MUSIC

Fiddlers, Bristol (14 Oct)

It’s been over thirty years since I first saw British reggae legends Misty in Roots, playing on the back of a truck at the huge anti-Nazi rally at Brockwell Park, Brixton. Back then, Misty, along with Aswad and Steel Pulse, were the lions of UK reggae, with their rootsy sound and Old Testament lyrics, mixed with those of militant consciousness. Fast-forward to a very sparsely populated Fiddlers club in the Bedminster backstreets last Friday, and people of a certain age have gathered to see the group whose album ‘Live at the Counter Eurovision 79’ is widely, and rightly, regarded as one of the best ever live reggae recordings.

Nostalgia’s a funny thing, and there’s always a slightly unrealistic expectation that things from the past are going to turn out the same as they were back when. Nowhere is this truer than with music, and sometimes the expectation is realised. However, although there are certainly glimpses of the lion spirit of yore, it’s a tamer beast tonight.

This is part of their ‘Respect Due’ tour, and while massive respect is certainly due to a band that stood up - side-by-side, with many punk bands - to the underground fascist politics of the late 70s, the potent force has mellowed with age and time.

Well it would do, wouldn’t it? But whereas other bands of the same generation like The Mighty Diamonds and The Skatalites still have a force about them, on this night’s showing, Misty’s is sketchy.

It’s about three numbers in, with ‘No Love’, that they really get started, when the Misty vibe of old kicks in. But that vibe, these days, is prone to meandering in varying directions. It gathers together again for a great ‘Down In The Ghetto of the City’, despite singer Walford Tyson (or Poco)’s stoned ramblings. ‘See Them Ah Come’ gets back on track and there are lovers’ tunes and African licks among the attacks on Babylon.

A two man horn section breezes up the keyboard, drum, bass and guitars, and the eight-piece do a good job, but for all the uplift, don’t quite attain the heights expected. Ahh, nostalgia…

Bristol sound system Generals Hi-Fi does more than warm-up and play-out the gig - it spins the best sounds of the night. (Elfyn Griffith)

Copyright Elfyn Griffith 2011