One of the strange things about getting older is realising that albums you bought when they were new are now celebrating their thirtieth anniversaries.
When The Boo Radleys announced they would be performing Giant Steps in full, I was immediately interested. Not only is it one of the defining albums of the early nineties, but I had actually seen the band perform songs from it on the original tour some thirty years earlier at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. Over the following years I caught them a few more times, so the opportunity to revisit that music all these years later was far too tempting to ignore.
Unfortunately, I made the classic mistake of assuming there was plenty of time to buy a ticket.
There wasn’t.
The show sold out remarkably quickly and for a while it looked as though I had managed to miss them once again. Thankfully, the band responded by announcing their first-ever matinee performance and I was quick enough off the mark to secure tickets for that instead.
The reason for the rapid sell-out became obvious the moment we arrived at The Hug and Pint. I’d heard it was a small venue, but I hadn’t quite appreciated just how intimate it really was. In fact, it somehow managed to make King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut seem spacious by comparison. It was the perfect setting for a performance that felt more like a celebration among dedicated fans than a conventional concert.
Of course, this version of The Boo Radleys was not quite the same band I had seen all those years ago. Former guitarist and principal songwriter Martin Carr was no longer part of the lineup, a significant absence given his contribution to the band’s classic recordings. That said, his replacement did an excellent job and never felt out of place. Rather than trying to imitate Carr, he focused on serving the songs, which was exactly what the material required.
Before the main event, we were treated to support performances that more than justified arriving early. In particular, The Martial Arts made a strong impression and proved to be a perfect fit for the afternoon’s musical mood. Support slots can sometimes feel like an obligation for audiences eager to see the headliners, but that certainly wasn’t the case here.
When The Boo Radleys eventually launched into Giant Steps, the years seemed to disappear remarkably quickly. Hearing those songs performed live again brought back memories of the original era while also highlighting just how ambitious and inventive the album remains. Blending psychedelic pop, indie rock, noise, folk influences and experimentation into a coherent whole should have been impossible, yet somehow the band pulled it off then and the songs still sounded fantastic now.
What struck me most was how enthusiastic both the band and audience were throughout the performance. This didn’t feel like a nostalgia exercise or a cynical anniversary cash-in. Instead, it felt like a genuine appreciation of an album that had stood the test of time.
Looking back, I am very glad the original show sold out.
Had it not, I would never have experienced what was apparently the band’s first matinee performance, nor would I have enjoyed hearing Giant Steps in such an intimate setting. Sometimes missing out on Plan A leads you directly to a better Plan B.
The videos and photographs below capture an afternoon spent revisiting one of the great albums of the nineties. Thirty years may have passed since I first heard these songs, but they still sound as adventurous and exciting as ever.
The Photos
Cheers!
Donate
