Gong

Greetings people, its Tim Burness :o) here, I hope you are well !

Although I realize this is mostly preaching to the converted, I was so inspired by seeing Gong last week I decided to "spread the word" a bit with the review below! If anyone wants to use it for a web-site or fanzine etc., feel free. Best wishes, T.B. :o)

Having discovered the good citizens of the Planet Gong over twenty years ago, I had been reluctant to check them out in recent years, fearing they would be a shadow of their once magnificent and genuinely mind-expanding selves. How completely wrong I was! Drawing extensively on early material such as "Camembert Electrique", together with new material from this year's studio album "Zero To Infinity" (part 5 of the Radio Gnome er… trilogy…), daevid allen and friends played an uplifting and inspired set that puts them in a class of their own, or should I say more accurately - on a planet of their own!

After a slow start, the band really kicked into life with a version of "You Can't Kill Me", a classic declaration of personal spiritual freedom from Mister Allen and friends. Throughout the night the band performed with consummate musicianship. Original members Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mike Howlett and Didier Malherbe blended with newer recruits to create the unique range of sounds and styles that is Gong's alone: cosmic glissando guitar sounds, Gilli's space whisper, simple but brilliant bass lines, inspired saxophone playing of the highest order. The Gong horn section (!), consisting of Didier and new man Theo Travis, made particularly inspired contributions, including an improvised duo around the track "Flute Salad". And of course there were daevid's ramblings about flying teapots, gnomes, pot-head pixies, and the bizarre mix of spirituality/sexuality/self-awareness he puts across so entertainingly. Lets face it folks, anyone who can call an album track "Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads" must have something going for them!

Brandishing a phallic wand above his head ("Is this a penis?") daevid asked the audience if they would like a cup of tea, and the Hackney crowd did their best to shout even louder than a recent Gong crowd in Athens, who had apparently raised the roof with their enthusiasm for the great British beverage. The set moved towards a climax of "Master Builder", before the band returned for a lengthy encore.

The band were very tight, obviously having benefitted from several months of extensive worlwide touring. The sound and lighting were good and there were some excellent ultra-violet backdrops that contributed to the atmosphere, as did the enthusiastic audience of all ages. It was a privilege to be there! To anyone who has yet to be initiated, I strongly recommend checking out the original masters of space rock. Their web-site, (www.planetgong.co.uk) makes interesting reading too, the ever-changing mandala is worth a look in itself. daevid allen is 62. Long live Gong!