destroying all monsters

The ‘Nephs’ are back for a gig in London.

ONE OF THE best live bands that I’ve ever had the good fortune to see were the Fields of the Nephilim. Back in my ‘goth’ days in the late 1980s/early 1990s I think I must have seen them at least twice, and they were almost as scorching in recorded form too, with a string of excellent albums, culminating (for me at least) with the outstanding Elizium.

While Elizium didn’t include the band’s best tracks, it was their most coherent album; 50 minutes of awesome in vinyl form. However, from their very earliest days, the group – or at least the Nephilim’s front man, Carl McCoy – looked likely to disappear up their own backsides at some point in the future. I recall this happening around 1991/2, and the history of the band over the next decade and a half has become something of a legend.

I wasn’t surprised when I was informed that the band had reformed – the cynic in me wonders if McCoy was faced with getting back with the lads or shelf stacking at his local Asda – and I was even less taken aback to hear that the Neph were planning on playing live again. The London Astoria will again play host to the flour-laden doom merchants on May 27th, and I’m wondering if I want to go.

They were such a defining band of my youth, and so good live, that I can’t help but think that seeing them again would only serve to do two things. Firstly, trash all those great memories I have of them first time around and secondly, mark me out as the sad old 35-year-old that I am, desperately trying to cling to my rapidly fading youth by going to see a band that I last travelled to see when I had just chalked up two decades.

I dunno, I think I’ll play it by ear. As far as I can tell, the gig hasn’t sold out (a surprise?) and I’m loathe to pay the Mean Fiddler’s extortionate booking fees for buying them over the Internet (a £16.50 ticket magically becomes £22 after fees and P&P). I’ll pop along to the Astoria next time I’m in London and buy them direct. If they are sold out, then it wasn’t to be!

It might be interesting to go from a social aspect. I know friends who are sure to be going, but I’m not really talking about that kind of social. When I saw Leatherface, ‘Snuff’ et al before Christmas, it was fascinating seeing all the old punks come out to play, and I suspect that this gig will see all the old goths drag themselves out of their caves (read: stockbrokers leave their Surrey piles for the evening). Gotta be worth the £20 to see that?