gigsplurge 28: the mclusky reunion remuneration proposal

mclusky, bullingdon arms, oxford, 18 january 2001 etc. etc.

i'll be honest: i'll struggle to write much about mclusky on the gigsplurge. the band played oxford approximately once every three months, for three to four years, playing the same venue virtually every time, always with a similar set of rasping, buzzing, Pavement-gone-ADHD, Albini-nasty punk screeds, always with a different set of sacred-cow targets for between-song Bill Hicks-riffing onstage outbursts.

mclusky were never less than the best, funniest band in britain, never much different. they had an evangelical preacher's knack for making you feel good by telling you you're a piece of crap. andy falkous could make you feel a craven moron for shilling for a 'blur: are shite' t-shirt. so:

mclusky's posthumous veneration as something bordering on the best british punk band since the pistols (if you hate the clash) or the clash (if you hate the pistols) is one of the more baffling--and pleasing--developments in the stateside indie media during the last ten years. in some sense, it provides a nice karmic balance to the equally-odd embrace of post-OK Computer radiohead records, balancing the pretence and pomposity of the latter lot with directness, energy, honesty, and an ironic wit blunt enough to cross the ocean. there we have it.

having seen a lot of the funky troupes of my provincial youth reunite for "that cheese", i'm brewing a formula for band reunion finances. ten points:

(i) the angle of incidence of increased critical acclaim is clearly a key factor, as is

(ii) the lack of people who saw the original incarnation.

(iii) the quality of subsequent bands' outputs, divided by

(iv) the profile of said bands also acts in msclusky's favour, what with all future of the left reviews announcing a great record by a band that isn't mclusky.

(v) the likelihood of a fracas, reigniting old tensions, and thus keeping the reunion short and maximally profitable.

(vi) three LPs, three nights at camden koko on the Don't Look Back Circuit.

(vii) the kanye of acerbic lo-fi post-punk, falkous will say something funny at the first gig, equalling mad blog hits.

(viii) the age of the target audience should be borne in mind for maximum cheddar extraction: GMS just turned thirty and found himself rich beyond the dreams of avarice (try it).

(ix) ATP didn't book them the first time around. as someone who has booked mclusky, that's a serious dent to credibility on the cut-throat alt-rock circuit. automatic headline slot at butlins.

(x) posters.

gigsplurge 16: mclusky etc., october 2000

Mclusky, Cubare & Wingnut, Bullingdon Arms, Oxford, 12 October 2000

The second in our series of self-promoted evenings at Oxford's glamorous Bullingdon Arms. Can't remember anything about Wingnut, though I have a hunch they were a group of people's dads from Abingdon. Cubare were, I think, a bit Pavement (I'm going out on a limb here).

Mclusky were, of course, that insane Welsh band that Pitchfork still rave about years after their demise like they were a sort of Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock version of Tupac. Their feted status puzzles me--at the time, they never graduated from playing the Bully every second month--although it's entirely gratifying, given that they were one of the best punk bands Britain ever produced.

GMS is off to see Mclusky's successors, Future of the Left, in a couple of weeks. Can anybody guess where? Here's the barmy moment when someone let Mclusky on a telly show.