Thursday, 1 April, 1982 – Nightmoves, Glasgow, Scotland

  1. Joker Hysterical Face
  2. Just Step S’ways
  3. Hip Priest
  4. I’m into C.B.
  5. Deer Park
  6. Mere Pseud Mag Ed.
  7. Flat of Angles
  8. Wings
  9. Who Makes The Nazis
  10. Solicitor in Studio
  11. Hexen Definitive
  12. And This Day
  13. Town Called Crappy
  14. The Classical

NOTES

72 minutes

Soundboard. Generally exceptional – a few problems with the mix in places.

Nirvana…..the 1982 band in pristine soundboard.

Its starts with a fledgling and developing “Joker” – the core of the song is coming together but still fairly raw. An excellent “Sideways” has the breath taken out of it by a tense and twisted version of “Hip Priest”. Speed is recovered with a manic version of “C.B.” taken at a hell of a lick.

Interesting that the drums are quite muted for the early section of “Deer Park” and the organ drives the rhythm. The only interjections being the manic fills at the end of each chorus – at about 1:30 though the full majesty of Burns/Hanley in full flow emerges as does the trademark Hanley bass burr. There is some great polyrhymic interplay at 3:30 and onwards with paradiddles galore. At about 5:00 there are some fantastic guitar noises – redolent of Derek Bailey at his height.

Mark asks for the music in the monitors to be turned down – sings the opening lines to “Pseud Mag” – asks someone “have you got any speed mate” and then performs what has to be one of the classic interpretations of same. Hellishly fast and groovy. Things calm down for a brusque reading of “Flat of Angles” – some good guitar from Scanlon here. The early version of “Wings” is played at an exceptional speed with some amazing bass dexterity from Hanley.

“Nazis” is taken at a canter – more driven than usual with more than the usual tension between the drums and the chirpy guitar. “Solicitor” seems a little un-together in places and its relatively new so it’s not surprising the tune is still developing- there are some really cheesy keyboards in place and the band falters in parts. Conversely the also newish “Hexen” is performed with some precision – albeit Smith slides the words around the structure.

“And This Day! is brutal, violent, uncompromising noise – the needles peak – the sound gets distorted and fractured. 13 minutes of this – the bastard offspring of Spooky Tooth, Vincent Crane, Black Sabbath and the Velvet Underground – intense repetition and unforgiving relentless driven music that has “no respite”.

Second and last  version of “Town called Crappy” although on this version I think Mark says “Cranky” or “Crikey”…. Mark laughs and says to the crowd “you don’t even recognise our impersonations….” and then they finish with a muscular and muddled “Classical” with some very peculiar guitar playing.

Excellent record of the gig – band in strange form …. moving from spot on driven noise to cluttered and unstructured meandering at times.