I'm still buzzing from The Raincoats' 40th anniversary gig in Hackney on Sunday. I've missed a few chances over the years to catch them live but it was worth the wait. It was the first time in a few years that my partner felt well enough to attend a gig with me and she loved every minute. Due to her mobility issues, we were taken out of the queue immediately and placed at the front, next to the band's extended family and friends. It was lovely to witness all the little reunions as we waited for the gig to begin - original member Vicky Aspinall was present (though declined to do guest vocals on 'Off Duty Trip'), as was a very cool looking woman sat next to my partner who turned out to be Lora Logic (as we found out when she came up to play sax on 'Black And White').
The Raincoats played their still incredible debut album in full over the first hour of the show and sounded fantastic throughout. The odd mistake and senior moment only added to the fun - the banter between Ana and Gina regarding their cultural differences was very amusing and endearing. The current drummer, the intriguingly-named Vice Cooler, acquitted himself admirably, while Anne Wood, the current violinist, was a total badass, absolutely dripping with energy.
For some reason, a bunch of hipsters and younger family members decided to go down the front and dance during 'No Looking'. One of the most incongruous moments I've witnessed at a gig - the band playing one of the most visceral, devastating break-up songs ever recorded while a bunch of grinning fools danced like they were playing 'Get Lucky' or something. Weird.
The band then took a break and the mysterious 'Special Guests' took the stage. When my partner heard there would be unknown guests, she hopefully wondered if her old 80s pop crush Green Gartside would make an appearance. Lo and behold, half of Scritti Politti (Green and Rhodri Marsden) took the stage and played a short set of hits - 'The Sweetest Girl', 'Wood Beez', 'The Word 'Girl'' and debut single 'Skank Bloc Bologna'. Still sounding superb and my missus was grinning from ear to ear.
When they came off-stage, she nipped to the backstage disabled loo, which had one of those locks that are ambiguous about the occupancy status, so she rapped on the door. Out came a sheepish-looking Green and they had a brief chat. When she thanked him for playing and said she'd been hoping to see him live for years, he looked a bit awkward and showed her his busted-up hand & the bump on his head to change the subject. He'd had a nasty fall on the way there, but still showed up and played like a dream. She told him to go to A&E sharpish and to vote Labour. He still hung around to the end of the show (but will be voting Labour).
Next up was a band I'd never heard of, Big Joanie, doing their first acoustic set. Apparently they're usually a bit more raucous, but they were excellent and I regret not picking their album up from the merch stall (staffed by Gina Birch's kids). One to add to the list.
Finally The Raincoats came back and played a short set of their later stuff - a couple of songs from Odyshape and a couple of 90s tracks I'd never heard before. The dancers came back for closing number 'Shouting Out Loud', another track that doesn't quite inspire one to dance like a hipster finally getting to hear 'Electric Feel' at an MGMT concert, but the band didn't seem to mind. We were escorted outside as soon as the show stopped, so didn't get to hang around for the band signing merch, but the show had overrun by an hour and it was a Sunday night, so we didn't mind that or the shitty return journey. We were still buzzing and unable to sleep for hours after getting home. One of the most inspiring gigs I've seen in years. What a band!
