The "XTC are really really good" thread

[Brundle-Fly]

Long shot I know but if anyone has a spare ticket let me know.

I was booked on a flight back from a wedding this morning and had no means of applying for tickets. I'm hoping beyond hope that more shows will be announced, but it will doubtless be very special at these first shows.

Has it all completely sold out then?

[Crabwalk]

Yes, all gone.

[Brundle-Fly]

Yes, all gone.

Blimey! If i hear any going spare I'll PM you. I'm sure this won't be the last gigs they'll do. The fact they've sold out so quickly will be a massive incentive to perform live again.

[daf]

Yeah - give The Colonel a bit of confidence that there is an audience out there (seemed a bit uncertain during a recent interview)

Played the ep again last night - it's bloody good - more please!

[PaulTMA]

Crabwalk, if you miss this then my brother is still deliberating over whether he can go or not so there is always that possibility.

[Head Gardener]

gig update

[Crabwalk]

TICKET FOR 1st NIGHT SECURED!

Thanks so much for the heads up PaulTMA!

If anyone else is going on the Monday and fancies meeting up, let me know.

Wow. This is exciting.

_{PS Quite a few tickets still available}

[Brundle-Fly]

Well done!

[Head Gardener]

jeez that was quick, tickets arrived this morning

[PaulTMA]

Does anyone else want to do a bunch of shrooms before this

[Head Gardener]

haha, time was when I would have but am reduced to homegrown weed now, sorry

[Brundle-Fly]

Does anyone else want to do a bunch of shrooms before this

With the exception of his Dukes outings, it's not really shroom music. A few pints of Merrydown beforehand, perhaps?

[Crabwalk]

Iain Lee travelled to Swindon last week to interview CM and TC about the shows (among other things):

https://www.acast.com/latenightswithiainlee/thelatenightalternativewithiainlee-bonuspodcast-tc-i

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Cheers for posting that was a good listen. Shame to hear Moulding's fallen out with Dave Gregory as well as Partridge now. Sure I'm not the only one that was quietly hoping Gregory would show up to play a song at one of the gigs haha

[Crabwalk]

Two extra shows to be announced for 18th and 20th November, according to Facebook. That's a good indication that rehearsals are going well, I'd speculate.

[DrGreggles]

https://twitter.com/xtcfans/status/1042836580145221632

[DrGreggles]

https://twitter.com/xtcfans/status/1042836580145221632

https://twitter.com/xtcfans/status/1049719157955149824

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

https://mobile.twitter.com/xtcfans/status/1049970439001378816

Spent most of yesterday under headphones, making copious notes on the new stereo, regarding forthcoming 5.1 remix by Steven Wilson. It's going to be a cracker. More nearer the time, sorry for the tease.

!!

[Head Gardener]

even I'm not this bad when it comes to looking after records

[daf]

Interesting, the peacock feather is the other way up on the re-issue (plus no title on the front)


                        original                                                                 re-issue

(The original CD version had it printed on a metallic card, and turned sideways - with the title showing through on the inlay 'spine bar')

[Avril Lavigne]

even I'm not this bad when it comes to looking after records

All that and then he just slaps the sticker onto the protective sleeve all wonky-as-fuck.

[Nowhere Man]

All that and then he just slaps the sticker onto the protective sleeve all wonky-as-fuck.

If he was going to be that meticulous I don't understand why he wouldn't just have kept the sealed wrapping on most of the cover. But fucking hell, all that for a freshly made record, just using the static brush before playing would have been fine enough.

[daf]

New interview with Colin about the upcoming live shows & more :

We have a surprise for Mr Andy Partridge as well, I guess as a tribute to him. It would have been churlish not to play any of his songs and it's so I can tip my hat to him and say hello.'

[PaulTMA]

Does anyone want a face value ticket for TC&I on Thursday 1 November, seat G13?  Thought I'd offer it here first.

[Head Gardener]

an XTC book I had my eye on has just sold, I was prepared to go to £300....

damn

[DrGreggles]

an XTC book I had my eye on has just sold, I was prepared to go to £300....

damn

Andy was moaning about that on Twitter.
Seems the bloke claimed to be a big XTC fan and Andy sent it to him following a sob story, but turns out he just flogs any band merch for profit.

I think the final figure was artificially inflated and the seller probably won't get a penny from the 'winner'.
Might be re-listed, if you want to risk the wrath of Partridge!

[daf]

I think he did buy it * - no sob story involved.  Andy was offering to do 50 custom paintings for the Complicated Game book cover.

Covers will have a one-off dust jacket depicting a song title from XTC's career hand-painted by Andy Partridge himself. Additionally, there will be a bookplate signed by Andy inside the book.

The book is presented as a black clothbound hardback with muted green endpapers and lilac page edging.

Limited to one copy per customer. Only 50 copies are available.

Shipping from 31st March onwards (as paintings are completed).

https://progarchy.com/2016/03/07/350-not-a-cheap-book/

"Let me pull up a big pile of raw liver here and sit down," Partridge says after Salon reaches him at home, where he was immersed in hand-painting one of the postcard-size dust jackets covering a sold-out, limited-edition version of "Complicated Game." On this particular day, he's working on a piece inspired by the song "Train Running Low on Soul Coal" that he says features his face depicted as "a bending, impending steam train crashing into the wall. And the little Thomas the Tank Engine face on the front is me kind of going, 'Oh my God!' as if my head's going to smash into the wall."

https://www.salon.com/2016/03/20/music_is_so_abused_these_days_xtcs_andy_partridge_opens_up_about_songwriting_painting_and_developing_the_cruel_parent_gene_toward_your_own_art/

- - - - - -
* (According to the first link, the asking price was $350.)

[Head Gardener]

[Brundle-Fly]

You would be pissed off. Like finding a book in an Oxfam that you gifted to somebody with your loving message inside.

[daf]

a book in an Oxfam that you gifted to somebody

I get the impression that people think that this bloke wrote to Andy begging for something 'pretending' to be a massive fan and got it back free.

He paid $350 for it - (as did another 49 people - see linked article above).