Oh. 'Vienna'

Chums, I have a sorry tale to share with you.

It starts nearly forty years ago, when, as a young man, I bought Ultravox's 'Vienna' album. At the time, I didn't know about their earlier incarnation as Ultravox!, fronted by John Foxx instead of Midge Ure, nor that the album's producer was the same fellow, Conny Plank, who produced Kraftwerk's seminal 'Autobahn', but my God I loved that album. 

Earlier this year, it was announced that Midge Ure would tour, playing the album in its entirety along with some Visage tracks. I'm not going to lie to you - I never do - but I hesitated. It all seemed a bit 'nostalgia circuit'. But in the end, I couldn't resist.

And so it was that the Minx and I reported to the Albert Hall, this evening. I won't pretend that the opening tracks, all by Visage, were any good; let's face it, everything they ever released, bar 'Fade To Grey', sounded like a b-side. But the sound of the band was great and Midge was on cracking form, so I was happy to wait for 'Vienna' (the album).

And what a mixed experience it was. As I've said, the band and their sound were great, and Midge could not have been better (apart from the slightly Butlins "Let me see your hands"). No, the problem was with the audience, who all chatted, at volume, throughout the gig. I honestly don't know why they bothered turning up.

In the end, I stuck it out for the whole of the 'Vienna' album, which was faithfully and marvellously reproduced, with great sounds, a tremendous violinist, and only one misstep (the inappropriate vocoder on 'Mr X'). But once that was done, we left. 

I was so upset and frustrated. I'm going to have to think carefully about what gigs I go to in futures. They should be about enjoyment and pleasure, not loathing one's fellow man!

****
-11.9 kgs
Reading: 'The Testaments' by Margaret Atwood