Otis Westinghouse wrote:
Has anyone seen The Gift? If so is Russell Hastings passable? I guess the worst thing is he could actually just copy Weller in terms of appearance and voice, which of course is what a tribute band does, which is distinct from 'the original band with a different singer'.
Up the page a bit for a brief description of my trip to see the Gift about a year ago. It was a little uncomfortable - he was doing too much of Weller impersonation - he sings and plays great; there was just something off for me with the look he was going for... like he was fronting a tribute band I guess! Would have been better in jeans and a t-shirt and without the haircut that looks exactly like Paul's doo of today.
Anyway - I'll end up going. I can't help myself.
Here's a link to a cruel but funny song by someone who is not up for it - My Name Is Bruce Foxton -
Actually, it was Dec 6, 1980 that I saw them in Jersey. Hilariously the D, R, C book lists it as part of the European tour and not the UK leg that followed a couple of days later. They also played Jersey Oct '82, two months before they said farewell. I'd left and gone to Birmingham by then, and very stupidly failed to get myself to their second from last ever gig at Bingley Hall in Brum on Dec 8. Mind you, I thought what I'd heard of the Gift was mostly bollocks. Seemed fair enough to me that they were splitting up.
There's a Foxton instrumental on The Gift called Circus which is basically a homage to Adam and the Ants! Utter crap.
Just listening to Paul closing the Ritz NYC May '81 gig with 'Goodnight and vote Labour'! Two years after/before a General Election. he must have been feeling guilty over his well-documented vote for Maggie in '79.
Final point: the Wasteland version on Skirt is surely the studio recording that was on the LP without the additional whistle/pipes and any other embellishments. Nice to hear it that way.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
The Gift wasn't their best album and Paul's musical directions were here there and everywhere from that point until the final single was released.
I'm off to see The Jamm on Friday night - at least they do what it says on the tin. I'm still uncertain about From The Jam but I'll just have to wait and see.
By the way, wasn't Circus credited to all of the band? Therefore they're all to blame! And as for The Planner's Dream Went Wrong
