It's just another fading memory...


Here's our reviews from 2000: click away to read reviews from 2002, 2001, 1999 and 1998.


The Army and Navy, Chelmsford, Essex - Friday, October 6, 2000 [set list by Ken]

Behind The Lines / No Son Of Mine / Domino / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Jesus He Knows Me / Blood On The Rooftops / The Lady Lies / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Slippermen - Afterglow / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: I Know What I Like


The Boat Race, Cambridge - Saturday, September 30, 2000 [set list by Richard]

Behind The Lines / No Son Of Mine / One For The Vine / Domino / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Fading Lights / Horizons / Blood On The Rooftops / The Lady Lies / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Slippermen - Afterglow / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Turn It On Again / The Knife

Just a note to the Invisible Touch guys (and gal) for a thoroughly enjoyable night on Saturday. The arrangements of the songs were so spot on I always knew what was coming next before it had even started playing. The Cage Medley screamed. Even my mate who I forced into going along seemed to have changed his opinion of Genesis as a result.

Mark Golland

From the Invisible Touch mailbox...

Wow! What a fantastic night. I saw the band the first time they played The Boat Race but this was just so much better. I thought that the group were a very tight outfit before but this time out they were just superb. Thanks for coming back to Cambridge and lets hope it's not too long before you return.

Jason Wakeling


The Half Moon, Putney, London SW15 - Sunday, August 27, 2000 [set list by Tony]

Behind The Lines / No Son Of Mine / One For The Vine / Dodo - Lurker / Abacab / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Fading Lights / The Lady Lies / Horizons / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: I Know What I Like


The Earl of Chatham, Woolwich, London SE18 - Saturday, June 24, 2000 [set list by Singer Dave]

Mama / Abacab / Domino / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Jesus He Knows Me / Horizons / One for the Vine / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Land Of Confusion / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: I Can't Dance / I Know What I Like / Turn It On Again / The Knife

This was the first time that I have ventured forth to see a tribute band, and so was unsure of quite what to expect, notwithstanding positive comments on this newsgroup. I arrived at 9.15pm, and saw the band setting up. A couple of sound checks were tried, and amid some worried and irked faces, renditions of "Dodo" and "Hold on my Heart" were heard.

The sound was a little worrying as the overall sound tended to drown out the keyboards early on, and some nuances that I could see were being put in by Mr. Mills were lost, and at times the vocal was too deeply buried. When the check had finished, after lots of feedback and pulling of faces, Dave Whitehouse, the lead singer, offered a sheepish "We will be better than you're thinking!" My mind wandered back to Earl's Court in February '98, when I thought, "Please don't let them be crap!" (Which they weren't.) After a typical delay to the stated start time of 10.30, IT arrived on stage in the same manner as Genesis had done many times and opened with "Mama" and "Abacab".

Dave Whitehouse is an interesting front man. He (naturally) smacks a little of Phil Collins, but is far from being a mimic. People on "Stars in their Eyes" tend to ape a singer's performance totally, whereas Dave was not frightened of either singing the original version of a melody, rather than Phil's usual embellishment, or ad libbing some lines as he saw fit. His range is very suitable to the task, and his performance said, "Hey! These are Genesis songs!" without being simply transcriptions of his heroes' efforts. I particularly liked his renditions of "Squonk" And "One for the Vine". I suspect that the Collins style intros to "Domino" and "Home by the Sea" were pastiches, otherwise, I think that they didn't quite come off. (Sorry :-) )

Phil Das Bhakta on drums purveyed her obvious enthusiasm for the task in hand. She kept a tight beat running throughout, and put some interesting variations to the rhythmic patterns that we all know so well. The thing that struck me most about Phil was that she successfully made the Drum Duet between "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos" work as a solo effort. This is pretty cool, as I have never REALLY liked the Drum Duet, and generally find drum solos tedious.

Richard Mills showed some touches of real Banksism. Banksism is the art of playing like a bloody octopus, whilst maintaining the feel and passion of the composer's works. "Firth of Fifth" was Richard's forte this evening, though his contribution was near perfect throughout.

Tony Burton on bass was totally out of my view due to a very badly placed pillar. That is to say that the band had to set up with Dave and Dave out front, Richard behind but in sight, Phil just in sight well back, and Tony hidden. Totally. Not his sound, though. Tony played with gusto, and with Phil provided a well oiled engine room for the others to work above.

And on to the person who really made me sit up and listen, Dave Woodward. I had a brief chat with Dave before the gig got under way, and he recalled a time that gave him a real brown trousers moment. I won't regale you with that tale now; Dave can tell you it if he wants to. Suffice to say, when he played the piece in question, the original purveyor of the plectrummed strings would have nodded approvingly. Dave was excellent on "Firth of Fifth", "Abacab", "Blood on the Rooftops", "One for the Vine" and the "In The Cage" Medley (Which finished with "Apocalypse in 9/8" and "Eggs is Eggs" rather than "Afterglow"), but the highlight of the whole evening was Dave's solo rendition of a Hackett gem. You had to listen very hard at times when Dave was playing in acoustic mode, as the Chatham is a pub, and some of the regulars talked very loudly. The effort put in in terms of listening was well worth the resultant satisfaction of hearing a brilliant version of "Horizons".

What didn't I like about the gig? Nothing much, really. The occasional loss of some keyboard sound amongst the overall depth of sound; The fact that they didn't do a kicking version of their eponimity; The fact that as a non-smoking teetotaller I spent nigh on five hours in a busy pub on a Saturday night.

Was it worth (1) the smelly clothes, (2) the unwanted chat with an already drunken ex-musician (who could have made it if he had been taller and not from *****, and was very sorry but he was pissed, and would I ignore everything he said etc etc etc); (3) the bad view; (which the Manager of the gaff was very critical of himself: He wants to get a bigger venue) (4) that the weather didn't permit that the gig be in the garden; (5) that they didn't rend "Afterglow"? (My favourite) and (6) the jealousy of not being on stage belting out the numbers chosen? Yes, yes, a resounding yes. Invisible Touch were worth every penny (that I didn't have to pay) and I will make the effort to see them again.

If YOU want to see Genesis in concert, you should only venture forth to see IT if you are prepared to hear a few wrong notes, and some stylistic differences from the "norm". Whilst they are billed as a tribute band, they are not Genesis, and I got the impression that they do not set out to be. If you want to see a band playing Genesis numbers in a vigorous committed way, then I heartily recommend this group of musicians.

William Elsom


The Fatling and Firkin, Hornchurch, Essex - Saturday, May 20, 2000 [set list by Ken]

Mama / Abacab / Domino / Jesus He Knows Me / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Land Of Confusion / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: I Can't Dance / I Know What I Like / Turn It On Again


The Boat Race, Cambridge - Saturday, April 29, 2000 [set list by Guitar Dave]

Mama / Abacab / Domino / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / One For The Vine / Jesus He Knows Me / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Land Of Confusion / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Horizons / Invisible Touch / Turn It On Again / The Knife / I Know What I Like

As a big fan of Genesis and also tribute bands, I've been hoping to see Invisible Touch for a while now. When I heard that they were playing in Cambridge, I decided to make the 170 mile round trip from Coventry (thank god for the A14). Was it worth it? Definitely!

The band put on a great performance of songs from throughout Genesis' varied career. All the members of the band played to a very high level which makes it unfair to single anyone out for special praise. However, Dave Woodward's enthusiasm and 'manic' facial expressions certainly added to the enjoyment. Is he always like this, or was he egged on by his "hometown" crowd? Seemingly note perfect renditions of "Horizons" and "Blood on the Rooftops" were also very impressive.

I was also impressed with Dave Whitehouse's easy going manner with the crowd and tremendous vocal performance. A lot of people (including Dave and Phil Collins) believe that being the singer is "the easy gig". However, to sing powerfully for the best part of two and a half hours is a fair achievement. Especially as a large amount of material was from the Collins era, which I'm sure is more difficult to sing (this is what I've always found when I'm singing along to the records anyway;)).

The high points for me? Being a confirmed fan of the "four-piece" albums, "One for the Vine" and the stunning version of "Blood on the Rooftops" were particularly enjoyable. The version of "Fountain of Salmacis" was storming and of the new songs "Jesus He Knows Me" was my favourite. Any low points? Not really. I could live without both "Home by the Sea" and "Domino" in the set. However, they were played with an enthusiasm and vigour missing from the last couple of Genesis tours, which made it much less of a hardship.

Thanks to all the band for a great evening. If you get the chance to see Invisible Touch, don't hesitate. I can't think of many better ways of spending a Saturday night than listening to some of your favourite songs, played well.

Brian Villiers

I've just got back from tonights IT gig - its the first I've seen these guys, and I must say they were very impressive. The final chords of "I Know What I Like" are still ringing in my ears, and the full set list escapes me, but highlights for me included perfect renditions of "Blood on the Rooftops" and "Horizons". The lead guitarist really is top class, a truly talented man. The "In The Cage / Cinema Show / In the Quite earth / Apocalypse In 9/8" medley was also spot on. I'm not sure what sort of reaction the band usually get from a crowd, but Cambridge seemed to warm to them rather well and people were in something of a frenzy by the end. Five pounds for over 2 and a half hours of (almost) perfectly executed live Genesis is great value for money, and if these guys come anywhere near you I strongly recommend you go and see them.

Paul Mawdsley

Just got back from the gig and I have to say it was just superb. The sound was excellent, the choice of songs was spot on and had something for everyone. I took the time to thank all the band members after the show and I'll just take the chance to say thank you again and I hope you'll be back up this way soon as I shall encourage a few more friends to come along.

Jason Wakeling

From the Invisible Touch mailbox...

Congratulations on a great gig on Saturday - well worth driving down from Derby for! I liked the way you didn't just play the obvious songs - "Blood on the Rooftops" was fantastic, and was always one of my favourites.

Ian Lane

Just like to say thanks for a great night at the Boat Race on Saturday - a truely awesome gig. What an atmosphere - I have rarely experienced an audience like that at any gig. A superb 2 hours 40 minutes - lots of laughs, great new stories by Dave. Brilliant audience participation - what can I say? I am still recovering. And there was Woody thinking the place would be empty!

Paul Gates

I just had to drop you a line to say how much I and my family enjoyed the Invisible Touch gig at The Boat Race last Saturday. It brought back memories of the Genesis concert I saw at the Lyceum in London in 1980 - probably before some of you were born or, at least, when you were very young! Your performance of songs like "Squonk", "Blood On The Rooftops", "The Fountain Of Salmacis", "Firth Of Fifth", "In The Cage" and "Apocalypse In 9/8" (I could go on and on) certainly brought back memories of my relative youth. I tend to prefer the Gabriel/early Collins era and I was very spoilt that night. I have never heard The Knife live - apart from on CD - so that was quite an experience.

Chris Jones


The Standard Music Venue, Walthamstow, E17 - Sunday, April 9, 2000 [set list by Richard]

Mama / Abacab / Domino / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Jesus He Knows Me / Horizons / One For The Vine / Fading Lights / In The Cage - The Cinema Show - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / Land Of Confusion / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: I Know What I Like / Turn It On Again

In general, the performance was better than at the recent gig at the Half Moon (which went down well nonetheless), which had seen a few mishaps, many of which (ie - splinters) were out of the band's control. Another great audience, albeit smaller than at Putney carried the band throughout with some hearty enthusiasm (and there seemed to be quite a few first-timers there). "Firth of Firth" was back to it's best, and "Dance on a Volcano" was in safe hands in the absence of the aforementioned splinters.

The set was a good mixture of staple favorites and some older tunes making a comeback, the longer 80s-90s tracks making a comeback, and sounding better than ever. "The Last Domino" was as energetic as could be imagined, and "Fading Lights" was played to perfection, with the peeling-off (and back on again) of band members adding to the atmosphere already generated by a competent light show and enthusiastic smoke machines.

Another truly flawless "Horizons" performance (Dave Woodward's signature - surely an essential part of an IT gig these days. Don't stop!) was followed by a well-rehearsed "One for the Vine", much improved since Putney, with the guitar and keyboard lines sitting much happier together.

"The Cage" medley produced the biggest surprise of the night, being basically a cross between the '83 and '86 tour versions. Unfortunately, the mix at this point of the set had become a bit patchy, so some of the guitar sounds during "Cinema Show" and subsequently (notably during the song "Invisible Touch") were at times a bit raucous. However, the gamble otherwise paid off, and I'm looking forward to hearing it again!

Another amazing drum solo led into a slick "Los Endos", and for once the shouts for "Turn It On Again" far outnumbered those for "The Knife", which tonight would be left in the kitchen drawer. However, the band went down very well, and the vibes are good for a return to the Standard in the not-too-distant future, possibly on a Saturday next time. I'm sure we'll hear about it here soon...

The next IT gig will be in Cambridge in a little under 3 weeks. So for all you lot in the lower midlands - now's your chance to check out Invisible Touch for yourself...

Will Ingram


The Red Lion, Northfleet, Kent - Saturday, March 11, 2000 [set list by Singer Dave/Phil]

Mama / Abacab / Domino / Jesus He Knows Me / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Land Of Confusion / In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: I Know What I Like / Turn It On Again / The Knife


The Half Moon, Putney, London SW15 - Sunday, March 5, 2000 [set list by Tony]

Dodo - Lurker / Abacab / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Land Of Confusion / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Jesus He Knows Me / One For The Vine / Snowbound / Horizons / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / I Know What I Like / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Dancing With The Moonlit Knight - The Carpet Crawlers / The Knife

As you might imagine from their name, IT cover quite a few of the jolly pop hits, but there's other more substantial bits and pieces plonked in too, going back as far as "The Knife" (shortened Duke tour version) and a complete "Fountain of Salmacis" :) Most of the post-Duke stuff they played failed to thrill me because I prefer the Gabriel and earlyish Collins years, but fair play to them, they played it by and large pretty well, with (IMO) several stand-out moments - a very creditable "In The Cage", medlied nicely with "...In That Quiet Earth" and the 9/8 bit and onwards of "Supper's Ready". Also very good was "Blood On The Rooftops". Generally a high standard of musicianship all round; the guitarist especially impressed, but the singer was very strong too. The bass player, by contrast, appeared to have had an off-night, fluffing a few notes here and there and generally looking a bit unhappy. It emerged at the end that he had a splinter in his finger, so his difficulties can be put down to that. (Thanks everso for the 'sympathy', everyone - TB.)

Overall well worth a fiver, especially on a night when there's nothing decent apart from Harry Hill on telly. So the fact that Edinburgh Festival-acclaimed comedian Al Murray, who incidentally plays Harry Hill's younger brother Alan on the Harry Hill show was there, drinking beer and singing along to the older stuff, made the evening complete for me.

Draxie

I really enjoyed the show: the thing is I haven't heard much of that music "out loud" and to do so was very exciting. As a big fan of the Trick/Wuthering phase (and not averse to a spot of Duke - come on guys!) it was wonderful to hear all of that stuff - "Blood on the Rooftops" - kudos! And "Fountain of Salmacis" was great fun. I can't say I had any problems with anyone's playing or anything (though I have to agree that the "Abacab" end section was/is a bit long, but they were only being faithful to the original!!!) Anyway, I sung myself hoarse (which is making touring this week rather difficult). Thanks guys!!

Al Murray (Pub Landlord)

I have seen IT live about 5 times now and being a total Genesis fan (of all eras) they appeal to me the most out of the tribute bands available. They also have superb delivery. They are constantly learning new songs - "One for the Vine" was played on Sunday for the first time with Dave Woodward - and it was superb.

Dave Whitehouse is a great frontman and singer and really tries (usually successfully) to get the audience involved. Dave Woodward (an excellent guitarist) has really developed a good onstage interaction with the other Dave. The rest of the band are extremely competent - especially Phil Duke who has to be one of the best semi-pro drummers I have ever seen.

For those waverers who are unsure as whether to spend a fiver on IT - do it, I can assure you won't regret it and you will probably want more...

Paul Gates

I have now made my second journey to the UK and coincidentally, my second chance to see Invisible Touch.

I arrived in London on Sunday morning from America and was happy to have the chance to see the band again (and the whole set this time). I arrived early and settled in to watch the soundcheck. The room quickly began to fill with people and the band took the stage (which I actually thought was a little small for all the equipment, actually Tony cracked Dave's elbow with his bass once!)

The Set: "Dodo - Lurker": Nice way to start the set, people in the crowd seemed to be into it. I saw quite a few people started to move and sing along. The group handled this one very well. I got the impression that Dave may have had a little nervousness as he started the show but that soon disappeared. "Abacab": Always been one of my favorites. I thought they tackled this one quite nicely. "Fountain of Salmacis": A Classic! Great to hear how the band really gels on the instrumental sections. I thought Dave did a nice job with the vocals on this, not quite Phil, not quite Pete - I adapted to his voice very quickly.

"Land of Confusion": Seems the "pop" tunes get the crowd dancing. I saw a couple women jump up to dance and the crowd really got into "participating" on this one. "Eleventh Earl of Mar - Squonk - Firth of Fifth": Very cool medley, at this point I guess the beer and music allowed me to lower my guard a little and start singing along. The music on this one was phenomenal. Dave handled the vocals brilliantly, Phil's drums were fantastic, Richard's keys sounded great and Tony & Dave (Woodward) blew me away with the guitars/bass. "Jesus He Knows Me": I had to laugh at the "American TV opening" ala Phil on the '92 tour. I heard a woman next to me say that she loved the song and although it is not at the top of my list I found it fun to hear mixed up in this set. "One For The Vine": What a great track. I thought everyone in the band sounded great on this one.

"Snowbound": I think someone in the crowd had been asking for this and I hope they were pleased. Very stripped down song as far as the music is concerned but enjoyable. "Horizons": Way to go Dave (Woodward)! - I'm sure Steve would be proud to hear you play this song. The piece fit very nicely into this "slow" section of the set. "Blood on the Rooftops": Actually one of my all time Genesis favorites. I got chills on this one. I have the song in mp3 format on my laptop and have been playing it since the gig.

"In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse in 9/8": Blew me away. If anyone asked me what was your favorite genesis song it would be this one. I have worn out my copy of the LA (King Biscuit) show with this medley and was in heaven while the band played this - I'm glad I was standing near a speaker so the people next to me didn't hear my singing. I like the touch with the leather jacket. I was anxiously awaiting the beginning of "Apocalypse" and I was not disappointed. I didn't want it to end. So much power in the music - good stuff! "Invisible Touch": The band seemed to have fun with this one. I sensed there is some inside joke between Ken and Dave (Whitehouse) on the choice of lyrics near the end of the song. Dave opted for the "cleaner" album version. "I Know What I Like": Always a classic - the band once again did not disappoint with this one. "Dance on a Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos": What a great "medley". Dance was superb into an amazing drum solo by Phil. How she makes that kit sound like the duet is beyond me. I especially liked the way it flowed into "Los Endos". Along with the Cage medley, I think the band really shines here.

Encore: "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight": Good start to the build up of energy on "The Knife". Dave your vocal sounds great on this one. "Carpet Crawl": I have always loved this song but I found my mind wandering on what it would sound like if the band tried the '99 version of this song. I'm sure some on this list or in the crowd would cringe at the thought. "The Knife": It was a great finish when Genesis used it and it certainly is today.

A note to the band - thanks to each of you for such a wonderful evening (I'm shocked that a couple of you remembered me from January). Its nice to be in a room of people that share the same passion for this band that I do and you in the band for keeping the music alive. I look forward to seeing you in the future (I will try to come to the gig this weekend if I get up the nerve to hire a car.)

Jason Kruse

From the Invisible Touch mailbox...

Just to say thank you for the brilliant gig last Sunday - a real trip down memory lane and a fantastic performance of some brilliant songs and music which I have not heard for a long time. I'm hoping to see you again in Cambridge on April 29 - if you could play "Deep In The Motherlode" that night (my personal favourite Genesis track) I would be eternally grateful!

Nigel Beaven

Just wanted to drop a line to thank you all for a wonderful show Sunday evening. I was really knocked out the first time that I saw you last year and have since brought along two die-hard, (and hard to please), fans who could not believe the quality of your performances both individually and collectively. Musically things are getting tighter and tighter with every gig and Dave Woodward has been a revelation. It is often invidious to single one person out for special mention, however, I cannot praise Dave Whitehouse enough for his performance.

The others all have their individual merits but for quality and strength of performance, Dave now stands head and shoulders above his peers. This is something from someone who is more a fan of the Gabriel years rather than the Collins style of vocal.

Look forward to seeing you again soon.

Tony Bridgeman

Excellent evening on Sunday night, thoroughly enjoyable. Two of my friends who came along on Sunday who are not really familiar with the music of Genesis were impressed with the sound, your individual performances and the way that you worked so well together as a group. They said you were very entertaining and would like to see another Invisible Touch gig again in the future.

David Beaven


The Grey Horse, Kingston, Surrey - Saturday, February 12, 2000

Dodo - Lurker / Abacab / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Jesus He Knows Me / Domino / Horizons / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Snowbound / Mama / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Land Of Confusion / The Knife

Invisible Touch launched into a cracking uptempo version of "Dodo/Lurker". This certainly woke the audience up and showed that the band meant business. Tony's bass pedals were particularly powerful. The mood was sustained through an equally powerful performance of "Abacab". This is one of Dave Whitehouse's showpiece tracks. After a few laughs about Nursery Cryme the band then played another flawless version of "Salmacis" - one of my Gabriel era favourites. The highlights here were obviously Richard's keys sounding exactly right and the lead guitar and stonking bass as usual. And then the drum machine refused to start for "Land of Confusion" and so "Jesus" was inserted into the set. Although this is not one of my personal favourites, IT seem to play this much rockier than Genesis - it's a great mood relaxer after the harder edged fantasy of "Salmacis" and "Abacab".

Dave Whitehouse introduced "Domino" in the usual way, the audience were laughing and cheering in all the right places. By this time I think the mood was set - this was already the best I had seen IT play, and the audience, although smaller than at Woolwich, were very much into it. Dave Woodward then took over the mike to announce the 50th birthday of Mr. Hackett and then as a tribute played a note perfect version of "Horizons". This was greeted with a resounding cheer - definitely one of the highlights of an amazing show.

The first medley was then played. I would love to hear a complete version of Mar, but I love the power of the intro with Dave letting rip on the guitar. "Squonk" as always was the calm before the storm. Those who have seen IT before know what comes next and were really only waiting for the "Firth of Fifth". Dave's guitar solo was perhaps not as fluent as at Woolwich, but then he never plays it exactly the same twice. This was, as always, another highlight and Dave got another much deserved long round of applause.

IT then played "Snowbound", in response to some requests for it at the previous Kingston gig. The Two Daves and Richard played the full Genesis parts accompanied by Phil on tambourine. I rather liked the 'stripped' down feel and it let the audiences pulses return to normal after "Firth of Fifth". I would love to hear more from "And Then There Were Three..." and I hope I won't be disappointed at future gigs :-)

The drum machine then announced the start of "Mama", often the show opener, but 'demoted' to centre of the set to make room for "Dodo". This is Dave Whitehouse's main showcase and includes the demon green light effect. I love this track, and actually IT played it better than I have seen them do it before.

Dave Woodward took to the stool again for the now regular "Blood on the Rooftops". This is beautiful piece of music and the whole band demonstrated their ability to play the quieter songs with as much feeling as the power they have in the louder songs. Then... The Cage Medley. This was as awesome as usual. "Apocalypse in 9/8" demonstrates just how capable this band is. Timing and note perfect.

Then "Invisible Touch" - more fun - especially after 9/8. This again lightens the mood with the crowd singing along nicely. "Home by the Sea" followed, the crowd sang along (or was it just me?) and the mood was as good as what you would get with 10 or 20 times as many people. A marvellous "Dance of a Volcano" ended the set - Phil's drum solo was another show highlight. The solo is getting longer - not a criticism as it amazes me that anyone play this by themselves. A huge cheer rang out when finally she let the rest of band back in to finish the main set.

IT left the stage briefly - by this time the gig had overrun and the arranged encores were dropped in favour of "Land of Confusion" and "The Knife". Even though these are at extreme ends of the Genesis career, both actually fit together rather well as an encore.

Overall impressions:

Dave Whitehouse: This guy is very impressive. Note perfect all night and he really enjoys himself. This only helps but lift the mood because the audience participation is triggered by Dave.

Dave Woodward: Note perfect as usual. A real find for the band!

Richard Mills: Full range of keyboard sounds note perfect. Richard seems to be able to play any Genesis song from memory exactly as Banks would play them! He was much louder in the mix this time which is a definite plus to the overall sound.

Tony Burton: a very competent bass player - even with the blister! Love the power bass pedals. It is always essential for a good rock band to have solid under pinning, and in Tony IT have just that.

Phil Duke: awesome drummer and great showperson definitely the backbone of IT. Her drumming keeps the band so tight, and on this night her precision was so high that the whole band were probably the tightest I have seen them yet.

This band keep getting better all the time. They are learning new tracks all the time and it seems routine for them to play 2.5 hours without a break. With the right luck they should be playing to 3000 rather than 30 this time next year!

Paul Gates

It has been said that Invisible Touch do themselves no favours with the setlist and here I have to disagree. OK so the Gabriel-only fans would have a point perhaps, but that's what ReGenesis are "for". IT try to maintain a *changing* setlist with songs from all eras from 1970 to 1991: Not a bad spread, surely???

"Jesus He Knows Me" was quickly added to the set when there was a technical problem getting in the way of "Land of Confusion". The latter returned towards the end of the night. Fortunately, that was the only technical drama of the night - by some miracle (following a very patchy soundcheck) the sound was fantastic, and we even had a new lighting effect - *a* MagicMoon. Whoooo! After the band had torn through "The Last Domino" (which really got the audience going - who says no-one likes the 80s stuff?), Dave Woodward came to his mic to remind us that it was Mr. Hackett's 50th birthday. In his honour, we got an absolutely stunning and *flawless* rendition of "Horizons", which earned possibly the biggest cheer of the night.

More fun was to be had (after another blinding "Firth of Fifth" solo) when a group of returning fans got their request song played. "Snowbound" was beautifully performed as a three piece plus Tambourine on chorus, as Tony Burton went to the bar to get the drinks in. I hope this one gets left in the set!

To sum up: Memorable gig of the usual high quality - even the sound guy (no not Ken, this was a real house soundie) loved it - the bloke was really boogying during "Supper's Ready".

Will Ingram

Just wanted to say thank you so much for an amazing gig on Saturday! You were all brilliant! Thanks so much for "Snowbound"... I couldn't believe it. I really appreciate you taking the time to learn it when you've been busy touring at the moment.

That was definitely the best gig of the 4 gigs I've seen (so far!). Really looking forward to seeing you on the 5th.

Stewart Herd

I just wanted to join Stew in thanking you all for a thoroughly excellent night - you chaps really connected with the audience and the quality of all your playing is wonderful.

It is wonderful that you have taken the time and effort to learn so many of the songs - I especially loved "Fountain of Salmacis" and "Blood on the Rooftops". Look forward to seeing you all again, keep up the good work!

David Beaven

Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much I enjoyed the gig last night. It's the first one I've been to as I've just got back from living in the States. Hopefully I'll be able to come to loads more now that I'm addicted! Keep up the great work!

Annette


The Earl of Chatham, Woolwich, London SE18 - Saturday, February 5, 2000

Mama / Abacab / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Domino / Jesus He Knows Me / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Land Of Confusion / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / I Can't Dance / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Dancing With The Moonlit Knight - The Carpet Crawlers / I Know What I Like / Turn It On Again / The Knife


The Red Lion, Northfleet, Kent - Saturday, January 29, 2000

Dodo - Lurker / Abacab / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Jesus He Knows Me / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Land Of Confusion / Domino / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / I Can't Dance / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Mama / Turn It On Again / The Knife


The Grey Horse, Kingston, Surrey - Friday, January 21, 2000

Mama / Abacab / The Fountain Of Salmacis / Jesus He Knows Me / Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Squonk - Firth Of Fifth / Land Of Confusion / Fading Lights / Blood On The Rooftops / In The Cage - In That Quiet Earth - Apocalypse In 9/8 / Invisible Touch / Home By The Sea - Second Home By The Sea / I Can't Dance / Dance On A Volcano - Drum Solo - Los Endos

Encore: Dancing With The Moonlit Knight - The Carpet Crawlers / The Knife