Staring up from the depths of a fluorescent blue cocktail served in a fishbowl is a beautifully carved goldfish made of pumpkin. Skull-splitting metal of some sort is making conversation nearly impossible. A Ninja in full regalia at the door is having a pint with a goth who’s wearing fangs as neon Tiki figures shimmer on the walls in the black light. If not for Spear of Destiny playing in an hour’s time, this could have been your average night at Krakatoa.
Suzanne Kelly goes to her third SoD Moorings – sorry Krakatoa – show.
Tonight is the penultimate night of the current Spear tour; tomorrow they have to be in Whitby headlining a goth festival, as you do. Would they be pulling their punches and going through the motions tonight? Other acts have done so when hitting Aberdeen, but resting on past successes isn’t part of the ethos for Spear.
Opening Act Mark Ayling (pictured below) said:
“I had a great night, Spear of Destiny were on form and played a great set and it was nice to see a good crowd out to support live music.
“it’s the biggest crowd I’ve seen at an Aberdeen gig for a while.”
Some of the wiser, more experienced fans, or ‘Spear Family’, prudently decided to stay back from the front of the stage.
Tonight wasn’t quite as frenzied and bruise-inducing as usual, perhaps in some part due to the presence of Spear virgin Alan Gray. I was a bit concerned about him, as he happens to be a wheelchair user.
Knowing that anyone in vicinity of the dance floor at a SoD show is likely to wind up covered with bruises and marinated in beer, I mentioned to a few nearby guys to please keep an eye out for Alan.
Before I could finish speaking, they’d opened up a path for him to the front of the stage.
Only once towards the end was I worried about him, but I needn’t have been when the floor turned into the expected frenzy.
So – did Alan like his first ever Spear live show?
“I waited 30 years to see them live. It was everything I wanted it to be and a lot more.”
He left with a copy of their latest album, 31, and a huge smile on his face.
It’s been said I’m partial to this band, and indeed I am, but you’d not be able to find any fault tonight. The pacing of the set, the well-honed but fresh, energetic musical calibre – all great stuff. I’d love to give you the full set list but for the fact I was looking after others’ limbs, my own limbs, drinking a pint and trying to write in a little notebook at the same time.
At any rate they opened with World Service; most of the audience naming that tune and screaming for it before the first measure had been played. Never Take me Alive soon followed, then to Roddy Kennedy’s delight Once in Her Lifetime.
From the most recent album 31, Spear played Sputnik, Fascinations (single from the album) and The Failure.
In all these pieces you can hear subtle or large differences from the studio work; at the risk of repeating myself from previous reviews, this is why you come to live performances; to hear something new brought to the arrangements.
For many bands displaying basic musical competence outside of a studio is a stretch; for SoD playing live seems to be something they truly relish.
For others, the reason to go see a band has to be to take selfies and record the show on a mobile, so you can watch it back later, and don’t have to stop talking to your friends about who’s going to win either celebrity bake-off or the ladies’ Queen of the South v Hearts match. I pity these people.
Truly, some people are incapable of letting a 3 minute song go without speaking; tuning them out seems to be becoming an art form.
This is not to be confused with the people who for instance wouldn’t normally speak to each other at all, but when hearing Mickey (my favourite anti-war anthem) will sing every word and dance with their arms around each other’s shoulders. And that’s how it should be.
WE also had Everything Has A Price, Soldier Soldier, and close with I Liberate. Brandon said something about Edward Snowdon – or at least I think he did. The only fault was that it was over too soon.
The band genuinely seemed to have had an enjoyable evening in Aberdeen; Aberdeen loved having them.
When they got to Whitby the next night they did a stunning version of The Sisters of Mercy’s Temple of Love (on a cobweb-decorated stage no less) with Craig Adams taking lead vocals. Have a look at that here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANdYppeJVU&feature=youtu.be
But yes, it was all over in a flash; the band, the cocktail with the fish and the Ninja all disappeared. But I dare say Aberdeen will welcome Spear with open arms again next time.