FROM - NOEL IN ACCRINGTON, ENGLAND.



Peter Hammill at the Quays Theatre, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester.

8.00pm Sunday 16th February 2003.

The theatre was just about full when Peter and Stuart came on the stage to a very enthusiastic reception at 8.00pm. It is a long time since Peter has been in the North of England and it was good to see he has not been forgotten. What followed was an absolute treat.

The concert and encore lasted about 105 minutes in total with no interval.

Peter gave a vocally strong performance with Stuart supplying yet another lesson in 'total support' from the electric violin. It was clear they were enjoying playing and their 'sense of purpose' came through right from the opening sequences of Amnesiac. Excellent playing all night made it hard to pick obvious highlights.

Peter was talkative. He stopped playing at the start of Nothing Comes and jokingly told off the enthusiastic audience for clapping at the start of each song. He reminded them he was not a cabaret artist - but maybe in a few years time !

Just before Crossed Wires the Red Guitar failed to amplify correctly and the subsequent swap to the second guitar also failed. Peter decided the problem must have been due to Stuart stealing his batteries. Something which Stuart actually appeared to agree with !

Peter finally got the Brown Guitar going after going into the wiring on the floor. On the night Peter said 3 times that he had enjoyed playing in Manchester and hoped to return. I'm sure the majority of the audience would be only too happy to see him in Manchester again shortly.

SET LIST

Red Guitar

Amnesiac
If I Could
The Ice Hotel

Brown Guitar

Slender Threads
(On Tuesday's she used to do) Yoga
Bareknuckle Trade

Keyboard

The Siren Song
Nothing Comes
A Better Time
Bubble
A Way Out

Brown Guitar (Red Guitar amplification problem)

Crossed Wires

Red Guitar (problem fixed)

Time for a Change
Modern

Encore - Keyboard

Traintime

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Many thanks Noel!