Lemon Jelly: the Brixton duo’s home-turf gig

Lemon Jelly’s tour right in support of the ‘64-95’ album is a show that is their best yet and one of ‘em to remember. It is getting more complex, more technical and somewhat extravagant but the whole point is entertainment by sound and vision without massaging members’ egos. This twosome have always played stealth promo games with aplomb to make The Residents proud.

Lemon Jelly show has become a multimedia package that goes way beyond the mere showbiz. It may have all started with Pink Floyd and Krautrockers, later appropriated by Jean-Michelle Jarre - to detract from the stage inactivity/de-emphasise personalities - but only now artists have the technology to make it all work. Next thing you know it’ll be a virtual gig in your living room and you wouldn’t have to move a muscle bar the finger to activate it by your remote control.

Lemon Jelly - Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen - start with the opening track of the new album, ‘Come Down On Me’, and continue with a repertoire that is as solid as their songs are catchy; alas, the high points come in the shape of old faves, such as ‘Rambling Man’. Real fun and as entertaining as any orgasm!

The only blight on the evening for getting a veteran troubadour to entertain us: Don Partridge wasn’t cool back in the day - i.e. the damn 1960s that hang over our heads like Damocles’s sward of time - and is even less so now. Making him perform covers - such as Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowing In The Wind’ - may appear to be an entertaining way to give away ltd edish of CDs whilst spotting the band's doppelgangers [three of them equalling three covers!]

It was like waiting to hear the future but the past wouldn’t STFU! [If unfamiliar with this acronym, it stand for Shut the F**k Up!] Anyhow, after this testing half hour - it felt like being stuck in a lift for a couple of agonising hours! - things got to where they should be. That’s enjoyable, entertaining, chilling and moving.

After the intriguing album that is the duo’s current release, playing the following night at Kentish Town Forum must have been the reason for the auditorium not being sold out but affording us ample elbow room. It gave us more space for our uncoordinated dance moves in the best David Byrne tradition! God truss.