Playing a rare London show and their first in nine years, the Anglo-Dutch psych-rock trio celebrated their 40th anniversary and the release of their 45th studio album, ‘Angel In The Detail’. Founding members Edward Ka-Spel (vocal, keyboards) and Phil Knight (keyboards, electronics) were joined by Eric Drost (guitars).
The show saw them perform from the new record released last year, beginning on the prog-rock ‘Maid To Measure’ and opening track, the clattering ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’, with the barefooted Ka-Spel whirling to the music. They continued with more of the new album with ‘Itchycoo Shark’ and final track ‘Red Flag’, that trailed out on Knight’s electronic effects.
The Pink Dots then moved onto older material from the early ’90s with the trancing spring sound of ‘Disturbance’ from their album ‘The Maria Dimension’, and the harpsicordian ‘Just A Lifetime’ from ‘The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse’.
They ended their show on a shortened down version of ‘Andromedia Suite’ from ‘Chemical Playschool 8’, with a heavier guitar rock chorus, and an encore that saw a return to ‘The Crushed Velvet Apocaypse’, with ‘Hellsville’.
29/02/20: The Legendary Pink Dots @ MOTH Club, London.
Photos © E. Gabriel Edvy/Blackswitch Labs.
© Ayisha Khan.