A print-at-home ticket
The ‘Selling England by the Pound 50th Anniversary’ tour
Denis Gagné (lead vocals, flute, occasional percussion) / François Gagnon (6-string electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string guitar) / Sébastien Lamothe (bass, bass pedals, 12-string guitar, vocals) / Ian Benhamou (keyboards, 12-string guitar, vocals) / Marc Laflamme (drums, percussion, vocals)
Word has it that if you want to see the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis in their pomp then there is no better way to do it than through watching this lot. Well, I saw the real thing way back in 1975, but this was my first chance to catch this world-famous Canadian tribute band. They toured last year playing all of ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ but, as I had already seen that performed by the real band, I kept my powder dry until this year when I was guaranteed to see something different. And so it turned out as the band decided to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the classic ‘Selling England by the Pound’ album, an all-time favourite of mine. The tour was supposed to replicate the 1973 tour, down to the songs played and the props used. A minor point – and in no way a criticism – is that on the original tour back in the early 70s Genesis didn’t play ‘The Knife’ as an encore; purists may well scoff at this whereas I see it as a positive bonus!
A bit of background to the album itself… Having released the wonderful ‘Foxtrot’ on 15th September 1972 the band were busy crafting their next new album – ‘Selling England…’ – which wouldn’t see the light of day until just over a year later, 28th September 1973. In the interim the band’s label, Charisma, decided to cash in on the groundswell of support for the band by releasing the budget-priced ‘Genesis Live’. Initially recorded for radio broadcast on the American rock programme King Biscuit Flower Hour, the album is formed from the recordings of shows at Free Trade Hall, Manchester and De Montfort Hall, Leicester in February 1973 during the band’s tour supporting ‘Foxtrot‘. The group’s manager, Tony Stratton Smith said that the low price would allow it to be sold in stores such as Woolworths and W.H. Smith. Having bought ‘Foxtrot’ after first being exposed to it, I remember going out and buying this album for just £1.49 and playing it endlessly (still do). Whilst contemporary critics were not too fond of it, more modern reviews are of the opinion that the tracks presented here are better than any of their studio counterparts. Either way, it filled a gap…
Fast forward to September 1973 and I know for a fact that I went into town (Scarborough) from school to buy a copy of ‘Selling England By The Pound’ from Oz Records on Victoria Road, quite probably the day that it was released. This album was – and is – exquisite. Gabriel’s lyrics were as witty and clever as ever (much to the chagrin of the miserable Tony Banks) and Steve Hackett’s guitar work was probably never better on a Genesis record. I do remember there being a bit of an outcry that the band had ‘sold out’ by releasing a single that actually charted, but in later days I have bought this single too because the B-side is the non-album ‘Twilight Alehouse’, an old live favourite.
And so, here we are in 2024, just over fifty years since the album hit the racks. I hadn’t been to Sheffield City Hall for several years and this was the first time that I had gone under my own steam (I’m not good driving around towns and cities that I am not familiar with) so it was a relief to get parked up and discover that I was only a five minute walk away from the venue. 🙂
And what a seat I had! Sixth row stalls, dead centre! Perfect – until you get the usual basketball player come to sit directly in front at five minutes before kick-off! Tiered seating is a must these days and I shall remember this when booking again. And finally where seating is concerned, can I just add that I certainly paid heavily for the privilege of such a good seat; this is the first and last time that I will ever pay anywhere near £63 to see a tribute band.
At this juncture I might normally say that if I closed my eyes I could imagine that this really was 1973/74 vintage Genesis, but on this occasion that deception applied to the visuals too. Apparently many years ago Genesis sold all of their props to the band and so what we see are exactly the same costumes and backdrops. The musicians themselves – especially lead vocalist Gagné – replicate the performance style and mannerisms too, right down to the tuning-up between songs and Gabriel’s original stories used to fill the gaps caused by these interruptions. Part of the band’s publicity quotes Peter Gabriel as having said, “The recreation is faithfully accurate,”, and Phil Collins as saying, “I think these guys play it better than we did,” and he is known to have once drummed for them during an encore.
And then, of course, there were the songs themselves. If I had been allowed to hand-pick a setlist from this era then all of these songs would be included, with the greedy addition of ‘Return of the Giant Hogweed’, ‘Happy the Man’ and ‘Twilight Alehouse’ all three acknowledged fan favourites, but perhaps I will need to wait for a celebration of the ‘Nursery Cryme’ album before I ever get to see those live. And, of course, the songs were performed in almost note-perfect fashion, with one unfortunate exception. Keyboards player Benhamou made a bollox of the intro to ‘Firth of Fifth’, but this is not unusual as it is known that Tony Banks himself struggled to get this right every time. To date, of the keyboards players that I have seen attempt it, only Roger King of Steve Hackett‘s touring band has managed to nail this particular piece.
All of the genuine original props and costumes were in evidence: the bat wings and cloak for ‘Watcher of the Skies’; the Britannia costume for ‘Dancing with the Moonlit Knight’; the country bumpkin hat and wheat for ‘I Know What I Like‘; the old man mask for ‘The Musical Box’; the black stocking mask and Reverend’s collar and tie for ‘The Battle of Epping Forest‘; and famously the flower, the Magog box mask and the white catsuit and light tube for the conclusion to ‘Supper’s Ready’. What more could a fan ask for?
My two hours passed most pleasantly surrounded by like-minded people although many obviously have very low bladder thresholds these days, such was the number of times rows of people had to stand to allow folks to leave and re-enter. It was a night of perfection: perfect music from a bygone age; and a perfect show (for that was what you always got from Genesis).
I have now seen the original Genesis, Italian band The Watch, English tribute band ReGenesis and The Musical Box. The latter three are undoubtedly very good at what they do. ReGenesis were (now defunct) a straight tribute band using self-made props and costumes and achieving a good standard, whilst The Watch also write and perform their own material in the same style as Genesis and do sound remarkably like them, albeit without employing any of the visual theatrics. But pride of place clearly goes to The Musical Box. Will I go and see them again? Possibly, but only if they celebrate ‘Nursery Cryme’ and I can get a cheaper ticket.
Another brilliant night wallowing in musical nostalgia. 😊🎸🎹
Setlist: Watcher of the Skies; Dancing with the Moonlit Knight; The Cinema Show; I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe); Firth of Fifth; The Musical Box; Horizons; The Battle of Epping Forest; Supper’s Ready; Encore: The Knife
And here are pictures of the two Gabriel posters that I used to have on my wall at college 1976-79; both masks were in evidence at tonight’s gig.
Gigs'n'Stuff 