Pop-concert with different achievements in the Weser-Ems-Halle

Oldenburg. After the remarkably good concerts which were given recently at the Oldenburg Pop-Scene in the Weser-Ems-Hall, this last one - except for a few bright spots - was relatively limp. Really special were only Audience, whose virtuoso guitarist Howard Worth was lonely at the top.

He played brilliant solos on his concert-guitar, which were stylistically near those of the classical Spanish composers. It's pleasing that an audience of a pop-concert knew how to appreciate this. Out of the team-work of guitar and saxophone resulted a completely new sound, and the musical dimension of this group stayed unsurpassed.
Fluttering sounds on the flute, a drum solo with many gags and an extraordinarily good togetherness of the group made Audience the highlight of this Pop-Session. The openers of the concert were Jackson Heights. With a line-up of three guitarist and a drummer, there are limited frontiers for sound-possibilities, but the four exhausted them fully. No boring strumming around, but precisely different playing and one special effect: Lee Jackson played his bass guitar sometimes with a bow. Exceptionally good vocals - solo and chorus - in "Insomnia" and "Cry of Eugene".

A disappointment was the "Draught-horse" of the evening, the Van Der Graaf Generator. Indeed David Jackson managed somehow to blow two saxophones at once and the band-leader Peter Ham(m)ill was doubtless the best - most expressive and capable to change - vocalist of this concert, but all in all: pop-music as usual.

Really painful was what Ham(m)ill produced on the guitar. Anyone who thinks he can go on stage with such beginner's playing is wrong. Corpus guitars are now in, but for better, Peter should only sing and occasionally practice at home - as he is making this tour with Howard Werth of Audience.

Translation by Adrian Haegele