I must admit that I went into Monday night’s Gang of Four show a bit of a skeptic. After all, guitarist Andy Gill, while a key member who played a vital role in shaping the band’s sound, is the only original member and their latest, What Happens Next, has been getting mixed reviews. However, I’ve got to give it to them – Gill’s latest configuration of the band put on a solid, entertaining set.
Though Gill has stated in interviews as of late that he’s not really that interested in being a nostalgia act, the band only played a handful of songs off of the new album. Then again, half of those tracks featured guest vocalists anyways. While Gang of Four may have hedged their bets by having multiple guests appearing on the new album, new vocalist John “Gaoler” Sterry proved himself an engaging frontman, stalking about the stage full of jittery energy. While most singers just tend to use one mic, Gaoler jumped between all 3 of the mics set up onstage. And he sounded good too, delivering classics like “At Home He’s A Tourist” and I Love A Man In Uniform” with the appropriate gusto. Gill also seemed energized by the new lineup, though his energy was slightly dampered by a brief break early on in their set to fix a tech issue. Gill took this as an opportunity to pour himself some wine. He also took a moment to ask the crowd what they thought of Molson products with a sour look on his face, indicating his opinion before the crowd had a chance to answer. For the record, several in attendance agreed with his assessment.
Towards the end of the show, a woman shouted out, “I saw you in 1980 at the Palais Royale!” I’m not sure what she was hoping for here, but she did get some recognition from the crowd as they broke into applause, which Gill joined in on. Some other guy tried to get in on the act by shouting out where and when he first saw the band too, but no one was having any of that. Nice try anyways.