Pop Will Eat Itself, Sigue Sigue Sputnik – 229, Great Portland Street, London

Who knew that the 229 had a big room for bands to play in? It was my fourth time here and I’d only ever been in the small room, including as recently as a month ago.

I was excited about seeing Sigue Sigue Sputnik live for the first time. I bought into their hype and still have a copy of Flaunt It, their 1986 debut album, on cassette. I remember a few years later listing every album I owned in a big chart and that one was placed bottom. It’s actually not terrible at all and I’ve come to appreciate it a bit more over the years.

Have to admit my hopes weren’t high, as I’d been disappointed by Utah Saints in a very similar support slot a year ago, but I needn’t have worried. SSS were fantastic, musically very tight; Martin Degville looked absolutely nuts and brilliant at the same time. And he really really does look like the anonymous guy who gives all the West Ham transfer tips on Twitter.

There was a guest appearance too from Maggie K De Monde, who was in 80s bands Swans Way and Scarlet Fantastic. She sang a copy of one of her Scarlet Fantastic songs, No Memory.

Anyway, this was my 16th Pop Will Eat Itself gig, and my 9th since they reformed in the 2010s. I wasn’t really sure about going, thinking I’ve seen them lots of times now and they don’t really change much – but I don’t know why I was thinking that because they were fantastic, one of the best of their gigs that I’ve seen.