Steve Hackett – Corn Exchange, Cambridge

Now for a ridiculous blast from the past – my second ever Steve Hackett gig, and my first one for 25 years!
A few weeks earlier I’d interviewed Steve at the Heights bar in Saint Georges Hotel in Bush House, which is next door to BBC Broadcasting House. Steve completely confounded the “never meet your heroes” cliche by being utterly charming and engaging in the half an hour I spent with him, which made me enjoy the gig all the more.
So what else could add to my excitement? The fact that this was part of his Genesis Revisited tour, where his band were playing Hackett-era Genesis songs only, with a tiny bit of Voyage Of The Acolyte thrown in – how cool is that! I’d seen Genesis as my very first gig, of course, but that was no progfest – and this certainly was.
There was no seating (I get to see a LOT of shows sitting down these days!) and it was a bit of a challenge staying on my feet for the best part of three hours but worth every minute. And there was an incredible buzz all around too – I heard lots of snippets of conversations like “oh I first saw him at the Roundhouse in ’71 of course …” None of this was the slightest bit annoying to me – I just felt I was reopening the doors to rock history.
I’m not sure of the exact band on our night because it was changing a bit during the tour but the lead singer, Nad Sylvan, does a fantastic Gabriel.
- Setlist:
- Dance On A Volcano
- Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
- Fly On A Windshield
- Broadway Melody Of 1974
- The Lamia
- The Return Of The Giant Hogweed
- The Musical Box
- Shadow Of The Hierophant
- Horizons
- Blood On The Rooftops
- I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
- Firth Of Fifth
- Ripples
- The Fountain of Salmacis
- Supper’s Ready
- Watcher Of The Skies
- Los Endos / Slogans
Friday 1 November 2013, 542 views
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Gigs
- Gigantic Indie All Dayer – Marble Factory, Bristol
- HMS Morris, Pictish Trail – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- The Others – The 100 Club, Soho
- Stray Tracks: White Gates Band, Mystery Team, Basharan, SNM, Monumental – Pink Toothbrush, Rayleigh
- Franz Ferdinand, Master Peace, Great Leslie – Empire, Shepherd’s Bush
- Melys, Yr Anghysur – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Ynys, Sybs, Lafant – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- Sultans of Ping FC – Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox, Glasgow
- Franz Ferdinand, Permanent (Joy) – Grand Central Hall, Liverpool
- Half Happy, em koko – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
- My Life Story – The Quarry, Liverpool
- Melys, Osgled – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- They Might Be Giants – The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm
- Darling Buds, Simon Love and the Loves – 229, Great Portland Street, London
- Fightmilk, Tugboat Captain – Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney
- Bugeye, Lucky Number You – The Victoria, Birmingham
- Art Brut – The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
- Sultans of Ping FC, Meryl Streek – The Ritz, Manchester
- Chroma, Baby Brave, Lila Zing – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- Melin Melyn, Ynys, Pys Melyn – Town Hall, Llangollen
- Antarctic Monkeys – The Buttermarket, Shrewsbury
- Bloc Party – The Institute, Digbeth, Birmingham
- Urdd Gobaith Cymru: Achlysurol, HMS Morris, Llareggub Brass Band – Mathrafal Field, Meifod
- Echobelly, Camens – Live 45, Kidderminster
- Futureheads, Adult Play – Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury
- Adwaith – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
- Melys, Pys Melyn, Sophie Kilburn – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Sea Power, Callum Easter – Town Hall, Birmingham
- Dydd Miwsig Cymru: Morgan Elwy, Tew Tew Tennau, Mynadd – Y Institwt, Llanfair Caereinion
- Bikini Beach Band – The White Hart, Stoke Newington
- Pacifica, House of Women – Academy 2, Islington
- Fonda 500, Bugeye, Hurtling, Colossus – Amersham Arms, New Cross
- Snow Coats, Toodles and the Hectic Pity – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Snow Coats – Tunbridge Wells Forum
- Darling Buds, Keeley – The Thunderbolt, Bristol
- Fightmilk, Feeble Strength – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Thousand Yard Stare – The Lexington, Islington
- Thousand Yard Stare – Prince Albert, Brighton
- Be Your Own Pet – Rough Trade East, Whitechapel
- Brian Butterfield – Bush Hall, Shepherd’s Bush
- Pulp – Apollo, Hammersmith
- Blur, Self Esteem – Wembley Stadium, Wembley
- Blur, Wu Lu – City Hall, Newcastle
- Salad, Repetitive John – Arts Club, West Hampstead, London
- Salad – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton
- The Others – The Garage, Highbury
- Fightmilk – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Ynys, Gillie – The Victoria, Dalston
- Republica, Freya Beer – Powerhaus, Camden
- Pop Will Eat Itself, Sigue Sigue Sputnik – 229, Great Portland Street, London
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