It's been a long time coming. Forty years, in fact. But now, Terry Chambers – the legendary drummer of British rock band XTC – is back touring North America with EXTC (named and backed by XTC leader Andy Partridge) and performing songs not heard live since the original band stopped touring in 1982.
With hits including Dear God, Senses Working Overtime, Mayor of Simpleton and Making Plans for Nigel, XTC was one of the UK's most exciting bands. In the early 80s, the band's success snowballed, taking in globe-trotting spells with rock royalty like The Police and Talking Heads. But on the eve of the band's first major US headline tour, the wheels came off.
During a gig in Paris, March 1982, a crushing panic attack sent Andy Partridge reeling off stage, where he collapsed catatonic in a fetal ball. After a short spell recovering, management cajoled Andy into fulfilling the band's US tour the following month. But with his health still in tatters, the band barely scraped through a show in San Diego. No one realized it back then, but it would be XTC's last-ever gig.
The next night, a packed crowd at the Palladium in Hollywood thrummed expectantly for XTC to hit the stage. Then an announcement rang through the hall. Andy was too ill to perform. The show was cancelled, and the audience shuffled home. The band flew back to the UK. And XTC would never play live again. Ever since, Andy has refused to perform live, except for a few guest spots and short acoustic sets.
For Terry, the situation rang a death knell on his career in music. "I worried about Andy and wanted him to get well. But the practical concern was, if we're not playing live, how will we promote ourselves?" Soon after, rehearsals for a new XTC album proved problematic and, facing growing family responsibilities, Terry decided to emigrate to Australia, where he remained for the next three decades.
In 2016, Terry visited the UK and met up with his old XTC bandmate, Colin Moulding. With XTC no more, Terry and Colin decided to collaborate on a new project called TC&I: "We played six sold-out shows at Swindon's Art Centre. It was a fantastic experience. But it was also short-lived."
In fact, it was all over in a quick phone call. Colin Moulding rang Terry on Boxing Day, 2018. His goal achieved and satisfied with performing his songs live, Colin proclaimed he wouldn't pursue previously discussed plans for occasional short tours and shows – and laid TC&I to rest.
That was that. Terry, having returned to the UK from his 30-plus-year life in Australia and dedicating himself to TC&I, found himself holding an unwanted Christmas gift with no receipt: an end to his new musical career and no outlet for his rekindled passion. It felt like 1982 all over again.
A glimmer of hope still shone. In the new year, Terry and Steve Tilling (TC&I's guitarist and now EXTC front man) met in a pub for a chat: "We were both disappointed about TC&I. But we felt we should salvage something from the situation. That's when EXTC was born."
Now Terry and EXTC (also featuring Steve Hampton and Matt Hughes) will bring a full set of classic XTC songs to North American audiences. The band also plans to release and perform new material that honors XTC's legacy while forging an exciting musical future.
"We're giving it our all and loving every minute," said Terry. "Because that's where we want to be – on the road and giving people the best night out we can. What better way to spend the rest of our days?"
That's Terry Chambers and EXTC – living proof that even when the best-laid plans go awry, sometimes – just sometimes – things turn out right in the end.
Tour dates:
Seattle WA, Triple Door, March 19
Vancouver BC, Rickshaw Theatre, March 20
Oakland CA, Yoshi's, March 23
Los Angeles CA, Echoplex, March 24
San Diego CA, House of Blues Voodoo Room, March 25
Riverside CA, The Concert Lounge, March 26
San Juan Capistrano CA, Coach House, March 27
Chicago IL, City Winery, March 30
Detroit MI, Magic Bag, March 31
Cincinnati OH, Ludlow Garage, April 1
Pittsburgh PA, Crafthouse, April 2
New York NY, Sony Hall, April 3
Washington DC, City Winery, April 5
Philadelphia PA, City Winery, April 6
Pawling NY, Daryl's House, April 7
Boston MA, City Winery, April 8
Toronto ONT, El Mocambo, April 9
Tickets for all shows are available on the EXTC website at www.extc.co.uk
Photo by Dommett Young, courtesy EXTC.
No comments:
Post a Comment