Zenyatta Mondatta: 1980/81

Volume Turned Up...

Albuquerque is rarely treated to punk rock music or even New Wave, even though it has been shown to house quite a following for both.

Two concerts in small settings, the appearance of The Ramones two years ago in the University of New Mexico Sub Station and London's "999" this year at the Kimo, were the most invigorating, audience-possessing concerts in recent years.

The atmosphere of the small-club setting was sorely lacking, however, at the appearance of England's "XTC" and "The Police" in UNM's Johnson Gym Sunday night. The half-emptiness of the gym accentuated an already too-loud, too-much-treble sound setting.

Sheer volume banged painfully on the 500-plus audience instead of pumping it with energy, although a few die-hards, some attired in police caps with painted- black lips and safety pins in their ears, braved the floor amps and hopped like frantic pogo sticks at the stage front all night.

The intensity of XTC's anti pop expression, which relies on frequent near-discord and clashing of bass line with guitar chord and melody, was lessened by the sound problems.

It was frustrating to be a part of it, knowing the cleverness of the group's social comment, but being hard-pressed to decipher it; being tantalized by lucid moments in the abberated sound, as in the excellent self-parody. 'This Is Pop?', and being deprived of them later.

On top of it all, XTC boasted an intriguing light system. At times, it banded XTC and the audience, as if all were bathed in the black and white reflections of a giant Venetian blind. At other times, the stage background consisted of vibrating, twisting black lines on white, or diagonal slash-and-dot bands that resembled poor television reception, a monochrome field brightened by pink and red balloons from the audience.

Here were all the trappings of a bizarre musical adventure, without the capture.

Still, it was apparent that guitarists Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge, along with bassist Colin Moulding, are exceptional at keeping mechanistic dissonance free of muddle adept at surprise and quite capable of harmonious melodies and vocals revived from their British counterparts of the mid-60s.

The Police, on the other hand, put the trappings aside. Only three in number, the band successfully created a wall of sound, highlighted by the vocals of bassist Sting (a bit actor in both the Who's 'Quadrophrenia' and the Sex Pistols' film) and the guitar work of Andy Summers.

But Sting's voice, exceptionally similar to that of 'Yes' John Anderson, was caged by repetition, both in his limited vocal adventurism and the sameness of the songs. More than one cut Sunday night sounded like the hit, 'Roxanne', with different words. Heavy leanings on the group's trademark reggae edge also tended to limit a break-out by the group, which hinted at such broader capabilities, especially when Sting put away the oversized electric bass cello and Summers laid off the synthesizers.

The Police was most exciting, frantic and tight when playing pure rock'n'roll.

(c) Albuquerque Journal by Denise Tessier