Talking of El ‘Cudas, the boys were on fine form the other night at the Borderline just off the Charring Cross Road in London. Their hour-long set began with thirty minutes of surf/punk material while the second half hour added a primed Chris Wilson with the emphasis on later period tunes. How old is Wilson? 53? 54? 55? ‘cause he sure is looking fit and well for someone who has done a lot of rock’n’rolling and imbibed the odd dram of whisky. Bounding onto the stage wearing a big shirt and an even bigger semi-solid guitar he tore into “I Can’t Pretend” and in so doing brought the sort of perfectly balanced twin-guitar attack that you rarely witness but often dream about. While Wills concentrated on chords, Wilson added tasteful fills and would occasionally hit the neck of his guitar or the whammy bar for sheer devilment. Jeremy Gluck was on great form too and made the occasional foray into the decent-sized crowd while the two guys from the Scoundrelles built the musical foundations upon which Wills and Wilson launched themselves effortlessly. Pure magic for those of us who still believe in this kinda stuff. If someone had said to me at the Hope & Anchor in ’84 that “…in twenty years time you’re gonna see this band again and they’re gonna be every bit of good, if not better,” I would have demanded a pint of whatever they were drinking. Paris, are you ready?
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