The ‘Expecting Company’ tour
Terry Bennett (vocals) / Dai Shell (guitars) / Ralph Evans (guitars) / Ricky John Holt (bass) / Robert “Congo” Jones (drums)
Great band! I loved these Welsh rockers and would go on to see them three more times, but this was my initiation to their brand of proggy, melodic, even country-rock, and they were also yet another band with close harmonies.
At the time they were touring their first album, ‘Expecting Company‘, released in 1973, the highlight of which was the terrific opener ‘Electric Chair‘. I vividly recall them playing ‘Beans and Things‘ with its extended drum/percussion central segment, and also the ballad-like ‘Across The Seas Of Stars‘. ‘School Days‘ was another rocker that they delivered with aplomb as well as the lengthy piece ‘The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg‘. They had a non-album single out at the time –‘Oh My (Don’t It Make You Want To Cry)‘ – which they probably played too, but I can’t confirm this as I don’t know this track at all.
I was clearly impressed because, as I have already said, I would make the effort to see the band three more times over the next forty (yes, forty!) years. I would also go on to buy all three of their studio albums on vinyl, records which I still have and regularly play right up to the present day!
Setlist: unknown, but see above
Just four days after my gig, on 19th March, the band appeared on the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test programme to promote the new album. Here’s an advert from a music paper to prove it.
YouTube has the following two videos which are not attributed to any particular programme, but they are definitely the ones from Whistle Test, so please enjoy ‘School Days‘ and ‘Busted Country Blues‘. Surprisingly there is no intro or final comment from the genial host but the transmission is definitely listed for that date on The Whispering Bob Harris Archive.
Gigs'n'Stuff 