He was enduring a lot of pain and anxiety during the final stages of the album nevertheless he was totally involved keen and motivated
He is recovering right now so lets all pray this is not his swansong.
This album is really blowing my mind. A surprise top 5 2014 for me for sure.
Saw them last Thursday on the penultimate show of the tour (they were opening for Magma on the last, which also coincided with Kavus' birthday, the combination of which seemed to fill him with high anticipation !), in Lille. I'd say there were about 400 people in the audience. I don't think many of them knew Daevid wouldn't be there until they read the note taped on the entrance door. They seemed reserved to begin with but the band ultimately won them over and there were two encores. The set was a mixture of "Camembert" (almost the complete album) and "I See You" with a few other bits ("Oily Way" medley & "OM Riff"). Clearly an excellent band, all very into it and with obvious camaraderie (this includes the new drummer who was a very Pip-like bundle of energy). Now the question remains of whether, if Daevid doesn't return to active duty, they can keep touring as Gong and be accepted by venues and fans as legitimate, given that the longest-serving members have only been in the band 5 years and the frontman wasn't even a member of the previous (2012) tour. This recent tour was booked when it was thought Daevid would be part of it, and a lot of the dates fell through once it was announced he wouldn't. Not sure what they could achieve as far as booking a tour if Daevid's presence would be ruled out from the outset. On the basis of the reception they got in Lille (I heard the London show was a blast, but it could be argued that the presence of Hillage, Howlett and Theo Travis added considerably to the excitement), there is hope for a future without Daevid as an active member, but as far as I know, the band's future is unclear right now. It's a shame as the album is getting great reception and everyone in the current band (& let's not forget Orlando) had a significant part in creating it.
Calyx (Canterbury Scene) - http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr
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Too bad the show here got cancelled (as soon as the promoter heard it is sans Daevid...)
This looks like a killer setlist, I love Camembert (still waiting to the new one to arrive but reviews seem to be praising)
I am also not too bothered by the absence of Orlando- I have seen him live and find him a mediocre drummer (to put it mildly).
I trust that in the studio the same miracle that happened with his drumming in Acid Motherhood will happen again in I See you
^ it did.
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
^ With Udi at the helm for the mix / production, I had no doubt that it will
That is one fine album. Only a couple listens and it's stickin' real nice. Cheers!
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
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