Mojave 3 in concert 30/8/2013. - review by Nick the Bookman

"About to erupt in cataclysmic outpourings of teenage acne pus all over the audience, before taking up their regular inner night lifestyles of planning school shootings amid outbursts of soccer hooliganism."

Should I stay or should I go now? A clash of loyalties is imminent. Let me explain. The sextet Mojave 3, who who rose from the ashes of former shoegazing band Slowdive, just prior to The Great Chinese Takeaway of 1997, are about to perform their second consecutive sell out show in Backstage, Central/Lan Kwai Fong area. It's Friday, 30/8/2013 and I'm on the guest list for Songs For Children's latest musical evening. The trouble is my wife Mari's neck is giving her gyp again. It's the weather which causes involuntary tension in her upper back and neck. Leads to migraine inducing stress headaches. She has a deteriorated disc around the C3/C4 region. Which mean if she goes break-dancing or head-banging or body-popping, she'll end up in a Christopher Reeve scenario. Meanwhile, stem cell research, gene-splicing techniques and nano-technology reconstruction are still a couple of decades off. That's assuming the nasty political/religious and plain all out vicious despotic leaders for "life" continue to ignore Robert A. Heinlein's observation that "the Earth is just too small a basket for the human race to contain all its eggs in" and Humpty Dumpty's demise is what we're heading towards.

So, I'm in Central about tea time and bump into Jane and another lovely lady (who I learn is Aimee, the keyboard/vocalist for Mojave 3). They're having some quality "girl time" and Jane asks if I'm coming tonight. She says last night was a sellout and great fun. I explain my dilemma. Aimee sort of blinks her eyelashes at me as if to say you must come tonight (not strictly accurate that. Bit of poetic license, that.) Anyway, I'm smitten and vow I will be there. Just got to get back home with Mari's lotions, nostrums, pills and potions so she'll be OK. And I get my pink ticket for the night!

The show starts late tonight. Doors open at 2200 instead of 2000 the eve before. The band can play later because there's a late night ferry back to Lamma. Not that it matters for most of the crowd. Spotted among the crowd are Gareth from The Curs and Jonas, the drummer of Poubelle International. He tells me the band is in hiatus. The bassist has left and Ben, the leader, is apparently in Europe. I've slightly over-medicated myself. Trying to cure the Cough That Will Not Fuck Off. My critical faculties are in low progress mode. I've got a feeling that this review is going to be a bit "Seinfeld" tonight. You know The Show About Nothing. Brilliantly written and acted. Won lots of Emmys. Well, this is the review. I'm going to succeed and fail in equal measure tonight. First the good news, courtesy of Aimee.

Mojave 3 is Neil (the founder) on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. Ian on drums. Aimee on keyboards and backing vox. Alan on more keys. Kevin on bass. And Adam on lead guitar. Aimee also gives me a partial set list comprising the above titles: "Some Kinda Angel". "This Road I'm Travelling". "In Love With A View", and "Give What You Take". Hopefully, they're all given an airing tonight. The band take the stage about 2230. It's quite tiny and my first failure is to not notice that there are six people on stage. I can only see 5. My fault, because I know Aimee has written 6 names down for band personnel. Doesn't detract from the show, of course. Mike and Jane have played some excellent indie tracks to set the mood. The visuals are laid back Exploding Plastic Inevitable (the old Andy Warhol/Velvet Underground and Nico mid-60's light show phantasmagoria). Films and stills and abstract colour flashes, blobs and pulses are superimposed on the band. All that's missing is Stacia and other nudie dancers giving it full titillation on stage. Or is that my medication kicking in big time?

As I said, Slowdive were a "shoegazing" band. I've always felt that term was a touch pejorative. Implying that said bands are shy loner types who are distant and removed from the audience. About to erupt in cataclysmic outpourings of teenage acne pus all over the audience, before taking up their regular inner night lifestyles of planning school shootings amid outbursts of soccer hooliganism. Really, it's just because they've got so many FX guitar pedals to manipulate and stamp upon, they haven't got time to look the audience in the eyes. No such problems tonight. It's a warm and friendly gathering, marred by occasional spells of slightly too loud audience chatter, prompting Mike to ask everyone to "shut the fuck up" as he can't hear the band properly to do the mixing.

So, the music. It's sort of dustbowl-meets-today bluesy Americana. (Not enough tumbleweeds!) Rubbing shoulders up against late 60's/early 70's UK acid folk. I'm thinking early Al Stewart in the construction and execution of some songs. This is post "The Elf" Al Stewart. Way before "Year Of The Cat" made him Big In America. Think "Love Chronicles". "Past, Present and Future". "Modern Times". There's a little bit of The Strawbs in there as well. Meanwhile the keyboards evoke an almost-but-not-quite-Oh-Sod-It-It's-Almost-There vibe of Al Kooper-inspired rolling organ cadences straight out of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone". All played with impeccable timing and restraint. Yeah Baby! (Oh, Fuck off Austin Powers. Get out of my review!). When the guitars kick-kick-in, I hear The Walkabouts doping (Freudian slip?) doing Neil Young's "On The Beach". The guitars crackle, snarl, spit and bite even though the amps most definitely don't go to 11.

It's been a fine gig. I'm partly swaying with eyes closed. Lost in sweetly sonic bliss. Part hop-hop-hopping from foot to foot. And then comes The Moment. It's the third-to-last song and it's called "Blue Bird Of Happiness". Wow. Actually that's not enough. Fucking WOW!!! The song reminds me of Pachelbel's "Canon". Once heard, never forgotten. You can't un-hear it. (Well, aside from deep hypnosis states of forgettery. Or Alzheimer's/senile dementia). It's a nodal-crux Life Moment. Like hearing Badly Drawn Boy's unbeatable and haunting version of Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road". Or hearing Swans playing the heartbreakingly lovely version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Or Nigel Tuffnel introducing Marti Di Bergi to the horripilatory glory that is "Lick My Love Pump". I've pit the BDB/Swans references in there because they're on a Nixmix CD I gave Jane and asked her to pass on to Aimee. Actually, the truth will out. Nipper did the editing and overlaying of FX throughout the CD. I just played the tracks. It's his glory and a wonderful introduction to his undeniable tech-y skills. If anyone's interested in hearing it, come see me.

Right, that's pretty much it. Another laid-back wonderful musical night. Mike, I'm with you. You and Jane keep bringing the gigs and I'll keep coming to watch them and try to write about them. I've got the 0230 ferry home. SFC and Mojave 3 are doing an all-nighter as the band have to be at the airport or on a flight by 1000 am/ Both nights were a full house. Both gigs extremely enjoyable. Mojave 3 want to return to HK again. You have been warned.

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