FUGAZI EUROPEAN* SPRING TOUR '99 : REPORTS

* = Iceland, Ireland and the UK

Show report from Chris   : fugazi @  Wulfren Hall Wolverhampton (UK) April 30

Hi there, I visit your site all the time and now finally I get to submit a show review!

here goes

FUGAZI, WOLVERHAMPTON WULFREN HALL, APRIL 30TH

This was the first time me or any of my friends had seen Fugazi as the
last time they came to play in the UK I was too young to drive so couldn't
get to any of the shows so this time I was fairly excited to say the least.

The first support was a local band called Tone, they were pretty
standardised punk fodder and I spent the time they
were on just looking at the venue: it was weird. More like a disused
sports hall than a music venue. It wasn't even half full and even when
Fugazi played there was a lot of space left at the back.
Pram were the other support and they are kind of a Stereolab affair which
was a weird choice for a Fugazi support but kind of justified if it pissed
off all the meatheads and mohawks in attendance. I noticed Guy watching
them from the side of the stage for a lot of the set too.
After they've set their gear up (all apart from Ian who we noticed walking
around in the crowd for a lot of the evening) they take to the stage at
9.35 and go into Birthday Pony which they build up and finally uncoil into
BIG noise. Naturally, the moshpit starts up and it's evident from the
start that ian is not in the best of moods and he eyes up one guy in
particular throughout the song. When the song ended the guy was still
throwing himself around and Ian (who is usually quite polite by all
accounts) called him a "fucking prick". The guy answered that he wasn't
bothering anyone. "You are a bother. You're bothering ME" says Ian. This
kind of set the tone for the gig. It seemed to me that it was Ian who led
the set and he seemed really fired up about something. There was very
little of his trademark hoppy dancing around and instead he just stayed
rooted to the spot for most of the set going purple in the face and
screaming his guts out. Great Cop in particular was incredible.
The set took in most of End Hits and the rest was made up of lots off In
On The Killtaker, quite a lot from Red Medicine and a few from the early
albums and (as I can remember) nothing from Steady Diet, which seemed a bit weird.

They also did a couple
of things I didn't recognise as well as what I guess is Furniture. I was
lucky enough to catch them soundcheck earlier as they had left the loading
bays open when I went to get my ticket and they were doing Closed
Captioned and By You. Sadly, By You didn't figure in the set but Closed
Captioned was great with double drumming and a big extended ending. They
finished the set with the new instrumental and then did a further 2
encores. At the start of the first one I decided I was going to get down
the front so i could see more and about 3 secs into Repeater some fucking
spamhead went crazy and caught me full on in the head. I dunno, if you
want to rub up against shirtless men in a sweaty environment then go play
Rugby, just don't come and see Fugazi! I didn't care too much though to
tell truth...They did a great version of Arpeggiator and finished with my
all time favourite fugazi song Do You Like Me? Guy even took time out to
thank Tony's Balti House in Wolverhampton for giving them a drum rug.
The only thing that spoiled it for me was the crowd. Not the violence as
much as the kind of apathatic way they reacted to Fugazi, the venue didn't
help as it was really sterile and nasty and there were barriers, but the
crowd seemed underwhelmed by everything. That said, Fugazi were so
inspirational it really didn't matter.
songs (in no order and some I have forgotten too)
Birthday Pony, Place Position, Merchandise, Recap Modotti, Break, Closed
Captioned, F/D, Arpeggiator, Great Cop, Public Witness Program,
Cassavettes, Smallpox Champion, Repeater, Waiting Room, Furniture, New
Instrumental, Forensic Scene (slowed down and sung higher), Do You Like
Me?, Promises, Instrument.
no doubt I have forgotten some though!

i play in a band called reynolds in the UK, go see the site if you have time!

http://www.angelfire.com/va/reynoldswisbech

take care

chris summerlin