Photo by Frédéric Loridant

The following is a selection of our reviews on the Net - a chance for other people to blow our trumpet, so to speak!

This is the full review of the gig as written by Nigel Scott and printed in the Saturday 2nd November 2002 edition of the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Just like watching Genesis by Nigel Scott.

THEY were mostly men of a certain age. By certain, read 40 plus. They wore leather jackets in the main and their hair was mostly apparent by its absence. They looked like the sort of people who might enjoy a discussion about spark plugs and big ends.

As they huddled together they seemed to be looking nervously around the room as if anxious to confirm that nobody they knew had spotted them there. It was the conversation that gave them away. "Milton Keynes, 1982", said one. "That was the gig. The mud bowl. But wasn't it mind-blowing, man." These, in all their glory, were Genesis fans. Still pining, perhaps, for the demise of their heroes but taking solace in a bunch of fellow acolytes who have taken it upon themselves to keep the flag flying.

ReGenesis, the early Genesis tribute band, came to rock the Grand Old Lady of Leeds theatres - the City Varieties - on Tuesday night.

In my 1970's disguise of flared jeans, suede jacket and retro trainers I was there, dragging along the dubious Mrs. S for a night of musical nostalgia. I've never been into this tribute band thing… apart from having an Abbatastic evening in the middle of Leeds a couple of years ago when Bjorn Again appeared in Millennium Square. Unlike Bjorn Again, however, ReGenesis aren't trying to look like the stars they are mimicking. They just set out to play like them.

This latter point makes them very brave indeed. After all, it's one thing to copy simple pop music but its something entirely different to attempt to copy flawlessly some of the most famous "twiddly bits" in the history of "prog rock" (now there's a phrase you don't hear much these days).

There is an air of anticipation as keyboard player Piers de Lavison - who has an uncanny resemblance to Genesis' own Tony Banks - plays the intro to 1972's Watcher of the Skies. Singer Tony Patterson strides to the front of the stage in a black cape, white gloves and wearing a bat's wing mask. He looks slightly ridiculous - but then everybody did in those days - but when he sings the opening line, my God, he IS Peter Gabriel.

It's as spooky as hell - and it's brilliant. Mrs. S tells me to calm down as I go into an alcohol-fuelled frenzy. It's a two-hour set, drawn almost exclusively from the pre-1974 Genesis back catalogue, and the recreation of sound and spirit is virtually perfect.

There is the odd knowing wince from guitarist Steve Marsh when something doesn't go quite right and we all have a good laugh in the closing number, Los Endos, when Mr. de Lavison drops a real howler. You see, nobody cares if there is the odd blooper. We are with him/them all the way. We are indebted to ReGenesis for giving us the chance to revel in live music that would never, otherwise, be played.

Those of us who weren't there the first time around - save for that 1982 mud bath - can have a little something of what it must have been like. The band leave the stage and everyone is on their feet clamouring for more. Suddenly it's cool to be uncool. And so we shuffle off into the night and head for home, where we know supper will soon be ready.

Here is a review - more like a Tour Diary - by a friend of ours Alan Caskie. I've left it basically as he has written it, so don't blame me for bad spelling and grammar.

Dear all.....

As you may know or not know I, spent 23rd to 25th March as the worlds fattest groupie, doing what all fans should do, seeing 2 gigs on subsequent nights and talking with the band in between (lots).

I said at the time I'd do a review for the site, and this is it. As will become clear it would not be proper to just do a review of the gigs as these made up just a part of the weekend, but they represent the core of what the weekend was about. I also had a chance to do a bit of thinking about G matters so I'll put those down for comment as well. So…

Saturday 23rd March, Bilston: set off at 10.30 from Edinburgh - no mean feat in itself as I had just driven back from Amsterdam on Thursday/Friday. Arrive at Bilston and meet up with my buddy get to the hotel check in and then straight off to the venue to (a) find out where it is and (b) try to see the sound check, success on (a) failure on (b) which might sound slightly harsh by the management, but he did seem to have a very bad cold, or at least something wrong with his nose. Then off to the nearest purveyor of fine wines and similar comestibles for the first 3 tall black and white things. It is odd to think that the constituent parts of British Rail, Mr & Mrs Guinness and the Holiday Inn people all got more of my folding stuff than the band ever have. Obviously that wouldn't happen if the band played on the right side of the border (or at least it would only be Mr & Mrs Guinness and the band, who would be getting the money).

Then into the venue and the chance to chat with a variety of people who have travelled from places far and wide to see the gig. At one point I was chatting to two guys who had brought their wives (one each) with them as, I think, drivers. This very site was mentioned, and then explained… both wives took against me instantly … then laughed at the inevitability of losing yet more of their husbands to the obsession that is G and ReG. So Ian and the other guy who I am sure will read this thanks for helping me have a storming gig.

Talking of storming gigs… on they come with a set list to die for and which included Watcher, Dancing with the Moonlicht nicht, Firth of Forth, Get them Oot by Friday, Cinema Show, Musical Box, Salmacis, Yer Teas Oot, The Knife, I Know who I am… and on the second night only a snippet of Illegal Alien (which was not for my benefit). So were they any good… is "Yer Teas Oot" a long song.

They played.... God how they played, and produced a set of songs which have been friends of mine since I was 15 (not yesterday). Of course a few words need to be said about Piers both because he's the new boy and because his role is pivotal to the band's sound. Smooth, controlled, measured and finely balanced that's how I would describe my Guinness during the gig and it would seem to fit the keyboards player as well, except that my Guinness doesn't play a note perfect the intro to Firth, and every other track… but then Piers doesn't get me drunk on a regular basis and has never been my breakfast! Swings and roundabouts (isn't that a Yes song).

There will be the merest smidgen of criticism about the second night but that first night the whole band blew me away. Jamie did what Re-Genesis do best; he gave a performance of stunning musicianship which bore a resemblance to the studio album, more of a resemblance to the live albums, yet more of a resemblance to some of the boots and fitted perfectly with the mood, tone and atmosphere of that particular show.

Later this year I suspect that most of us will see a band that say they produce the sound of the studio albums on stage, and for some I am sure that will be what they have waited for a long time for. The G albums I have played most over the past 20 years are Live, Seconds Out, TWWW and the first three sides of Archive 1 as well as more recently the DVD. I don't recall the original authors (literary reference there) playing live exactly as the tracks appeared on the studio albums (except Tony) otherwise there would have been no point in bringing out live albums. There is certainly point in those live albums. It is the fusion of the music, the crowd, the atmosphere, and the fact that talented musicians are being creative on stage that made Genesis live some of the best nights I've ever had standing up. Jamie's performance on Saturday did that for me again.

As ever under-rated the hard man of the band stood at the back and over and over again just did it right whether on bass, pedals or 12 string it was right by some way. Clearly the mothership signal was strong. Steve soared with both rhythm and lead work which was reflective of Hackett. One of the history stories I was told over the weekend involved the first night Hackett came to a gig. Steve is not a big drinker (What??? -Ed) but on being told Hackett was out-front a pint of lager was downed in one before Steve replied "Good". I'm sure Jamie understood that feeling when he found out I would be there on Saturday and Sunday!!!!

Finally there was Mr P… he knew all the words.

Gabriel knew how to engage with an audience and how to sing superbly, Gabriel had (and hopefully later this year will show us he still has) enormous stage presence. Gabriel could carry off wearing odd costumes and telling strange stories and no-one laughed at him. Tony does all of these things, but not with an audience of 10,000 fans willing him on, but in front of 400 people who know they are seeing a tribute band. Over the weekend my admiration of the band grew enormously, I could see that what they do is not at all easy (both on stage and off), but Tony's head is highest above the parapet (cause it's physically "Masseeeve") and he carries off his role with real polish and panache.

Les lights looked really good but at the front, front, front I don't think I get the full effect, maybe one day.

That was not quite the end of the first night. Somehow, and I genuinely don't remember how my mate and I got back to our hotel and the band arrived for cocoa and bicys before bed. Steve, Andy and Piers sloped off at about 1.30 leaving myself, my mate Glen, Tony, Jamie and Manir to find out if any of us could drink 3 babychams. Glen was first to go, but not long later Mr Fisher appeared to lapse into unconsciousness, and made a familiar noise rather similar to the Mellotron intro to Watcher.

The rest of us sat till 5AM putting the world of Genesis to rights, abusing those who needed and deserved abuse and agreeing that the band would be playing at least 2 gigs in Scotland on the autumn tour (honest… if you don't remember that you must have been drunk which means you're a big girls blouson!!!!)

I saw Sunday morning and I saw Tony on Sunday morning (I felt like he looked which was not good).

Travelling from Bilston to Leeds could have been very painful but was greatly eased by Spinal Tap on DVD. It somehow seemed appropriate. Manir did confirm he owns a cricket bat.

Again find the hotel, collapse for a bit and on to the venue. Arrive at a time that the band are in the bar so can't exclude me from the sound check. Sound check follows which was great, 1st tom please Dumm, Dumm, Dumm etc., 2nd tom please Dumm, Dumm, Dumm etc. 3rd tom please Dumm, Dumm, Dumm etc. 4th tom please Dumm, Dumm, Dumm etc. but then Apocalypse, and the Musical Box for edifying joy. My secret dream of being asked to sing a little during the sound check remained unfulfilled but I could see why when Jamie tried to fulfil Phil's other role on the 1973 tour. I think he'd look rather fetching in dungarees but he'd need a jacket to look less like an artist.

Then food (sorry Manir I'll admit now that was actually my fault) and back to the venue after sharing in one of the most spectacular riders any band could ever have enjoyed. It was also at this point that I saw that the role of a manger is one of constant relaxation and joy. I don't know what he gets paid for that man, swaning around (my spell check suggests swanking around, but I think not) with little to do and few, if any, concerns.

Again the band hop off to get into their stage outfits, no in fact they all dress like that all the time, including Tony with his bat wings (in Tess co-operates), and once again I get the chance to chat with people who have come from far and near to see the show, including Ian from the Bilston gig, and just manage to catch Jamie taking my name in vain.

Now I said earlier there would a smidgen of criticism and here it is, musically there were some minor mistakes, a wrong chord in the Firth intro, a lack of sustain during the guitar solo in the same song, a bit of a Hatfield in Salmacis, and a couple of missed cymbol splashes during Yer Teas Oot. I personally take full responsibility for the Salmacis crunch, had I not picked that exact moment to go to the bar and stop acting as Jamie's metronome I know it would never have happened, (he needs me that boy does). What amazed me was that although for about a bar it sounded like we were going to get the song again the bands musicianship and professionalism pulled it out of the fire. I suppose that's the great thing about NOT using sequencers, when you need to pull something out of the fire it's down to the fingers and the brains on stage… not 100 100 1 SOS (that's a Rush song isn't it). If the fingers and the brains are on the ball then it'll be a powerful demonstration of the bands ability to really play.

I thought I had cornered the market in standing at the front and waving my arms about like a dumpling. I stand aside, there was a bigger dumpling in the audience that night. When I look like an idiot I would like to think I am encouraging, non-aggressive excited and obviously happy. What I am not is aggressive abusive and intimidating. Standing beside me was a Leon Trotsky look-alike who was all of these things. Leeds was a stage so small the audience could have touched the band. Leon tried, he swore and shouted "get on with it" during Gabriel's stories, he waved his arms about and knocked off his glasses which hit Tony in the face, he barged into me so that at one point I was forced to advise him in my clearest Glasgow accent that "if you do that again I will have to kill you". Ian (see above) was a star and ended up cuddling him for the second half of the Supper's Ready so he couldn't move. Leon then left which judging by Tony's attitude was good for his future well being (i.e. he still has a future), never has a flute been so aggressively used to point out exactly who the "martyrs to the freedom I will provide" would be.

Now that was possibly more than a smidgen criticism but I have never heard Tony sound so like Gabriel. The sound system was very good but I think the fact that Tony was slightly distracted by Leon meant that the singing just happened that night and his voice was the best recreation of Gabriel I have heard ever. As I said during gig Mr Fisher was simply on fire.

How did the two gigs compare? Well on the first night everything went very smoothly and the band showed they were more than capable of playing the set without any kind of hiccough, on the second night they showed that they don't use sequencers, are real professionals and know their jobs inside out. My own preference was the Bilston gig but as the doyenne of Genesis fans, Alan Hewitt, said after the Leeds gig ReG were "superb". This time I agree with him, it's just a pity he wasn't at Bilston when they were better than that.

Postscript:

After the Leeds gig Tony's mission was to have a "chat" with Leon, mine was to get back to the hotel and get the beers in. Tony failed (which I suspect was good for both of them) and I succeeded so at 10 past 4 in the morning and having agreed that the whole of the next three tours would be exclusively in Scotland I retired to bed, having got the Holiday Inn bar to play Defining Blue twice and watched Manir decide that Apple is the future of computing. Next day off to the station where we were told that we'd have to wait 3 minutes for the bar to open … we waited, the bar opened and Manir told us that if his doctor could see him now Manir would be sectioned under the Mental Health Act. After travelling to Newcastle and drinking on the train it was me and Tony in the bar at Newcastle station for longer than we should have been. Tony left saying that he was sure I could get a credit on his next album as the "air drummer"; that he can usually hold his drink "mush better than thish"; that he would think about starting a Robbie Williams tribute band and finally that, no it wasn't really handy that his wife works for an organisation that deals with people with learning difficulties.

Conclusion:

I had a great weekend, the band are better than I thought they were, but are, to a man southern nonces, who should stick to babycham. If any of you ever get the chance to go on the road jump at it.

Thanks for a great weekend to all of you.

Alan

© 2002 Alan Caskie. Used by Permission.