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London Islington Assembly Hall, November 17 2013
So… can it really be 40 years? Well, yes and no. Not 40 years since Peter Daltrey set foot on a London stage, by any means but yes, four decades have passed since he last called his band Kaleidoscope (or, for that matter, Fairfield Parlour) During that time he’s continued floating around the fringes of the world’s outsider music scenes, recording with musicians young and old of a similar cosmic persuasion, and constantly lurking in the shadows like the ephemeral presence that he is, but it was always hoped that one day he would front a band worthy of the name he remains most associated with. And now, finally, it’s happening. To those of us assembled here in the ancient, sprung-floored, red carpeted environs of the Assembly Hall, it’s almost like the climax to a very long dream: but what happens when we awake?
After all, when bands reform after a long absence, it’s not uncommon for them to meet with derision, smugness and ageism: we do still live, largely, in a music scene presided over by the maxims of those whose eye teeth were cut in the snarling moshpits of ‘Punk Rock’, and thus, there remains an underlying current of ‘live fast die young, and anyone over a certain age is a sad old git’ that, whilst never explicit, is seemingly carved in stone in the minds of many. And true, certain bands (Le Fleur De Lys, Standells, Jade Warrior) whose remergences have been somewhat disappointing, haven’t helped matters. Yet somehow, we always knew that Daltrey, and his new Kaleidoscope featuring the majority of Glasgow psych-folksters Trembling Bells (also Mike Heron’s backing group, and thus perfectly chosen inasmuch as they’re young enough to play with attack but old enough to understand true Psychedelia) would pull it off. And we were right.
From the moment the band enter, mist swirling, liquid backdrops spiralling and with poetry recited, it’s obvious that this isn’t going to be just another old geezer’s comeback. The younger members, spearheaded by towering guitarist Mike Hastings, take up instruments first, then the man himself appears: slim, white-haired, bearded and clad in elegant black, Daltrey is no conventional rock frontman, he’s a wizard. He probably always was, but tonight, leaning intently into his mike from behind a lectern, his words, songs and stories are imbued with extra-magical import. Of course, we all know the lectern’s just there to read the lyrics from, but under the lights, with the spell cast, it reinforces further the idea that this is not a gig per se, but a ceremony. The high priest of quaintly English Psychedelia addressing his acolytes? Quite possibly and a cursory glance round the room does show the assembled throng to be of a shared mind.
Tonight, actually hearing ‘Snapdragon’ and ‘A Dream For Julie’ live, is a transcendental, consciousness-altering experience: these songs are very real! And there’s the bloke who wrote them, singing them! Puts paid to all those myths about Phil Smee and Ed Ball spending the 80s knocking out fake Freakbeat and Bubblegum acts in their garden sheds for release on compilations of “unearthed mindbending psych gems” sold to unsuspecting punters. Of course there were really that many bands then, the Beatles were still around, and everybody wanted to be them. But Kaleidoscope went one better they wanted to be the Beatles, Hollies, Kinks, Bee Gees and Dylan all in one go – and they managed it too! Yet they have still stamped their own personality on their work, and it’s that personality which elevates the likes of ‘Dear Nellie Goodrich’ above a mere ‘Jennifer Eccles’ clone, and the bouncy ‘In My Box’ (one of three tunes tonight from their early 70s tenure as Fairfield Parlour) above a zillion other twee Popsike nuggets gracing numerous comps, their delicate effervescence remaining intact but also boosted by Hastings’ scraping guitar tones and the thrumming bass of Simon Shaw. Comparatively, this also means that the songs that were weightier first time round ‘Murder Of Lewis Tollani’ and the epic ‘Sky Children’ in particular, now sound huge.
Up the back, a rather subtle Lavinia Blackwall provides eerie portative keyboards, stabs of jabbing rhythm guitar and occasional waves of sonorous, operatic backing vocal but without her, ‘Song From Jon’ (the set’s one nod to 1971’s concept opus White Faced Lady) and ‘Aries’ would sound slight: this interaction, however, only proves just how much of a combined effort the new band is, with each member literally “in concert” with Daltrey. His voice, pitched somewhere between Robin Gibb, Syd Barrett and Peter Noone, was never one of rock’s louder, more bellowing tones, but commands perfect, almost rapt attention and betwixt songs, spins tales of hazy days, russet evenings, Sunnyside Circuses (more impassioned axe-thrashings from Hastings and Shaw) chocolate children and tangerine dreams that still continue to shape a lifestyle for many of us.
The final quarter sees an added sitarist in their midst: the only possible improvement at this point would be the addition of more original members. Enter guitarist Eddie Pumer and drummer Danny Bridgman (the latter incredibly youthful for 65 and bearing a scary resemblance to Matt Berry) take the stage, the colours of the Kaleidoscope finally become complete. A garagish ‘Faintly Blowing’, the proto-prog time changes of ‘Dive Into Yesterday’, mantra-like chantings of ‘Flight From Ashiya’ and pre-shoegaze, bongo-laden drone swirls of ‘Music’ – never was a tune more succinctly named end proceedings on a note of optimism: an optimism that’s justified because, whereas many reunions are short-lived, tentative affairs, this could be the rebirth of something long-lasting with greater potential than any of us who spent our 20s down the Mousetrap dancing to ‘Room Of Percussion’, could have ever imagined.
Peter Daltrey ends the evening dispensing flowers like a true ’67 prophet should; he is a true star in our constellation. The American and Mexican Kaleidoscopes, should they be aware, must be kicking themselves.
L to R: Eddy Pumer, Peter Daltrey, Dan Bridgman
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Online Review / Islington Assembly Hall / 17th November 2013
Tonight isn’t like any gig I have been to before. Over the years I have been lucky enough to witness some great musical moments from the sticky floors of sweat covered venues ,usually with a bev in hand and mates in tow. However tonight has an air about it that can only be described as witnessing history. Peter Daltrey’s kaleidoscope have decided to come together for a ‘one-night only’ headlining show at the equally mesmerising Islington Assembly Hall.
It’s been some 40 years since the original line up were on a British stage together supporting some little known guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, However this evening Peter showcases the rare psych, vintage sounds of his band with a much younger backing band. They come onstage not much after 9.30 to an intro of poetry rather than the usual carefully selected soundtrack that most bands abide by. Think Edgar Allan Poe. This does not deter from the stomping psychedelic rock this 4 piece tear their way through over the next hour and a half. Dusting off classics such as Dive Into Yesterday, Dear Nellie Goodrich and A Dream for Julie they have the crowd in their hands from the off. The beauty of playing a venue such as the Islington Assembly Hall is the intimacy and interaction that can be shared within this beautiful 1930s dancehall. Not only is the crowd treated to an evening that is as unlikely to happen as Morrissey and Marr sharing a stage again but Daltrey treats the crowd to a brief insight into his life during the bands heyday. In between songs stories are shared and backgrounds of songs are divulged which are just as interesting and bewitching as the far-out song lyrics themselves. It has more of An Evening With…..vibe that it does a rock gig.
As the band weave and wave their way through a colourful, kaleidoscopic set it is just before the encore begins that the real magic happens. Daltrey begins to tell yet another story of the life and times of his beloved band and as he does he introduces two of the founding members of the band. In his words “Together on a British stage for the first time in 40 years”. The crowd cannot believe their luck. You can almost see the hair standing up on the back of necks. Treating the crowd to a brilliant and moving version of Sky Children the original line up, somewhat aged, seem like they have never been apart.
A standing ovation leads to not one but two encores which on the surface seems a little OTT but they haven’t played for 40 years so you can let them off.
Daltrey and co join together on stage as an 8 piece to psych their way through the last song of the eve to a rousing applause which signifies this band, who enjoyed very brief success under a number of guises, still live long in the hearts of the the children of the 70s.
I’ve not often said this about a gig but it was an absolute privilege and pleasure
In December 2013 Shindig voted the Islington show the `Best Gig of the Year`
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