The worst gig I've ever seen.
To the 100 Club last night for "the first Television Personalities headline show since 1997" (even though they played one in 2004). That return to the stage last year was pretty bad; actually, I had to leave the room it was such an unlistenable mess. But hey! that one actually *was* their first show for eight years, and Dan Treacy's first public appearance since his release from prison, so I guess a bit of roughness is to be expected, especially from a band so ramshackle as the TVPs.

However, nothing could have prepared me for last night's performance. It started promisingly enough with...er... is this "Silly Girl"?... but by the end of the second chorus Dan had given up playing his guitar and by the second verse he'd given up singing too (at least into the mic), content to hit the occasional open stringed chord and ramble lyrically, trying -and failing- to harmonise with Ed Ball (current TVPs bassist & struggling manfully to keep up with Dan's waywardness) and Victoria, their new chanteuse. A few minutes later it ground to an awkward, clumsy halt. Cheers! This pretty much set the pattern for *every single song* that they played. It wasn't good. I looked across to Greg of Sportique, with whom I was watching this spectacle. "It's a freak show", he said, hitting the nail on the head. "Car crash tv", I agreed.
Then midway through, Dan stumbled across to the 100 Club's piano, which I'd noticed -with some concern- had been mic'ed up. At which point he tried to play "A Picture Of Dorian Gray" and ...er...something else...I..er..think, without -apparently- telling any of the band members (standard behaviour for Dan, I gather). It was all so sad. So, so sad.
This is not even mentioning the endless between-song rambling and the I-can't-be-bothered-to-finish-this-one mid-song terminations. But what disturbed me most was the apparent enthusiasm with which it was all received by the audience. They ..ah.. "lapped it up". Even though they didn't necessarily know when to cheer.
Back in the 1990s I saw the TVPs more times than I care to remember (now I think about it, they might have been the first band I saw when I moved to London, supported by The Bachelor Pad at the Falcon, yeah? Can that be right?). They were always a hit-and-miss proposition, but in amongst the dregs there would generally be a moment of shining purity to remind you why you loved them so. Dan's obviously had a hard time since then, but it seems like his troubles are far from over.

I kept thinking of the other "troubled genii" I've seen perform of late: Brian Wilson, Arthur Lee, Alex Chilton. All wonderful gigs. The difference here is that, while the musical power has been taken from the hands of the nominal leader by their back-up musicians (Wondermints, Baby Lemonade, Posies), Dan is still in charge, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. Hey, catsgomiaow, can you have a word with Tap? While the idea of a new TVPs album does still excite me, maybe it's more trouble than it's worth...

Last night's Mastermind included a specialist subject round on The Go-Betweens. Another step down the rocky road.. blah..blah..dumbing down...society... Or is it? Why should a knowledge of the Go-Betweens be any less valid than a knowledge of, say, Elgar or Cubism? Why is popular culture (I'm not even sure that The Go-Betweens could be classified as "popular" culture) so frowned upon in this context? Hey, it's the only opportunity I get to show how er brainy I am.
Having said that, one of the other "contenders" chose as his specialist subject "the films of Bruce Willis", and basically admitted to John Humphreys during that uncomfortable mid-show banter that the films are "terrible, aren't they?" (I paraphrase). Thanks for that.