The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown at The Lexington

My list of "must see" bands is sadly reducing as we all get older so I was delighted to have another opportunity to see The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. 

The venue this  time was The Lexington in Islington, a place I had walked past many many times but had never visited before, so that was something to look forward to too.

Another bonus was that despite having walked all around that area when working by Kings Cross there were a few roads that I had not ticked off on my CityStrides Life Map, either because they are dead-ends or simply because I was not mapping my walk when I had been that way, so I spent an hour or so before the gig filling the gaps. That was another fifteen streets completed.

I even had time to grab a coffee and a sandwich from the local Pret before heading to the pub and in the pub I had time for a pint of Black Sheep Bitter before heading upstairs for the music.

I was quick enough upstairs to get to stand right next to the stage, something I had not managed to do with Arthur Brown for a little while. That let me take a few close-up pictures like this one.

The performance was much like the ones I had first seen in Lewes in 2023 snd twice since then. It had a lot of songs that I did not know, as well as several classic that I did, all of which were presented very theatrically. Obviously Time Captives was my stand-out song as it was entry into the crazy world of Arthur Brown way back in 1973.

It was another great evening and to cap it all off it finished in time for me to get back to the Grey Horse in Kingston for a couple of pints of The Naked Ladies.

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown at Dingwall's

I am neglectful and do not always get around to posting about converts that I go to but, even so, this is the fourteenth time that I have done so since this blog started in 2006.

Over those almost twenty (!) years I have seen him at many different venues and with many different musicians and this was the my first time at Dingwalls and the third time seeing him with this band.

Dingwalls is a pretty basic venue and while I am sure that it is fine for your standard no frills guitar band it was not great for a show as visual as this. That said, I soon got used to the heads hiding the lower part of the stage and I could hear the music perfectly.

The show, unsurprisingly, followed the format of the Eel Pie show in April bot musically and artistically though there were changes. If I ever took notes and if Setlist was a complete and faultless record then I could be more certain on the extent of the changes but I think that the back projection was more extensive (and the two statues downgraded as a result) and the formerly regular song "I put a spell on you" made a return as the final encore.

I think there was a change to the set order too and I liked the way that (new version) Time Captives ended the main part of the set. Not only is it my favourite Arthur Brown track, originally recorded as Kingdom Come, but the communal singing of the "La Da Da" ending is a perfect ending.

The only disappointment is that I do not have another Arthur Brown concert in my diary yet.

Arthur Brown at Eel Pie Club

All Arthur Brown concerts that it is possible for me to get to I go to and that imperative was even stronger than usual having seen him at Lewes in November for what was probably my favourite concert of his ever. By then I had already booked to see him at The Eel Pie Club in Twickenham and the next step was the logistics.

The Eel Pie is an unusual, and unhelpful, shape and so I wanted to get in early to bag one of the few decent seats. Doors were 7:45pm and I was in the queue around 7pm. Luckily the queue was only a couple of people at that stage (though they were later joined by friends) so I was reasonably confident.

Julia and Peter joined me before the doors opened and we were amongst the first to be let in byJason on security who had amused us with his conspiracy theories (15 Minute Cites are a form of lockdown, etc.) while we waited.

My initial plan was to sit on the lower lever next to the stage but all the gubbins, artistic and technical, meant that the view from there was very obstructed so we went for seats in the prime position on the upper level. The view from there is the best but the seats are just Ottomans (no backs) so are lest comfortable. The view won.

I really really love this incarnation of Crazy World of Arthur Brown musically and theatrically. Other people obviously like it too and the gig was sold out.

The set was, I think, the same as at Lewes with several newish songs and a few classics (e.g. Fire and Time Captives) delivered with a keyboards-heavy late 60's vibe, think Doors' Light My Fire, that had extended instrumental sections to give Arthur time to do his many costume changes. There was even some audience participation as we joined in on the chants of "Burn!" and on the "La da da" ending to Time Captives.

It was yet another brilliant evening with Arthur Brown and his band. I plan to see them again in November!

Arthur Brown at Lewes Con Club

I have seen Arthur Brown live numerous times and in various locations, from a cafe in Soho to the Assembly Rooms in Leamington Spa, and with several different sets of musicians and  they have all been good or great. That is why I was keen to see him in his latest incarnation, even if that meant spending the night in Lewes afterwards.

I knew Lewes from regular visits to Glyndebourne and liked the look and position of the Premiere Inn there so a plan was formed. I had considered adding a second, maybe a third, night to my stay to make more of a break of it but the nights either side of Sunday were prohibitively expensive so that was dropped. I actually stayed in Eastbourne for a couple of days beforehand but that's another story.

I arrived in Lewes around lunchtime on Sunday but having had an all-day veggie breakfast only s couple of hours earlier I skipped lunch and went for an explore instead. Lewes was wet and hilly so this was a modest exploration with a break for a beer.

I had found the Con Club in the afternoon.(when I had a sneak peek of Arthur watching the sound check) and had confirmed the opening time for the evening's show. I arrived about that time and was the first in the queue, though several people had gone in before the official opening time and the staff were busy checking their tickets first.

Inside it was just a room with a stage and alongside that a long bar with just a few seats, all of which were taken. I headed in to the hall to claim a spot taking a pint of beer with me.

Arthur arrived on stage at the appointed time to an enthusiastic cheer.

Arthur had said in his newsletter that he was trying  to make these concerts more of a show and that was apparent from the start with the decoration of the stage; the arm on the far left is of a prop not a person. Arthur added to that with a series of exotic costumes and the light show added the final touch,

His backing band has changed many times over the years and I do not know if I have seen any of the current lineup before (apart from the recent gig supporting Hawkwind) but I liked their sound with a prominent keyboard, it reminded me of the happy days when he was backed by Instant Flight with Lucie Rejchrtova on keyboards.

The mood of the music was late sixties, think of the introduction to The Doors' Light My Fire.

The set was something of a change. For as long as I can remember he has played Devil's Grip, Kites, I put a Spell on You but none of these appeared this night. Fire was there with the introductory Fire Poem.

 

Also included was my all-time favourite Arthur Brown song, originally released on 1973's Journey album by his then band Kingdom Come. (There are lots of stories about my connection with that album, one day perhaps). There was a surprise here with some new lyrics after fifty years, e.g. "We hover at the speed of time".

The other familiar song that made the set was The Voice of Love from the 2007 album of the same name. I bought the album when it came out and have loved this song ever since.

There were a few songs that were new to me but the voice, the band, the sound and the staging were the same so they felt like old favourites.

I have seen Arthur Brown live numerous times and this is probably the best concert of the lot. I have booked to see him again next April.

Arthur Brown at Nells was amazing

Arthur Brown remains one of my must-see artists and over the years I have seen him many times, but not as many as I would like, and at many different venues, but Nells was a new one on me.

Nells is conveniently located for me in West Kensington in something of an odd location. Heading north from the tube life suddenly stops and West Kensington was surprisingly quiet, i.e. dead. The only people to be seen were queueing up to get into Nells.

The website said doors open at 7:30 and we got there just before that only yo find the place already packed and almost all of the seating taken. The layout was a little odd and on the right hand side of the auditorium was a small seated area with something like six rows of five seats and Julia was able to get one of these. The view was not great but a seat was seat.

The front of the standing area was full by then so I was quite happy to stand behind the seats and had a decent view over the heads of the people standing, as the picture below shows.

The bar was not too bad either and thew had Camden Pale Ale at Richmond prices which some may consider high but I am used to it and was only having a couple of pints anyway.

Every Arthur Brown show is different and this one was too, and even more so than I expected.

The stage was very much Arthur Brown front and centre with only his regular dancing partner Ms Angel allowed to join in him this space. The three band members were at the side in the dark wearing black. Their outfits included strange hats.

Arthur's costumes were very theatrical and mostly unseen by me before, apart from the fibre optic jackets. He wore face paint again but less of it. His costumers were a significant part of the performance and several times he left the stage to change while the band played on; it reminded me of Bowie in 1973!

Another innovation this time was the large screen behind Arthur that was used to project mood images such as flames.

This was billed as a greatest hits set with the new album launch the following night but there were plenty of new songs this night. All the songs, old and new, had a late sixties sound due to the keyboard - think Doors' Light My Fire. The old songs included Fire (obviously), The Voice of Love, Devil's Grip and a superbly different rendition of my favourite Time Captives. Surprisingly there was no room for previous regulars Kites and Spell on You. Normally they would be among my highlights of the evening but this show was just so good that while I noticed that they were not there I did not miss them.

I am sure that I have claimed that I had just been to the best Arthur Brown gig ever before and I will do it again this time. Because it was.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown at the Borderline was another fantastic gig from the youthful God of Hellfire

I last saw Arthur Brown in concert almost exactly a year ago, and then I had to travel up to Leamington Spa to do so.

Thankfully this mini-tour started with a London gig and there was never any doubt that I would go to it. Even the prospect of watching England losing at rugby union or the last-minute offer of going to the theatre with an actress that I admire greatly were temptation enough to keep me away.

I was not sure what the timetable for the evening was going to be, other than the doors opened at 7pm and there was a 10:30pm curfew, so I played safe and went early. The memory of arriving late at the Borderline for a Stackridge gig still haunts me, then the band started promptly with no support act.

Travelling through Richmond was likely to be slow because of the England v Australia game at Twickenham that evening so I left home slightly before 6pm. The buses were not kind to me and I walked just over 1km before an empty bus caught up with me (a full one drove past without stopping for more passengers) and I then bailed out about 1km from Richmond Station when the bus hit almost stationary traffic.

The train coming into Richmond was billed as "Full and Standing" so I stood on the platform where I knew the crowds for Richmond would be getting off to be sure of being able to get on. I had to stand all the way to Waterloo but I always do when commuting so that was no hardship.

I had the time to do so, so I walked up to the Borderline from Waterloo Station, mindful that I was still short of my 14k step target for the day. It was only 1.5km or so, I did not take the most direct route, and the main problem was trying to avoid the worst of the crowds of tourists. After a couple of deliberate and accidental detours I arrived safely at the Pillars of Hercules just after 7pm which allowed me time for a leisurely pint of Wainwright before crossing the road.

A poster on the door of the Borderline told me that there would be two support bands and Arthur would not be on until 9pm. I could have gone back to the pub but I thought that I would give the support bands a try and pay more for beer that I liked less.

Motorcycle Display Team opened the evening. They were a loud and bouncy power trio who played familiar sounding but original rock songs. They did nothing wrong but were not really my sort of thing. Still, they passed the time well enough and I have heard plenty of support bands that failed to do that.

The Slytones were the second support act and were something quite different. The first clue was the black and white face make-up that they all wore, which unintentionally mirrored the Zal Cleminson t-shirt that I was wearing. They looked to be a cabaret style band and they were.

There were, I thought, also some prog rock touches to their music and one tune that I heard seemed to come straight from Tales from Topographic Oceans. Again, not really my cup of tea but they were fun to watch and the music was OK.

Around then Angel Flame came into the audience, presumably to look for friendly faces, and I was the happy recipient of an extravagant and extended hug. Peter wondered what was going on until he recognised Angel and then he got his own hug.

We were running a little late by then and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown hit the stage about 9:15pm. That stage was suite sparse this time with no totem poles or other exotic props. The band were arranged in an "L" shape across the back of the stage and on the right side; across the back were Nina Gromniak Guitars and colourful face paint), somebody whose name I did not get (drums) and Jim Mortimore (bass and long dress) and on the right edge was Matt Guest (keyboards).

That left a lot of space centre and left stage for Arthur and Angle Flame to move in. This was in market contrast to other bands that I have seen at the Borderline, notably Space Ritual, who find the stage somewhat small for their large cast and their many instruments.

This was a familiar line-up for The Crazy World, with the probable exception of the drummer who had been playing with The Slytones, and they were obviously very comfortable with the music and with each other, even with Arthur's antics which included carrying the keyboard around the stage while Matt was trying to play it. I remember Nina telling me that she had been very nervous at the QEH gig in 2011 as that was her first and was a large stage to debut on but now she was part of a solid and confident unit.

The setlist contained a lot of favourites that Arthur had been playing for a few years, songs like Kites (always a great favourite of mine) and Spell on You, though Devil's Grip was missing.

The surprise, though it was trailed in the tour announcement, was the inclusion of two songs from the seminal Kingdom Come album Journey from 1973. This album has been important to me ever since then and I remember clearly the joy of finding a copy of the album in WH Smith in Southampton, Until then I had had to make do with various tape recordings from John Peel shows.

The songs they played from Journey were Time Captains (labelled Time Captives on the album), which was the obvious track to choose, and Gypsy. Time Captains starts with a distinctive drum beat backed by whirling electronic sounds and the crowd erupted with joy when they heard this.

The album may have been 42 years old but it was well known and loved. The song ends with a few simple lines like "Ahhh-ahhh-ahhh-ahhh" which were repeated more than on the album and we were encouraged to join in by Arthur waving a microphone at us. I needed little encouragement.

The biggest surprise of the evening was Arthur himself.

He wore the now traditional multi-coloured face paint and the familiar salmon suit under a black coat but this time he also started with what looked like a blue dress under his jacket. Then, like Bowie in the 70s, he changed costumes several times including this one on the right with colourful fibre-optics and the one above with the god-like silver and white poncho which threaten to outshine Angel's wings above that.

To make time for these costume changes some of the songs were extended, again reminding me of how the Spiders from Mars played on when Bowie left the stage. I liked the longer versions as I have always though if you have a good musical idea then it is worth sticking with it for a while, people like Neil Young have always done this.

They closed the set with Fire Poem and Fire which had us all joining in again with shouts of "Fire" at the appropriate moments. It was a higher note to end on in a set that had lots of high notes.

I knew that Arthur Brown was 73 years old but it would have been very easy to forget this as his voice was as strong and his movement as frenetic as it always had been. If there was any concession to his age it came in the breaks for the costume changes.

A Crazy World of Arthur Brown gig has everything, good songs, a fine band and a stupendous front-man. All this made for an absolutely thrilling evening that was rapturously appreciated by the packed crowd. Once you've seen an Arthur Brown gig you want to see an other one and to tell your friends to go too.

The end of the setlist was reached just before the 10:30pm curfew and the band walked off after taking lots of bows. The cheering continued and they were persuaded back on for one more number which they seemed to choose there and then. They were rewarded with more cheering and shouts of "Arthur. Arthur.".

I was on a high after the gig and it was good to be able to share this with some of the people there who I knew from other gigs before heading back to Kingston to take advantage of the Willoughby's friendly opening hours.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown sets Leamington Spa on fire

Arthur Brown was on something of a tour but, as the poster above shows, there were no London dates planned so I had to go a little further to catch him. As luck would have it I had a good excuse to be in Warwick/Coventry on 18 October so it was an easy matter to stop at Leamington Spa on the way home.

I was not sure how the day would pan out so I did not buy tickets in advance and I was thankful that my business finished around 5:30pm which gave me time to find the venue and a place to eat before the doors opened at 8pm. The place to eat proved to be the local Weatherspoons, the Jug and Jester.

I got to the Assembly Rooms just as the doors opened and bough my ticket. I was driving later but had had only one small glass of wine all day so I treated myself to a pint of Hobgoblin before the show.

The Assembly Rooms were an attractive building which is just was well as I had plenty of time to kill. I was not expecting a support act, I don't think that I have seen Arthur with one before, but there was one and they did not start until 8pm. They were sufficiently entertaining to help the time pass but really it was all about the wait for the main show that turned out to be at 9pm. By then I was thinking that I could have been home by then.

But that would have been a big mistake because Arthur was brilliant from the start.

The line-up was a surprise. Long-term keyboards player Lucie Rejchrtova had been replaced and while the substitute made a similar sort of sound he lacked the sheer exuberance that Lucie brought to her performances. There may have other changes in the rhythm section but I was not paying enough attention to work that one out.

Nina Gromniak was still there on lead guitar and that was good news. She always was good and seems to be getting better as she add more little tricks to her playing.

Despite the changes in personnel the sound was much as I remembered it from the previous show in March. It was very funky with a taste of the 60's on top, mostly from the prominent keyboards.

Angel Flame was there too to add her dance interpretations to some of the songs. The highlight was this outfit which was used for Fire.

The set was much as I expected, and hoped, though it was not a straight copy of the previous show that I saw. In addition to Fire there were also expected appearances by Kites, Spell on You and The Voice of Love but Devil's Grip was missing.

There was at least one song that was new to me but that was my fault for not buying his latest album, Zim Zam Zim, earlier, a fault that I have now rectified. I'll know the new songs better the next time I see Arthur which should be in early November.

Arthur did what Arthur does which is entertain mightily. He bounced around the stage, talked to the audience, changed his outfit several times (mostly by taking another layer off, it was like watching a Russian Doll strip), interfered with the band and walked in to the audience for one song, despite the significant barrier in the way.

It was a wonderful show (again) and I loved every minute. The sheer joy of it all more than made up for the wit beforehand and the long drive back to London afterwards. That drive meant that I could not stay behind and mingle but I did say hello to Angel because it would have been rude not to.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown are like Chinese food, as soon as the concert is over you want another one. Hopefully it will not be too long a wait this time.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown at the Borderline

I go to see Arthur Brown in concert whenever I can and it seems that I am not the only one. The stories of strong ticket sales for this gig proved to be true and the venue was packed.

The other encouraging thing about the gig was the number of young things there amongst us older 'uns in our regulation leather jackets.

Of course one of the oldest there was Arthur himself who is now seventy. Yes, seventy.

As always Arthur's technical age is a mirage confounded by his vitality on stage and his deep resonant voice.

His frequent leg-shake dance meant that he needed a lot of space to himself and the rest of the band lined up around the edge of the stage.

An early mention must be made for Lucie Rejchrtova on keyboards who parried with Arthur through the evening. They exchanged glances frequently and Arthur often wandered across in an attempt to play the keyboards. He managed this a couple of times, even playing with his foot once, and he knocked the keyboards on the floor too. Lucie carried on playing through all this and her distinctive sixties-style sound was the defining  mood of the music.

The other musicians played their parts very well too though they were mostly content to stay at the back and let Arthur do the theatricals.

Arthur was magnanimous in introducing each of the band members and giving them solos in which to shine. There was a loud cheer when Nina Gromniak came to the front of the stage to give hers.

And there was Ms Angel too. She danced with Arthur on three of four songs, wearing a different outfit for each one.

The set was much as expected, e.g. Kites, Spell on You, Devil's Grip and Fire. There were one or two new (to me) songs in there too but as they had the same funky feel as the rest the mood was not broken.

One of the songs was almost Reggae, and that worked too.

Of course the band can only do so much and the performance was really about Arthur who entertained as he always does. This time wearing more make-up than I have ever seen on him before.

Arthur plays a shortish well-rehearsed set that entertains joyfully throughout, such as his elongated and completely untrue intro to Fire that almost stumbles along, complete with funny voices, before bursting in to the much anticipated, "I am the God of Hellfire!"

Things got even better after the gig.

While we were still shouting for "Arthur!", "Arthur!" in a vain attempt to coax him back for a second encore, Lucie came through the crowd to the front and spoke to me. Well, not just me but she spoke to me first and I am still beaming. Later I got to speak to Nina and Arthur too and got a hug from Ms Angel who flit around the fans like a demented bumble bee. Arthur, on the other hand, played the role of the grandee (justifiably) and stood still while hoards of people came to him.

I do not have another Arthur Brown gig in my diary until September. That is a cruel amount of time to have to wait.

Arthur Brown at the Half Moon

Every time that I see Arthur Brown in concert I am reminded why I keep going to see Arthur Brown in concert.

And this time it was even better than usual.

I arrived at the Half Moon in Putney with plenty of time to spare (I knew that there was a support band on but had no idea when Arthur would be on) and was at the bar getting my first pint when in trots the fabulous Ms Angel who invited Pete and I to join the others outside. The others included Arthur and the band and over the next hour or so conversations were had about the gig in a Soho cafe and, it had to be asked, the status of the Astoria DVD. It's coming.

Inside I managed to get a front-row spot just left of centre which gave an excellent view of Arthur and the band.

Arthur was font and centre with the band arranged in a semi-circle around him. The two ladies, Lucie Rejchrtova on keyboards and Nina Gromniak on lead guitar, occupied the two wing positions and the lads, Jim Mortimore on bass and Samuel Walker on drums, held the defensive positions at the back.

That left Arthur a lot of room to move in, which he took full advantage of.

The set-list was much as expected with most of the songs having featured regularly in his shows for as long as I have been going to them. There were the (very) old favourites like Fire and Devil's Grip, some more recent songs like All the Bells and Voice of Love and a whole swathe of covers like Kites, Misunderstood and Spell on You.

The late sixties set-list was mirrored by the late sixties sound mainly thanks to the keyboard sound. Think of Light my Fire by Doors and you'll get the picture.

Arthur did all the usual Arthur things which involves far more bouncing around the stage than you would expect from a man now in his seventies.

Lucie takes Arthur's lead and is almost as energetic. She is (mostly) tied to the keyboards and makes up for this limitation in her movement by playing on her knees etc, The one chance she gets to move is when Arthur picks up the keyboard and walks away with it dragging the still-playing Lucie with him.

Another touch of dramatics came from Ms Angel who made a few appearance during the evening, but nothing like as many as she does with Space Ritual where she is on stage most of the time.

As usual she had a different costume each time the most extravagant of which was a set of glittering bat-wings (though they probably have a more exotic name) that she fluttered with extended arms.

The final icing on the rich cake was meeting up with some friends old and new, such as the ubiquitous Melissa and big Hawkfan Martin.

Frankly, music evenings do not come much better than this. I just wish that Arthur got out a little more often.

Arthur Brown at QEH

Arthur Brown needs to get out more. A lot more.

I saw him several times in 2007 in various locations including a Town Hall and a cafe.

I then had to wait until late 2009 to see him again, this time supporting Hawkwind at the Shepherd's Bush Empire.

And then it's another long wait until he pops up again at Ray Davies' Meltdown at the South Bank Centre.

But first there was the support act, the Legendary Pink Dots.

Whatever I was expecting from the Legendary Pink Dots they were something else! Their MySpace describes them as Alternative / Experimental / Psychedelic, which seems reasonable. They sounded a little like Vulgar Unicorn to me, but that probably does not help you much!

[A bit of research there suggests that Vulgar Unicorn's Under the Umbrella CD is worth $100. See you on eBay later.]

The Legendary Pink Dots were appreciably weird, melodic and captivating. They had some problems deciding how and when to end songs but getting there was a suitably long and pleasant journey. I did not even mind that the lyrics included words like sanctuary and crystal.

I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from Arthur Brown and was far from disappointed.

He made his trademark entrance with his face masked with black cloth but instead of emerging from the back of the stage he walked slowly and majestically through the audience.

There was no staff though and no Hard Rain.

But we did get a string of favourites including All the Bells, Devil's Grip, Kites, I put a Spell on You and, of course, Fire. All delivered with Arthur's distinctive and powerful voice.

Helping him a long was an eclectic band of musicians that Arthur had collected over the years. They were all good but a special mention goes to Lucie Rejchrtova, formerly of Instant Flight, because she provided most of the musical lead. It helps that she's Czech too.

The band were carefully arranged in a semi-circle around Arthur leaving him space to leap and cavort, as he does. Constantly.

Also filling that space for some of the songs were two dancers, including the Fabulous Ms Angel who is normally seen with Space Ritual.

And then there was Z-Star providing contrasting, but equally powerful, female vocals to some songs.

And a trumpeter. And a guest guitarist. That made ten people on stage at times.

This mixture worked fabulously and all the performers oozed ability, confidence and, above all else, fun.

The only low point of the evening was when the set drew to a prompt close at 10pm but this was quickly followed by another high point when the encores went on for half an hour, including an extra song not included in the set list.

Everything about this performance was just right. The choice of songs, the playing, the presentation and the exuberance on stage. This was a special concert that had us all standing, clapping and cheering at the end.

Arthur Brown casts a spell

It was billed as a Hawkwind Concert with Arthur Brown in support but I would have gone to see Arthur opening for almost anybody, just as I went to see the dismal Def Leppard in June 2006 just because the Sensational Alex Harvey Band opened the show.

Fortuitous circumstances brought me to London early (OK, so it was the ballet) and with nothing better to do before the evening entertainment I joined the queue at 6:30pm and froze for half an hour to get the reward to a place right at the front.

Arthur came on promptly at 7:30 and started in the dark, and wearing a dark face mask, with a stirring rendition of Hard Rain that got the crowd on his side immediately; not that many of us needed any persuading. A familiar song sung with Arthur's familiar strength and texture but supported by unfamiliar musicians.

All the other times that I have seen Arthur in recent years he was ably accompanied by the multi-instrumentalist Nick Pynn but for the current shows he has Jim Mortimore on guitar and drums, and Steve Watts on keyboards sitting either side of him.

The keyboards in particular helped to make the sound richer, fuller and more redolent of the late sixties. The interpretations were not necessarily better that those with Nick but it was refreshing to hear old songs done in new ways.

The rest of the set continued along more familiar lines with songs like Spell on you and Fire. I was also delighted to hear the Victim of love, from his latest album, that slowed the set down nicely in the middle.

Arthur supplemented his great singing with some costume changes (which usually included taking one pair of trousers off to reveal another pair underneath!) and some exaggerated dancing that drew loud cheering from the audience.

But the costumes and dancing were little more than small cherries on the large cake that is Arthur's powerful and dramatic singing voice that enriches any song.

Arthur Brown and Nick Pynn in Twickenham

I go to every Arthur Brown concert that I can and have seen him in some unusual places this year (including a cafe in Soho and the ICA) and I was certainly not going to miss a concert on my doorstep. The line-up was the same as the recent concert at the 100 Club, i.e. Malchicks, Arthur Brown/Nick Pynn and The Pretty Things, and the concert was for the Mayor's charities.

I did not pay much attention to the Malchicks at all as I was unimpressed the first time I saw them. Spent most of the time in the bar or at the back chatting to friends. As soon as their set ended I went straight to the front and was a little surprised, and very pleased, to get next to the stage.

The set started with a solo piece by Nick Pynn, Badtooth from his Afterplanesman CD. A good start.

Arthur then came on in his usual black outfit with a black cloth over his head and a staff for Hard Rain.

The set contained most of the expected songs, including Spell on You, Fire Poem/Fire, Voice of Love and Devil's Grip, which closed the set.

Arthur made the best use of the good space on the stage to dance, prance and cavort through an excellent performance.

I hope that the photograph gives some idea of the passion he put into the performance but you had to be there to really appreciate it.

Nick Pynn deserves a mention, as always. I was right in front of him (deliberately) and the joy just beamed from his face. I am still amazed by how he manages to accompany himself and keep track of all the things that he is doing at the same time. He makes it look easy but I am sure it is not.

I moved away from the stage for The Pretty Things having been disappointed by their three-man acoustic set at the 100 Club and let their fans claim the space. Their set was a lot better as a five-man electric band and was worth staying for even though I was not into it as much as their fans obviously were. I could not help wondering why more of these people had not made the short trip to the ICA or 100 Club for their other gigs.

That was my fourth and last Arthur Brown/Nick Pynn gig for 2007 but I hope that it is not too long before I can see them again. Live they are magic!

Arthur Brown and Nick Pynn on top form

Earlier this week I went to the 100 Club on Oxford Street to see Arthur Brown supporting The Pretty Things.

I like the venue because it is fairly small and it feels like the band are playing in your front room. The stage is low and there is no barrier so you can get right up close. This also makes it good for taking photos!

As with the other Arthur Brown gigs that I have been to recently, the only accompaniment came from the multi-instrumentalist Nick Pynn. But he does more than just play a range of string instruments, he also does some amazing things with his feet that, for example, enable him to record himself playing one instrument then to repeat that recording as a rhythm track while playing another instrument as the melody.

I was pleased to see that the set was opened by Nick playing one of his own compositions while he was on the stage alone.

Arthur Brown performed a relatively short set of established songs, I think that he performed all of them at the ICA earlier this year, but that did nothing to lessen the magic.

I use the word "perform" deliberately as Arthur does much more than just sing, if that was all there was to it then I would just sit at home and play the CDs.

Hopefully this picture shows the drama that Arthur puts into his performances. This was particularly evident during that old crowd-pleaser from 1968, Fire which he preceded with Fire Poem.

Other very old songs played were Spell on You and Devil's Grip (his first single from 1967 reprised on the new album). We also had the title track from his current album, The Voice of Love, and another old song reworked on the album, the classic single Kites that was a hit for Simon Dupree and The Big Sound also in 67.

Arthur Brown is a must-see performer which is why I am seeing him again next week :-)

Arthur Brown, 40 years on

The whole evening at the ICA was billed as "Freak Out, Ethel! An Evening of Musical Mayhem" but my reason for going was to see Arthur Brown (again).

The evening opened with Malcolm Boyle's one-man play, The Madcap, about Syd Barrett. This gave an interesting insight into the early years of Pink Floyd and was enhanced by some interesting interpretations of some of Barrett's songs.

Then came Circulus. The event's blurb called them "Britain's finest neo-medieval psychedelic folk-rock band", but I thought it was awful. Trying to mix all those themes just did not work and it was not at all clear what they were trying to be. The period costumes hardly helped.

Then came Arthur with a truly magnificent set. To merely list the songs, all of which are established Arthur Brown concert material, would not do it justice as the show was made by the dramatic, vigorous and enthusiastic performances by Arthur and regular musician Nick Pynn.

I was at the front of the stage by Nick and it was interesting, and awe inspiring, to see how the familiar string instruments played by hand were complimented by various boxes of tricks played with his feet. The was particularly obvious during his solo in The Devil's Grip (one of the songs Arthur played in the original concert 40 years ago). Nick went up enormously in my estimation, and he was pretty high up before.

Arthur, of course, was very much the focal point of the set and he more than lived up to expectations. His vocal range, volume and expression were as strong as ever, he pranced around the stage energetically and his facial expressions told the songs' stories as much as the words did. This was the best Arthur Brown performance that I've seen.

The final act were The Pretty Things about whom I knew little except for the songs covered by Bowie on Pin-ups, both of which were played. A bit hit and miss for me but the two straight blues songs were very good, particularly as Arthur Brown joined the band for the first of these.

There was also some good news from the guy on the merch stall with promises of more gigs with Nick to support the new acoustic album when it comes out and, sometime later, some gigs with Instant Flight to promote the DVD of the Astoria gig in 2005.

He'll put a spell on you

I had a real treat the other night, Arthur Brown "in concert" in a small cafe in Soho, London. It was like having Arthur playing in my font room!

The evening consisted of a few songs and a couple of stories with Nick Pynn accompanying as usual.

The show opened with "The Voice of Love" the title track from Arthur's forthcoming album. An excellent ballad which bodes very well for the album.

Next came a reading of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. Arthur put all the emotion that he puts into his singing into the reading so we had some whispers and some screeches and a lot of fun.

The first half closed with an old song that Arthur often covers, "Please don't let me be misunderstood".

During the break were able to have a chat with Arthur and Nick, again in a very informal atmosphere. For some reason, the venue which seats about 50 people seems to have printed several hundred flyers for the event and Arthur signed, and doodled, one for my mate.

The second half opened with another story, this time it was the true story of Arthur's arrest for obscenity (appearing on stage nude) in Italy in the '60s. By the sound of things he should not be going back there! The next song was "Gypsies" and the closer was, no surprise here, "I'll put a spell on you".

All during this event the cafe was operating as usual with people who just wanted to eat and drink coming and going throughout. There was a small birthday party on one of the tables at the back and so we all sang "Happy Birthday" at one point.

So, overall bit of a strange night but a hugely enjoyable one!