HW: Quimby et al - part 2 (much shorter!)

[Jill Strobridge]

But then Mr Quimby's Beard took centre stage and, well, all attempts at
objective note-taking became thoroughly subjective impressions.
Somewhere I was (I suspect) Shrouded in Mystery, lost in Darkness,
Mystery, Travelling through Nebulae edged around with a Marijuana
Nightmare, and carried in Chariots to Beyond the Light.   Gentle
keyboard and synth intros evolving into structured soundscapes with
rhythmic melodic themes - some fast and very heavy - some with half
recognised Hawkwind or Ozrics styles developing into melodies completely
independent and unique - drifting from peace to paranoia and back
again - keyboards flowing into guitars - swooping synths - a patient,
steady drumbeat to add depth - and vocals, (in honesty, more Harvey
Bainbridge style denounced than sung but always adding atmosphere) with
some truly glorious flowing lyrical instrumental themes (Chariots
perhaps?) and Beyond the Light.

And behind it all - the lightshow.  Colour-burst visuals, swirling
spiked lights, rotating webs, some wonderful astronomical intergalactic
images for Nebulae (I assume!) with exploding supernovas in Mysteries.
Then in a culminating track to close the set Harvey Bainbridge came on
stage to join them for an incredibly powerful Utopia while images of a
busy metropolis were followed by a kalaidescopic blizzard of colours as
everything went ballistic.   Finally a small, stunned and utterly happy
audience were treated to a calm instrumental track with swirling
starscapes and fractal coils to finish off.

So I left, passing on my way out two guys who were coming back in
again - "we left but we didn't say thank you" they explained to the
security man as they went back into the hall and I have rarely seen a
more incredulous look on someone's face than on the countenance of that
man as he stared after them.

How to explain this back in Edinburgh? I wondered as I walked back along
the cliff path and I knew it would be criminal not to evaluate this
evidence more carefully.   So on reaching the guest house I kept
walking - in the dark, under a starlit sky, accompanied by the sound of
waves surging onto the beach on an incoming tide - following the sea
sound up to a majestic stone monument to Bede - this man who by himself
preserved the History of Britain - people, events, lives known only
because he recorded them.   Perhaps there was a lesson to be noted
there, I mused.

So thank you to Mr Quimby's Beard, Harvey Bainbridge, Afresco Mantis and
everyone else who took part.   This is the written record - a poor one
I'm afraid, but there it is.   And anyone who wants to hear the recorded
sound - for goodness sake get hold of one of the albums - you really
won't regret it!

jill
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Jill Strobridge <jill at theta-orionis.freeserve.co.uk>
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