Love's A Mystery (I Don't Understand)" - even after an hour and a half Fee's voice was still in good shape, the emotion of the words coming through beautifully. An instrumental followed while Fee was busy getting changed, and drummer Prairie Prince showing why he is one of the most sought after session drummers in the world.
All of this was a build up to the moment I think we were ALL waiting for. Yes. "White Punks on Dope" and the appearance of the infamous but legendary icon of excess and debauchery, yes, the one and only QUAY LUDE. Long flowing curly (unkempt) white hair, glam-rocker makeup, "QUAY" fashioned shades, silver sequined waistcoat, black feather boa, white spandex leggings and MASSIVE platform sole boots, waving and swigging a bottle of beer, Quay Lude took centre stage, precariously balanced on the boots and blasted out THAT song, THAT song seen and heard on a late night T.V. show 42 years ago by a 12 year old me, yes, this was my personal highlight of this tremendous gig. These days, the tinfoil jockstrap is a thing of the past, Fee is 67 years old for fuck's sake, though that said, I don't think anyone has told him yet - kudos!!! You need to know that my cameras nearly melted with all the pictures I took. All too soon, it was done and Quay Lude left the stage, assisted by Rick Anderson and Prairie Prince, along with the rest of the band.
The roof went up as the audience, with an average age it seems of 55, screamed for more. And The Tubes came back for one more track, their hit song "She's a Beauty" from the "Outside Inside" album, with Fee resplendent in blazer and straw hat.
And then the evening was done!!! The band left the stage and within a few minutes were back out mingling with the crowd and signing stuff and smiling for photos. That sort of thing impresses me muchly.
As an overall thing, The Tubes live are a real force to be reckoned with. I have seen some truly fantastic live shows in recent times, all of them polished productions demonstrating the three principles I look for in a show - style, performance and presentation - but it has to be said that The Tubes took this to another level. The beauty of their stage show is that it isn't about perfection, it's raw, edgy, theatrical, in the moment and crewed by five men who have been doing this for 45 years and still look as though they are loving every minute, still giving it their all and still able to produce a sound and style that is as fresh today as it was back in 1975. My smiles this evening were truly wide and plentiful, all expectations met and not the faintest ripple of disappointment, something that was felt by many of those I spoke to after the gig.
Yet again, I have to harp on about the showmanship, performance and style of a band that has been there and seen it all, things that many of today's young bands absolutely MUST look to and take on board - live music is about people coming to see something and I just don't know that a lot of young bands are getting this. The Tubes win through with a sound that crosses so many genres, they bundle it with a crazy stage show and sell it with strong and credible performance. It's breath-taking to think that these men are all in their late 60's and bands who are a third of their age don't seem to have the same drive and stamina. I've witnessed in the last month The Tubes, Big Country and Gary Numan - all of these people are what we might think of now as elder statesmen, but they have that accolade for a reason.
I make no apologies for the enthusiasm of this review - I love live music and when it's done well, I will rave. If The Tubes return to these shores for a tour, get a ticket and go see what it is I rave about, I will tell you now, it'll be money well spent.
Oh, and by the way, I got to meet Fee Waybill <fangirl squee>
Links:
The Tubes
Concert images (courtesy of Neil Fellowes Photography):
The Tubes
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