The Durutti Column > Manchester Town Hall, 14 July 1986 < Fac 151 The Festival of the Tenth Summer

DURUTTI COLUMN
MANCHESTER TOWN HALL

FOR THE OPENING concert of the Tenth Summer, we got an oddly mystic memorial of punk's early Mancunian madness, but nonetheless a vivid and caustic one. The Durutti Column of 1986 transmits romantic, synthesised chords, bleak and basic taped rhythm, plus live instruments - a watery viola, blustery drums and xylophone from Bruce Mitchell, and glimmering lines of guitar from Vinny Reilly (sic).

Vinny, a south Manchester sewer rat in appearance, turned sophisticated in his manner of playing; once he stood on stage with cheap fuzzbox unit at the eady, now he surrounds himself with backing tapes and plenty of hushed attention. He opens with a brief retrospective statement that concludes, "This is progress ... you walk off stage, nobody notices."

On this occasion the modesty and static of the Durutti members are gloomily highlighted by green lighting, and back-proected slides of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, in a neo-gothic hall that echoes the visuals as well as the acoustics.

One number is dedicated to "the man who didn't make it to the Tenth Summer". This angriest tune of the set sounded like underwater folk-rock, cramped and crushed by the pressure.

BOB DICKINSON

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