China Crisis – Half Moon Pub, Putney, London – Friday 17th May 2024
When you go to see China Crisis, you get two performances for the price of one.
First of all, you hear China Crisis play through some of their best songs as well as their hits. But you also get Gary Daly (lead vocalist/keyboardist) do his stand-up act. Between each song Gary shared his life observations, opinions and history of the band, which had the audience roaring with laughter. And Gary, your comments on Bono are safe with me!
For those that don’t know, or need to be reminded, China Crisis rose to fame during the early, 1980s as Liverpool, once again was on the creative map. Bands like, Echo and the Bunnymen, OMD, Teardrop Explodes, A Flock of Seagulls and Frankie Goes to Hollywood provided a soundscape to the punk and postpunk music scene.
Pop music had been created by public school types or people that had studied music. It was driven by long guitar solos and drum solos. Here was working class people who had access to drum machines, tape recorders (Echo of Echo and the Bunnymen was a reel-to-reel tape recorder) as well as guitars. Add to that a heady mix of actual talent.
Gary Daly mentioned in one of his musings, that UB40 was an inspiration to China Crisis as here was working class people, (in UB40s case in Birmingham) that saw a way out of the recessions in Thatcher’s Briton, by learning instruments and using the same drum machines and synthesisers that China Crisis had access to.
China Crisis went down the same route that many bands did then, they got a single deal with Rough Trade, which got them the visibility of the major deal with Virgin Records.
Gary also explained it was the constant support slots and touring that got them that record deal and then sales. Gary mentioned the spring 1984 when China Crisis toured Europe on their Working with Fire Steel Tour, followed by touring Europe and North America supporting Simple Minds. As the spring board to the many of their single chart positions.
I remember my girlfriend at the time had the “Christian” single and she went onto buy “Flaunt the Imperfection” in 1985. That album was produced by Walter Becker, and if you listen carefully to China Crisis, you can hear the Steely Dan influences in the keyboards and saxophone.
In one of Gray’s stand-up pieces, he mentioned that they owed Walter Becker a debt of gratitude, being the person that helped them get there where they are today. Which if you know, the Half Moon is a room at the back of a pub. Gary was of course using the “power of opposites” in his humour, which was a common theme of his funny “stand-up routine”.
For me, China Crisis had so many layers, the lyrics had a social comment, such as “African and White” as well as an amazing lyrical structure I hadn’t heard before, such as “Christian” or the use of different phrasing as in “Arizona Sky”.
The set list was: –
Raincloud
Soul awakening
It’s never too late
Temptations
Red sails
Strength
Bigger the punch
Fool
There was then a 15-minute interval, followed by
African and white
Arizona sky
Best kept secret
Black man ray (a song about the artist of the same name)
Wishful thinking
King in a catholic style
Tragedy and mystery (which wasn’t on the printed set list)
Christian
Encore: My sweet delight (which wasn’t on the printed set list)
China Crisis are a four piece on the stage, lead vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon. Who have been together since they were teens writing and performing, supported by the brilliant saxophone player, Eric Animan and the also brilliant, Jack Hymers on synths and laptop.
The tour is to support their new album, which is a greatest hits and favourite songs. The tracks have been arranged by Jack Hymers and recorded and mixed by engineer Mark Phythian.
The tracks on the new album are: –
Animals in jungles
Wishful thinking
Arizona sky
It’s everything
Christian
King in a catholic style
Papua
It’s never too late
When the piper calls
Black Man Ray
You did cut me
While it’s available from all record shops, it is also available from their record label / shop “Last night from Glasgow” which is an up-and-coming independent record label. I only mention this because Now Spinning is all about support physical music in all its forms and supporting the bands and labels that work week by week to keep our common dream alive.
There was an interesting mix of people in the audience, and while most of the people there probably knew them in the 1980s, there was also younger people that may have been there for the nostalgic soul sound. And, unlike many of the rock concerts I go to, 50% of the audience was female.
Tim Hughes | Now Spinning Magazine
