Budgie

Main Setlist:
Panzer Division Destroyed
• Melt the Ice Away
• Gunslinger
• Crime Against the World
• I Turned to Stone
• Black Velvet Stallion
• In for the Kill
• Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman
• Zoom Club
• Napoleon Bonparte
• Wildfire

Encore:

• Breadfan – Parents – Breadfan (reprise)

There is no such thing as a bad Budgie gig. Let’s get that out of the way immediately. Some gigs are naturally better than others though, but I’m not sure that this gig in Crewe was one of them.

It had its’ moments and was extremely enjoyable, but it wasn’t like, say, Wrexham, back in February. Then again, that’s a bit like saying the Empire State Building is taller than the Chrysler Building, but the Chrysler Building is shinier. It’s all a bit pointless. Discussing degrees of excellence when you need something that hasn’t yet been invented, in order to measure the difference.

So, the first thing that needs to be mentioned is that Andy Hart looks even more a part of the band than he did in June. Having seen the band with John Thomas back in the 80s, I could never have imagined a line up that wasn’t Shelley/Thomas/Williams being a genuine Budgie incarnation. However, Andy really has made the place his own. He looks relaxed, confident and in synch with the other two. It’s almost as though he was born to it, or as though he’s been doing it for years; he just seems so natural.

I do have one complaint though. Lose that hateful mic stand arrangement, Andy. It is just a pain in the arse for anyone watching. It is always in the way no matter where you stand (especially if you’re trying to take some photos!) Right, I’ve got that off my chest.

What about the gig? Song-wise, the set has been partially revamped and rearranged, something that has been long overdue. The changes are, in the main for the better. The set now starts with a devastating version of Panzer Division Destroyed and encompasses a whole host of back catalogue classics, which you can’t complain about because they are all great songs. But, if you’ve seen them more than a couple of times in the last few years, you’ve heard them do these songs before and can t help but feel that perhaps the revamp should have been a little more widespread.

However, therein lies another problem in what should they leave out? It’s always going to be tricky unless they take to playing 2 hours or more. Personally, I was overjoyed to hear Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman and would be overjoyed if they exhumed material like Crash Course in Brain Surgery, Hot as A Docker’s Armpit, In the Grip of A Tyrefitter’s Hand or one of my all-time favourites, Homicidal, Suicidal, in place of Melt the Ice Away, Zoom Club and Wildfire. Then again you see, I’d start whining if they left out Gunslinger or In for the Kill and I’m sure someone else would moan if they left out Black Velvet Stallion or I Turned to Stone. How about whacking a couple of new songs in the set? Now, there’s an idea that floats my boat.

Right, one final moan. Whilst I liked the idea of Parents as an encore, I wasn’t overly keen on the treatment, having it sandwiched in the middle of Breadfan. It made the song neither one thing, nor the other and it turned into a bit of a blue balls kind of situation, to be quite honest. Parents deserves to be heard in full or not at all. You can’t just use it to tease, it’s too great a song for that. I applaud the band for changing around what was a cracking live set, but I would urge them to go further and really give it shake up and let’s hear some new material.

Well, that about does it for me. I know this all sounds like a really negative review, but believe me, it isn’t. What we are talking about here is a gig that was far better than most bands can achieve on their best night, when everything is going right, there’s a tail wind and the road manager has sacrificed a chicken before show time. But I saw Budgie at Wrexham in February, so they have a lot to live up to.