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CHINA CRISIS

With China Crisis music director Jack Hymers onstage with Peter Godwin, it made all the sense in the world to have them perform next. Like Peter Godwin, but only moreso, I have a lot of room in the Record Cell for this band! Almost 50 titles [as they were more prolific than Godwin in releasing things] with room for a few outliers to severe fandom like BBC Transcription Discs and Dutch picture sleeves! Also like Godwin, I’ve made them the focus for a BSOG homeburn project that also included a DVD for that instance! I’ve been thrilled that they have moved forward with both band albums and Gary Daly solo projects when Eddie was busy teaching. And all of these have been magnificent additions to the China Crisis canon.

And now I was finally seeing this band who had beguiled me since 1983 when I chanced to see a bit of the clip for “Working With Fire + Steel.” It’s 2025. I had every album and single, save for the scarce “Christian.” I bought the first pressing CDs. I bought some of the many live albums that I could source. I now have all of the Deluxe Remasters of the band’s Virgin Records oeuvre. They never had a Top 40 hit in America, but that’s to our detriment. Their reputation certainly blossomed amongst the musical cognoscenti here with Steely Dan’s Walter Becker asking Warner Brothers is he could produce their beloved third album, “Flaunt The Imperfection.” I wondered what their set would consist of?

Gary Daly strode onstage in an arresting blue and pink ensemble, rolling up the sleeves of his pink jacket to note the “Miami Vice” vibe of it all. And then they lit into the ebullient Pop [with a dark undercurrent] of “King In A Catholic Style.” A good choice since the “wake up” refrain was easy to sing along with. When I said they never had a Top 40 hit in America, I was referring to the Hot 100 chart, but “Arizona Sky” did reach number 37 on the Adult Contemporary Chart and as such, was probably their calling card to most people here. It was the second song of their set and afforded sax player Eric Animan a chance to luxuriate on the creamy sax fills of that song.

Then they finished off with a pair of tracks from their US debut album, “Working With Fire + Steel [Possible Pop Songs Vol. 2].” First the pixilated title track wherein I noted that Gary didn’t gloss over the F-bomb in the lyrics. And finally, their biggest UK Top 10 hit closed their set out with the wistful “Wishful Thinking.” A song of such beauty and delicacy such that I never tired of hearing it. I recently found an interview where Gary discussed the influence of Brian Eno’s moves towards Country Music on “Another Green World” as influencing the writing of that classic! And then it was over. Another 40+ year obsession distilled into 15 minutes onstage.

THE VAPORS

One of the few graces of the 21st century has been seeing bands that came and went so fast back in the day reunite for another try that was a little more lasting. The Vapors have now doubled their number of albums with this year’s “Wasp In A Jar,” and I was excited to see that they were a part of this lineup. Even though there’s not a huge body of work out there to get, what’s there is quality!

I wondered of the band were going to play any material from their Reformation Period but they opened strong with the clap along favorite “Prisoners.” David Fenton’s son Daniel had assumed guitarist Ed Bazalgette’s place in the lineup after the “Together” album of a few years back. Ed is a busy director and did a tour and contributed to the last album but now Daniel Fenton is one of the band’s four cylinders. On the evidence of seeing him buzzing around the stage looking like a young Joe Strummer with his new ‘do, maybe he was two of the band’s four cylinders!

Two more classics from the “New Clear Days” album followed. The harmonious “Waiting For The Weekend” and, be still my beating heart, “News At Ten,” my personal favorite song from the “New Clear Days” album. The younger Fenton introduced it as “a song he wrote about his old man and now it’s my turn.” If there was ever a single song to encapsulate the strengths of The Vapors, this was the one.

I was pleasantly shocked to next hear “Jimmie Jones” from the under appreciated [but not by me] “Magnets” album 0f 1981. I loved how Daniel cheekily introduced the latter as “now here’s a Pop song about a mass murderer!” I had been pulling for the chance to hear that winner in person and was thrilled that they also thought that the sharp, vivid number was worth revisiting.

We were four songs in and it looked like The Vapors were getting at least one more slot in their set to put across their New Wave Pop hit “Turning Japanese.” As an American, let me state that UK New Wave hits in the US Top 40 were few and far between back in 1980! And this one reached number 36! I was a little surprised that nothing from their two modern albums made the cut, but I get it. This was a retro show. And after that it was time for the home stretch of the program with three more bands.

IMPORTANT VAPORS UPDATE

We just found out that Vapors drummer Michael Bowes was hospitalized when he collapsed after the band’s subsequent August 6th gig in Northfield, Ohio. Unfortunately, this was not the first time this had happened this year with Mr. Bowes. A March 7th show in Brighton, England earlier this year had him hospitalized following his falling ill onstage during the show. Tests gave him a clean bill of health to continue but after this second incident, one can imagine a much deeper probing into the issue. We wish Mr. Bowes a speedy recovery and hope that the source of his ill health will be found.

Next: …‘Yo Flock Of Seagulls