A woman with ruby-red hair is covering Bananarama’s Venus in front of a pillar of flames. There’s a mashup of Miley Cyrus and Oingo Boingo. Fred Armisen is interviewing a lobster in front of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Is this hell?
No! It’s The B-52s – LIVE!
Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Lava, by The B-52s
Most Halloweens I like to stay home and watch Kill Bill, Vol 1 but this year I decided to do something different. Donning my Grateful Dead t-shirt, I disguised myself best as I could among a throng of people in lobster costumes, discotechque outfits and other ghoulish creatures.
We were all there to see the self-proclaimed “Greatest Party Band in the World” – the B52’s.
I love The B-52’s. Their self-titled album is one of my favourite new-wave records. 6060842, Dance This Mess Around and Rock Lobster are just three absolute bangers on the 1972 album.
Thursday’s nights dance party at The Anthem was a veritable display of the weirdness adoped by The B-52s and their fans. I mean, the giant screen on stage beckoned people to dance unburdened by humility or shame.
How, I say, can anyone have shame enjoying a band whose most iconic tune is titled Rock Lobster, the red-shelled crustacean that has become a de facto symbol of the Georgian troupe.
All this is to say, for all the partying and merriment, the remaining touring members of the band don’t have it anymore. It would be fair to partly blame this on the sound at The Anthem (it’s never been great).
Cindy Wilson sounded more loud than anything, and Fred Schneider seemed behind during at least a couple of songs (most notably during Private Idaho). Kate Pierson is still incredible, though, and she absolutely carried her two original bandmates that night.
This band’s been around forever. Forty-five years! So, of course, you can’t expect them to keep up to Pump or Party Out Of Bounds like they used to. And the sooner you recognised that, the better the concert became.
It was, by far, the strangest concert I’ve ever attended. And I quite enjoyed it. I enjoyed a band and audience that didn’t take themselves too seriously. It was quite fun seeing Pierson wear the lobster claws during the encore.
The B-52s will always be remembered as one of the great acts to come out of the new wave era. And I can’t find a serious challenger to the “Greatest Party Band in the World” claim.
So, of course, The B-52s can dance and dance and Dance This Mess Around. Whilst their quick-stepping foxtrotting days might be behind them, they’re welcome to dance at any speed they like til the lights go off.
Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Roam, by The B-52s
And now for your links:
Dan KP: Spurs’ depth shines as Tottenham deliver ‘one of best wins’ under Big Ange
The Athletic’s talking points ($$) from Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Villa
Mansfield defeat sixth-tier Curzon Ashton to reach second round of FA Cup
Long read: “The sports psychologist making a difference with a dog and a bench at Brentford”
