EXTC: XTC’S TERRY CHAMBERS & FRIENDS – THE FACTORY LIVE, WORTHING 4.7.24
My journey with XTC started in my childhood years, with vague first memories of listening to their song ‘The Disappointed’, in the car with my mum on the way to school. At the time, it was just a song I liked and knew nothing of the band… but then, I fell in love with the song again and wanted to look further. So, I explored their 1986 record ‘Skylarking’, an album I felt was a strong effort on first listen with songs like ‘Summer’s Cauldron’ and ‘Dear God’ standing out to me in their songwriting and production. I desperately needed something to click as there was something about this band that seemed incredibly special; I just hadn’t tapped into it yet. I continued to dive deep; after a playthrough of their angular 1979 record ‘Drums And Wires’, their follow-up ‘Black Sea’ was next on my list. Little did I know that this would be the album that finally clicked for me as I approached the bonus tracks placed halfway through my dad’s burned CD copy. The cold and icy ‘The Somnambulist’ did it for me (a somewhat oddity compared to the rest of their colourful discography), waking my mind up to acknowledge exactly what XTC are: one of the greatest pop bands to have ever existed upon this earth.
The music of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding’s Swindon-based pop ship explored many phases, sounds and sceneries, with their first two records ‘White Music’ and ‘Go 2’ (both released in 1978) propelling the pair, alongside keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Terry Chambers into the frantic zeitgeist of post-punk, tense in execution and influenced by science fiction comics. Following the departure of Andrews and the welcoming of long-time guitarist Dave Gregory, XTC re-oriented their already unique sound into something that would begin to shape their mould on the lean and rhythmic ‘Drums And Wires’, generating hits and fan favourites such as ‘Making Plans For Nigel’ and ‘Life Begins At The Hop’, a standalone single that eventually became a bonus track in subsequent reissues. Soon after the release of the infectiously melodic ‘Black Sea’ (my favourite XTC record) and the pastorally venturous ‘English Settlement’, the band were at their commercial peak, with lead single ‘Senses Working Overtime’ becoming their first and only top 10 single in the UK.
As Andy Partridge’s battles with anxiety drifted the band away from the stage towards becoming a studio-only group, tensions were created among the group during the recording of their 1983 ‘Mummer’ record, prompting Terry Chambers to depart from the band and live with his growing family in Australia. After the regenerative success of XTC’s Dukes of Stratosphear project, as well as the Todd Rundgren-produced ‘Skylarking’ album, the group cemented their presence as one of the most cutting-edge and eclectic pop groups of the modern age, while still maintaining a rabid cult following. By the time the band parted ways in 2006, XTC had left behind a comfortably pristine discography, with its weakest moments outshining that of many bands’ best, and still garnering new fans to this day. Back in 2020, a spark was lit by Terry Chambers, with the aid of guitarist Steve Hampton and bassist Terry Lines, both life-long friends and members of the band Dead Crow Road, to bring the beloved music of XTC back to life.
On Thursday night, the trio journeyed to the coast of Worthing at The Factory Live, to welcome in a vocal and heartwarming number of XTC fans and patrons to a two-set performance. I placed myself towards the front of the crowd, with my Wasp Star T-shirt on, talking to a number of XTC fanatics before the lights began to dim and the trio walked onto the stage to waves of cheers. Already, the first thing I notice is the band arrangement of bass, drums and only one electric guitarist… XTC’s double-guitar orientation between Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory was always something that rang so strong in my mind, so it was interesting to see how EXTC would approach their songs. Fortunately, the opening double hit of ‘White Music’ tracks ‘This is Pop’ and ‘Statue Of Liberty’ answered my queries with an imaginative arrangement and steady dynamics! Of course, no one can match the zaniness of Andy Partridge, but Steve does a remarkable job reciting his unique vocal inflections and yelps. ‘No Language In Our Lungs’ from ‘Black Sea’ was nailed down to a tee, with Steve hitting every guitar part perfectly!
As any XTC fan will know, a lot of their greatest songs were never performed live to their truest extent, and ‘Love On A Farmboy’s Wages’ was one of them. However, the trio here perform it with finesse, giving it an extra punch in propulsion than the original ‘Mummer’ version. Something that I can safely say about EXTC is that they were able to give me the space to appreciate the XTC songs that I love, but wouldn’t necessarily put in my top twenty list… controversially ‘Real By Reel’ is one of them, but after that performance? Well, let’s just say they’ve successfully turned me around so I know what’s real…! Across the sets, both Terry Lines and Steve Hampton split their vocal duties as per Andy and Colin style, something that I really liked watching; but occasionally, they will both take lead vocal duties, like on the track ‘Paper And Iron (Notes And Coins)’ a more underrated cut from ‘Black Sea’. This is also a moment in the set where the trio give themselves the space to explore the track’s arrangements, with gradual and extended intros and outros giving the track’s performance some extra flair.
Of course, there’s a big audience singalong, spearheaded by yours truly, of course, on ‘Senses Working Overtime’ (although I must say, it’s peculiar to hear ‘English Settlement’ tracks performed without Colin’s iconic fretless bass!). Perhaps the most surprising implementation of their somewhat sparse band arrangement is on the track ‘Jason And The Argonauts’, a song that is incredibly dense in guitar textures and lengthy dub sections. Here, they refine their performance and engage in band banter before heading into ‘Ball And Chain’. This track is yet another case of an XTC song that I wouldn’t necessarily call a favourite of mine, but the EXTC boys remind me just how special the song is, with its inventive key change and catchy chorus! We zip forward ten years to the final song of the first set, the ‘Nonsuch’ track ‘The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead’, a track that actually suits this three-piece arrangement perfectly! Already, I was blown away with the amount of dedication Steve and Terry Lines have given to Terry’s beloved pop band and began to wait extremely impatiently for their second set.
Fifteen minutes pass in the blink of an eye as the lights dim once again to the familiar sound of rhythmic bird-chirping… that can only mean one thing, ‘Summer’s Cauldron’ and ‘Grass’! Possibly the strongest opening two-song streak on an XTC record, Steve and the Terrys strip the songs down as half of the former track is performed as a prelude to a more atmospheric and slow-burning rendition of the latter. Terry Lines takes the lead vocal reins on the lyrical mile-a-minute ‘No Thugs In Our House’, one of my favourites from ‘English Settlement’, striking his way through the song with finesse alongside his fellow bandmates. ‘Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)’ is one of those XTC songs that seems so pristine and dynamic in its arrangement that you can’t perceive hearing it in any other way, however with EXTC’s rendition, they take a softer approach rhythmically, with Terry’s hi-hat patterns being a touch softer, but still entertaining the crowd in its overall performance. Steve dedicates the next track, ‘Rocket From A Bottle’ to superfan Louise, but the entire crowd goes nuts for the song’s announcement (something that seems to be a recurring thing for the more underappreciated tracks in the XTC catalogue, namely this one, ‘Paper And Iron’, and ‘Jason And The Argonauts’). Steve takes a moment to detail how he was never a fan of XTC before Terry Lines gave him a copy of ‘Black Sea’ to indulge in, hoping to overcast his taste for acts like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden (you know, your typical hard rock/metal of the 70s). Success clearly prevailed as the opening hits of ‘Respectable Street’ won him over to no end, and still continues to be a top 5 XTC song for me.
A conjoining mix of ‘Living Through Another Cuba’ and ‘Generals And Majors’ is executed seamlessly with an acapella singalong of the chorus lyric of the latter taking hold of the room in the most wonderful manner. Of course, it wouldn’t be a night of XTC celebration without ‘Making Plans For Nigel’, a track that I was particularly excited to watch live, just so I could watch Terry Chambers perform its iconic drum rhythm. The trio thanked us for their time with us before swiftly departing the stage, leaving the crowd within a wave of cheers and demanding claps for one more song. Naturally, they answered those demands, with a two song encore, starting with an underrated favourite of mine from XTC’s final 2000 record ‘Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)’, ‘Stupidly Happy’. The song’s repeating chord progression and driving drum groove acts as a great ground for the band to comedically improvise Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ before heading back into the song’s final singalong melody line. Finally, Steve and the two Terrys close out with ‘Life Begins At The Hop’, a perfect way to end the night with its jovial and energetic sound before saying goodbye to the audience for one last time.
Honestly, what a fantastic night! I do get very picky about being offered tribute bands when reviewing for Brighton & Hove News, however, there was no way I couldn’t NOT review EXTC as this would be my one and only avenue in being able to witness such masterfully-crafted songs in a live setting. Terry Chambers and his cohorts had brought the songs back to life, energising me to full form by singing every single lyric back to the three-piece, much to the delight of many audience members displaying their impressed excitement with me. I got to speak to the band afterwards and engaged in a long conversation with Terry Chambers, praising him for all his hard work with EXTC and for being one of my favourite drummers of all-time. Thanking me for my enjoyment, he looked out for me as a fellow musician in reminding me that my generation have a wide pool of resources and music venues, and to make sure that we keep the industry alive, otherwise it won’t be there for us or the next generations to make their name as musicians and as artists.
EXTC: XTC’s Terry Chambers and Friends:
Terry Chambers – drums
Steve Hampton – vocals, electric guitar
Terry Lines – vocals, bass guitar
EXTC:
Set One:
‘This Is Pop’ (from 1978 ‘White Music’ album)
‘Statue Of Liberty’ (from 1978 ‘White Music’ album)
‘No Language In Our Lungs’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Love On A Farmboy’s Wages’ (from 1983 ‘Mummer’ album)
‘Real By Reel’ (from 1979 ‘Drums And Wires’ album)
‘Towers Of London’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Paper And Iron (Notes And Coins)’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Senses Working Overtime’ (from 1982 ‘English Settlement’ album)
‘Jason And The Argonauts’ (from 1982 ‘English Settlement’ album)
‘Ball And Chain’ (from 1982 ‘English Settlement’ album)
‘The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead’ (from 1992 ‘Nonsuch’ album)
Set Two:
‘Summer’s Cauldron’ / ‘Grass’ (from 1986 ‘Skylarking’ album)
‘No Thugs In Our House’ (from 1982 ‘English Settlement’ album)
‘Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Rocket From A Bottle’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Respectable Street’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Living Through Another Cuba’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Generals And Majors’ (from 1980 ‘Black Sea’ album)
‘Making Plans For Nigel’ (from 1979 ‘Drums and Wires’ album)
(encore)
‘Stupidly Happy’ (from 2000 ‘Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume Two)’ album)
‘Life Begins At The Hop’ (standalone single / bonus track on 1979 ‘Drums And Wires’ album)
