I have emerged from the XTC wormhole clutching a handful of strange gems. Firstly, via my old friend and band mate, Jones Rutledge, three long interviews with each of Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory, from 2008 on Rundgren Radio. (Runt produced "Skylarking," dontcha know.) And secondly, a 70-minute set from February, 1982, just two days before the release of their breakthrough, "English Settlement," and a matter of weeks before it all came crashing down.
I passed through the less-than aesthetically blessed Swindon the other day on the train, and it sent me down an XTC rabbit hole, once again, as I recalled that they hailed from that town. This band was a huge presence on my turntable and in my imagination for a number of years during its prime, and I always vaguely thought Swindon must be some sort of really special place. I still have no proof that this is the case, though I am open to persuasion. On the other hand, this clip provides definite proof that they were probably one of the tightest and most musically adventurous live acts of their age, not long before it all went wrong for Andy Partridge and they were exiled to the strange realm of "studio bands who never play live."
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