EDitorial ± 7-Jul-2003

Ludicrously Polyphonic

One week. Two gigs. Three days. A social whirl and then some. Keep music live and all that. See, I could have been a music journalist if only Smash Hits hadn't rejected me in 1987. Must dig out that letter sometime. Maybe there was a phone number that still works.

In the left-hand corner we have The Polyphonic Spree, "a shot of orchestral serotonin", according to the NME last year. In the right-hand corner we have I, Ludicrous, those "football-obsessive and all-round smart alecs", or so said the NME back in 1992.

Slightly less than half of The Spree   Surrey's number one punk-pop duo, it says here

Not that it's fair to compare:

who The Polyphonic Spree I, Ludicrous
when Thursday 3 July 2003 Saturday 5 July 2003
where Corn Exchange, Cambridge Bull & Gate, Kentish Town, London
est. audience 1500 100
home at 12:25am 03:15am (admittedly inc. a deliberate diversion over both Tower Bridge and London Bridge)
cost £15 £4 (with flyer)
total in band 24 on average 2 plus drum machine
cost/total 62.5p £2
formed 2002-ish 1987-ish
from Dallas, Texas London
chatted with band pre-gig no yes
encore change of kaftans & cover of Five Years by Bowie use of keyboard & cover of Glad All Over by Dave Clark Five
set highlight Soldier Girl We're The Support Band
support Mull Historical Society Doll's House
number of albums 1 5 - bought the new one, Museum Of Installation, on the night
played at Glasto' yes no
been in John Peel's Festive 50 no yes, in 1987
bad review "it is hard to tell where one pale copy of something ends and another one starts"
— Guardian 		"dirty middle aged men thrashing out pointless and souless diatribes"
— BransbyCentral
good review "a magnificent, life-affirming musical experience"
— Washington Post 		"Fall-like songs had me tapping my feet and chuckling"
— Spinach Records
often mentioned with Flaming Lips The Fall
met Jools Holland yes, on Later yes, didn't like him

Shall we call it a draw?

Be seeing you!

Ed