01.02.2013
NL, Amsterdam, Melkweg (The Max)
Grauzone Festival 2013
vg / exc. Aud.

01. Going Up [3:16]
02. Rescue [4:14]
03. Do It Clean [3:49]
04. Pride [2:51]
05. Villiers Terrace / Roadhouse Blues [5:28] 
06. Seven Seas [3:31] 
07. Bedbugs And Ballyhoo [4:06]
08. Bring On The Dancing Horses [4:33]
09. Rust [4:42]
10. Over The Wall [6:13]
11. Never Stop [3:36]
12. All That Jazz [3:18]
13. The Killing Moon [5:01] 
14. The Cutter [3:54]
15. Encore Break [3:33]
16. Nothing Lasts Forever / Walk On The Wild Side [7:14]
17. Lips Like Sugar [6:31]

Total Running Time: [1:16:00]

Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd) 
Type: Audience master, recorded 4 metres back from the left PA stack. 

Source: 
Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) -> Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod (-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV) 

Lineage: Audacity 2.0.2 
* normalised to 0 dB 
* applied small amount of variable amplification for consistency across recording 
* added fades 
* split tracks 
* converted to 16 bit -> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917] 

Notes:
I have no patience for festivals any more; at least, not the absurdly huge outdoor kind. For your more civilised indoor affair, however, I'm still 
willing to make the effort. Events such as Crossing Border, Cross-linx, Motel Mozaïque and Le Guess Who can be very rewarding, providing the opportunity to soak up multiple bands in a single evening, and both scratching the itch to catch long-time favourites and exposing one to the work of artists that might otherwise go undetected for several more years. Tonight, we add a new event to the short list of worthy festival causes. This one is called Grauzone and tonight is its very first edition. The organisers of Grauzone have this to say about it: 
"GRAUZONE is a young and ambitious, multi-disciplinary festival. The festival will present the best in 'new wave' music and art: with a musical 
spectrum spanning synth pop, electro, cold/darkwave, post-punk, death/goth rock and more; while featuring films, exhibitions and DJ's. 

GRAUZONE is a one-of-a-kind festival that unites the best of past and present, of fame and obscurity; where classic influential bands perform 
side by side with young upcoming acts." Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, it does if you happen to find yourself plotted somewhere along the axes of that musical spectrum, and I certainly do. As it turns out, In the course of the evening, I actually never get to see the media room, any of the films being screened in the cinema or any of the lesser-known bands performing in the Oude Zaal. It just so happens that all of the bands I want to see this evening are playing in The Max, one after the other with short enough breaks that I'm not inclined to risk sacrificing taper's pole position for the sake of satisfying my curiosity elsewhere. So, for me, it may as well be a normal gig with three bands on the bill, albeit one with unusually generous support slots lasting an hour. At this point in the evening, we've already had A Certain Ratio and The Chameleons Vox, leaving only the evening's headliners, Echo & The Bunnymen. Things are running a little late, but it's a festival, so that's expected. By 
the time Mr. McCulloch and the boys make their entrance, The Max is packed to the rafters and I'm glad I've stood my ground. The only times I have moved from this spot all evening were the two times post-performance that I had the good sense to evacuate my bladder. 

McCulloch keeps the banter to a minimum this evening, which means more time for music, so no-one's complaining; no-one, that is, except the bloke to my right, who is insistent that McCulloch "go on and tell us a story, man". Thankfully, his plea goes unanswered. All of the songs on which the band built their reputation are present and correct in tonight's set, which includes 'Do It Clean', 'Seven Seas', 'Bring On The Dancing Horses', 'The Cutter' and -- as if it could be any other way -- the band's finest (twelfth of an) hour, 'The Killing Moon'. 'Villiers Terrace' breaks into some blues midway through and, for a moment, I almost think it's craftily turned into The Doors' 'Roadhouse Blues'. Then, I realise that it really HAS become 'Roadhouse Blues'. The Bunnymen bear more than a passing sonic resemblance to LA's finest, so the song is a natural fit for the band. 

The same trick is pulled once again when they come back for the encore, which sees 'Nothing Lasts Forever' segue into Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side'. I'm struck by the fact that McCulloch finds himself in remarkably fine voice for a man of his age. When he speaks, his just-woken-up rasp sounds every second its 53 years, but when he sings, the years melt away and he sounds little changed from the halcyon days of 'Ocean Rain'. The band finish with a rousing 'Lips Like Sugar' and exit the stage just before midnight. At 76 minutes, the set is short enough for me to wish it had been fifteen minutes longer, but on the other hand, it's perhaps the more powerful for its leanness. Like a tiny meal centred on a huge plate at an expensive restaurant, the Bunnymen's set satisfies whilst leaving one hungry for more. A job well done. The paper set-list reveals a few differences from the one actually played. 'The Back Of Love' is the crossed-out would-be opener, with 'The Disease' and 
'All My Colours (Zimbo)' taking the place of 'Over The Wall'. I've been on my pins for five hours now and my knees are not fooled by my 
enjoyment of the music. They know the work they have put in this evening and are now politely informing me that it's time for some movement. 

The first Grauzone is a success, at least as far as I'm concerned. Three great bands, three great performances and three great recordings; can't be bad. If the line-up is anywhere near as good next year -- assuming the festival makes enough money to return for a repeat performance -- I'll be there. If the number of people who witnessed Echo & The Bunnymen is anything to go by, they're in with a chance. Speaking of the great recordings, the Bunnymen's set does, indeed, sound excellent. I have really enjoyed listening to it again this evening. Whether you consider yourself a casual fan or an obsessive collector, you will be well-served by owning a copy of this. As always, samples are provided to help you decide whether this is worth the share ratio depletion for you.

Dimeadozen.org: Torrent 438056 (by ianmacd)