Published in Melody Maker, 13th February 1982
Altered Images | Gig Review | Hammersmith Palais, London 1982 | with Vic Goddard and the Subway Sect & The Bluebells STRANGE that the real prince charmings never grow up to wear their crowns. Look at poor Edwyn; left standing with his Orange Juice and shorts while Altered Images ran off with the jangling pop hits that were his by divine right.
And now The Bluebells wave their cheeky spirit in gay abandon as the pioneers of the new wimp pop turn to Al Green and still shoot wide of the mark.
Maybe today’s Juice has too many artificial additives, but their old Postcard friends The Bluebells are as pure as carrot cake, and fizzy as lemonade.
Yet there’s nothing self conscious about their breezy presence and tingling tunes even though the melodies can’t quite match the cream of Postcard. Time will prove whether their songs will survive, but for the moment the enthusiasm is for real, so share their fun while it lasts.
Altered Images | Gig Review | Hammersmith Palais, London 1982
You could hardly say there was the same urgency to catch Vic Goddard. The man’s so reliable something says he’ll always be there crooning away to the after hours.
Another of life’s unfortunates, he revived swing and threw in a touch of rockabilly thump for good measure and then who should hear him in the rehearsal studio but old Joe Jackson.
Well if you’re going to steal a style you may as well take it from a master. For the real thing forget Joe and check Vic, or maybe better still, Tony Bennett, in town to show who’s really boss!
The Subway Sect really do swing like a pendulum do, and now The Fun Boys have jumped in on the act it’s time to hear the nearest thing to the original model. Vic’s voice may be a little dodgy, but at least he did it his way.
Which is more than you can say for Altered Images. Their nursery rhyme pop is a pale reflection of early Postcard. Its few endearing qualities seem more fragile than Clare Grogan‘s gossamer frame.
Clare is of course delightful, skipping joyfully across the stage as a manic audience jump incongruously on top of each other in the Palais’s sweaty heat.
Altered Images | Gig Review | Hammersmith Palais, London 1982
Sadly though after a few numbers her voice is more of a croak than a fetching trill. Only her bubbling personality rises through the muddy wash that passes as new pop.
Desperately missing their production tricks, Altered Images sound flat and monochrome, falling back on a repeated “I Could Be Happy” drum beat and the audience’s familiarity with their flimsy songs.
Let’s face it, they couldn’t really go wrong. Everybody was programmed to have a good time before they went and that’s exactly what they did. You see, Altered Images have something that Orange Juice don’t: two hits and a girl. — (Ian Pye)
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