A debut on Live and Loud! for XTC - but surely not the last time they will appear (I now have a few of their gigs on my "to be done" list).
A very early gig this one - this was a soundboard recording from a gig played a couple of months before the release of their debut EP! It seems the source I received was worked on by someone at some stage, as, as so often happens, the loudness was off the scale almost and very unnatural, making it tiring to listen to. And quite toppy, with a shallow 2 dimensional aural range. So, I used EQ to not only improve the bottom end and clarity between the instruments but make it less tiring on the ears. Several hours of work later and it's a great show; the band are
full of energy and it's a
great - if short! - set.
As of 2026, you now have the choice to not only download this repaired, restored and remastered show as one 320kbps MP3 file but also to stream it - exclusively for FREE by clicking below.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD OR STREAM
Setlist
Radios In Motion
Cross Wires
Let's Have Fun
Fireball XL5
Science Friction
I'm Bugged
New Town Animal
Hang On To The Night
All Along The Watchtower
She's So Square

thanx for this
ReplyDeleteand for all the work
you put into these recordings
richie
Cheers, glad you enjoy.
Deletethis is really good, especially for hearing the the band's punk sound. a must for any xtc fan.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that; yeah they sound great here.
DeleteHi there, this gig was originally recorded by Virgin and made into a limited edition, in-house cassette - and possibly used for promotion purposes. The tape included Do What You Do, Spinning Top, Neon Shuffle, Traffic Light Rock and a final track, title currently unknown. It looks then, as though the recording here comes from side 1 of the Virgin Tapes cassette (which was on a Maxell C60, by the way) and that side 2 is missing. Traffic Light Rock from this gig was issued commercially on a promotional EP given free with Record Mirror in December 1977. And, sadly, no, I don't have a copy of the whole show! I wish I did and it's great to hear this gig, even if truncated!
ReplyDeleteGreat info, thanks for taking the time to post! Cheers!
DeleteJust to add a bit more info to what Bristol Tips provided: two of the songs from the missing second half of the performance were officially released on XTC's 2002 box set Coat of Many Cupboards: Spinning Top and Traffic Light Rock. Both are freely available on YouTube at these links:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWN1gkSFeHc&list=FL7ajO1W2Fz_3mwy4NPwWCtw&index=8&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZrdv16kMKg&list=FL7ajO1W2Fz_3mwy4NPwWCtw&index=9&t=0s
Appreciate the post and info, thanks Brian!
DeleteThanks for the upload, it's well appreciated. Any chance you also have the Jan 1979 "Live at The Edge" concert? It's one of Barry Andrews' last; he left the band later that month. It's not in exceptional quality (maybe a 4 out of 10,) but it's listenable, and I've heard worse.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, cheers. Not come across that one so far, no.
Delete