NIK: Space Ritual @ Cambridge Strawberry Fayre

[Jon Jarrett]

        Completely to my surprise Space Ritual turned out to be
headlining Strawberry Fayre this year, and although I couldn't be fashed
with the Hawkwind tour this year the amount of motivation I had to summon
to walk ten minutes down the road for a free gig was rather less, so I
toddled off with the child on my shoulders.

        I think he enjoyed it more than I did despite (because of?) being
half-asleep, but it was fun enough. One geezer in the audience convinced
it was Hawkwind, I really didn't want to spoil it for him. He must have
seen Hawkwind on some really bad days, though, this was a decidedly
average performance even by Nikwind standards. No Sam Ollis this time, so
only one drumkit and no decks, everything at Terry's fixed speed except
`D-Rider' at half of it. Nik wasn't his usual self, I was concerned he
might be ill by the end of it; he seemed shaky and nervous. Jerry Richards
turned up as guest for the last few numbers, it made no audible difference
because he was turned down so low--is there *any* band he's been in where
this didn't happen?

        Best bit really was the dancers: as well as the ever-superb Angie
they had a couple of girls I'd not seen before who were really into
throwing themselves round the stage and having fun. Everyone did have fun
I think, except perhaps Nik and Jerry; certainly the audience did, but it
would be hard to call it earth-shakingly exciting. Just a good-time party
band really.

        I didn't write a set-list but I think it was something like:

Welcome to the Future
The Right Stuff (dub)
Born to Go
Chronological Crime (Nik working harder at actually holding the tune than
        last time I saw this)
Sonic Attack (with `Paranoia Pt 1' and `Paranoia Pt 2' segments in the
        outtro)
Brainstorm (with cowbell)
D-Rider
Sonic Savages (good, actually; fits Terry's pace very well)
Master of the Universe (Jerry turned up here and got the first bridge)

        There was no encore because the Fayre are paranoid about the
Council shutting them down next year. I'm sure they did all of these,
probably in this order, but I may have missed another. There was no
`Silver Machine' which surprised me a lot. Anyway, there they were and so
was I, more or less by coincidence. Yours,
                                           Jon

--
    Jonathan Jarrett    "There is scarce any tradition or popular error
    Birkbeck College     but stands also delivered by some good author."
        London         (Sir Thomas Browne, "Pseudodoxia Epidemica", 1646)