Well, all I can say is, "I've got a belly full of beer shits"
(What a profound lyric!)

Great nite last nite - of course.

Got to meet Davidgig, and Lizzie! Nice to put faces to the names.

I brought a few non-fans to the show - which was a drawback because 
I missed the first song and a half to go with one of them to get a beer.
Damn.

Miles was rather charming - I think he must've been in a good mood - he
didn't get pissed at anyone or anything, as far as I could tell.

The music was great - I enjoyed the acoustic interpretations of the
classic stuff tunes.

Didn't miss the electric guitars and drums so much as the fiddle. My
mind had to fill in the blanks.

After the show, Miles and Malc were quite personable, having a couple 
of drinks out at the bar, signing auto's, general BS-ing. I appreciated
their taking the time to answer some of my questions, which I tried not
to let get too fan-like, but I probably failed.

Malc was exceptionally friendly, but I had too pay close attention in
order to figure out what the bloke was saying.  I wanted to tell him
that in America, we speak English!  :-)
 - Craig

i can't review the knitting factory show other than to say it was 
EXCELLENT!!!

up close and personal, a great mix of tunes (from 'give, give, give' to
'golden green' to 'circlesquare' and the new stuff).

it was great meeting up at the peculiar, for the few of us who actually 
made it, and meeting all the others at the factory. now i know the 
faces to put with the email addresses!

cannot wait for the brownies/nyc and the ortley beach show in a few 
weeks. thanks miles and malc for the best time since the '94 show at
irving plaza! and to david and others who made it happen.
 - Liza

apologies if this has already been posted, but here is the setlist for the
knitting factory show on wednesday:

Don't Let Me Down/ Give Give Give/ Its Yer Money/ Manna from Heaven/ 
? (some vent song)/ Fixer/ Lets Hope I Get it Right This Time/ Cant 
Shape Up/ Sing the Absurd/ Cartoon Boyfriend/ Piece of Sky/ 
Circlesquare/ Golden Green/ Amongst the Old Reliables/ Mission Drive/ 
On the Ropes/ Unbearable

all in all a great show.  i though amongst the old reliables was the best
of the new songs, though they were all solid.
 - Rahul

the boston show was great.  i dorve up from new york with a few 
friends to see them.  they didn't go on until 11:30, with 3 bands 
playing before them.

miles broke a string, making it his first i guess since this is only the
second show.  can't recall the song, but it was close to the end of their
set, but at the beginning of the song.  sounded fine anyways.

highlight of the show:  they took requests!  they sacrificed one of the
new songs (Amongst the Old Reliables) to play A Wish Away and (my 
request) Caught In My Shadow.

the room was pretty crowded and the energy was higher than at the 
knitting factory, probably because there were seats set up last time 
so everyone was way below miles and malc's eye level and it's hard 
to dance sitting down.

they apologized for the defective cd's and only sold t-shirts at the show.
i talked to miles afterwards and he was quite friendly.  didn't have time
to say hello to david smith, cause the management was shooing us out, 
so i still haven't met anyone from the list, but hello to you all anyway.
 - Dana

First Tour:

Saturday's show at Gullifty's in Harrisburg was a great time!  It was a
real cozy little gig (I think there were actually more people milling about
for the opening act than for Miles & Malc).  But, those who were there
(including five from the list) showed their appreciation to the pair for
coming to play, and the two seemed to have had a good time playing 
for us. They really put some effort into it.

They played:

Cartoon Boyfriend
Piece of Sky
Manna From Heaven
Your Latest Innuendo
Fixer
Let's Hope I Get It Right This Time
Can't Shape Up
Sing The Absurd
On The Ropes
Amongst The Old Reliables
Circlesquare
Caught In My Shadow
Mission Drive
-----
Don't Let Me Down, Gently
Unbearable
-----
Golden Green

We got to hang out with them on and off for a little over an hour after 
the show.  I snagged a setlist and got it and two CD covers signed. 
They were both in a really good mood- they were great guys.  Malc 
actually started two conversations with me!  It was quite a surreal 
experience for me, I must say.  A great time.
 - Lorin

Second Tour: (Oct 9 & 10, 1998)

Hi all,

Have had so much work to do the past couple days I haven't had a chance to
post any show reviews.

I went to the Zee's show, near Harrisburg on Friday, then (after making the
3-hour trip back that same night) went to the Next Decade show in
Pittsburgh the next night.

At both shows, Miles was reserved, but was more approachable after the
show.  He kind of sat by himself, not really interested in talking too much
before the show.  I got to talk with Malc for about half-an-hour at
Harrisburg (he actually sought me out for a conversation and wanted to know
how I was doing and what I was up to- it was too cool!).  As usual, he was
very approachable and went out of his way to make you feel comfortable
talking with him, but
that's the kind of guy he is.  Miles is more difficult to talk with- not
that he's any less nice- I just never know what to say.  I can't get over
the "he's my hero, I'm a fan" relationship mindset, perhaps because he's
more aloof by nature.

Miles also said he was trying to quit smoking, which could explain the
seemingly less than happy mood he was in, compared to last tour.

The Harrisburg show was a little brief.  They opened up for some scrub
local band called The Polins (same band they played with last time-
although Miles & Malc were the HEADLINERS last time).  M & M's name wasn't
even up on the sign outside the place, for crying out loud- and no signs
were put up anywhere else for that matter.  So, since they went first, they
just had to play and get off the stage.

The Harrisburg setlist:
	1 Cartoon Boyfriend
	2 Piece of Sky
	3 A Wish Away
	4 Manna From Heaven
	5 Immortalizing Chase
	6 Your Latest Innuendo
	7 Fixer
	8 Let's Hope I Get It Right This Time
	9 Can't Shape Up
	10 Sing the Absurd
	11 Amongst The Old Reliables
	12 Circlesquare
	13 Mission Drive

The Pittsburgh show was fantastic.  It was in this shithole venue called
The Next Decade, but the guys gave 110% for show and seemed to have a real
good time- better than in Harrisburg- despite the fact that there was a
group of three or four guys against the wall, about three or four feet from
the stage who were totally wasted and absolutely obnoxious.  They were
complete asses, screaming off-key and out-of-place lyrics.  Malc told me
after the show he was getting irritated by them, because he couldn't hear
to sing sometimes.  What really got me was these jerks were obviously big
fans, they knew every song and all the words, they were apparently
just assholes by nature, I guess.  You'd think, though, if you were such a
huge fan, that you would want to be far more together to enjoy the show and
not try to ruin it for everyone in the audience, (as well as the band, for
that matter).

But, most of all- too my surprise, I must confess- the crowd was very
receptive, very enthusiastic, and made up largely of genuine fans, I think.
 I was a little worried (and David, too, he said) that there weren't going
to be much of a crowd, judging by the number of people listening to the
opening act (some dreadful man who looked like he'd just crawled out from
under his bed to play- all this boring, mournful, tedious, overdone
acoustic stuff, too).  More people actually came in to see the lads play
than the opener.  It filled out pretty well.

The Pittsburgh setlist:
	1 an untitled, brand new song (that he kind of played during the opening
music the dj was playing- I think I was one of the few people who realized
he was actually playing a song)
	2 Cartoon Boyfriend
	3 Piece of Sky
	4 Manna From Heaven
	5 Immortalizing Chase
	6 Your Latest Innuendo
	7 Fixer
	8 Let's Hope I Get It Right This Time
	9 Can't Shape Up
	10 Sing The Absurd
	11 Amongst The Old Reliables
	12 On The Ropes
	13 Circlesquare
	14 Caught In My Shadow
	15 Mission Drive
	16 Sleep Alone (well, some of it anyway)
	17 Ruby Horse
	18 Don't Let Me Down, Gently
	19 Unbearable

The version of Caught in My Shadow was marvelous!

And folks, even if you've already seen them last tour, get your ass back
out there to see them again.  The one brand new song they've rehearsed and
are playing is worth the price of admission even if that's the only song
they're playing.  It's called "Immortalizing Chase" and its fucking
BRILLIANT.  I fell head over heels for the three new songs they played last
tour from the souvenir CD, but this one tops them all, in my opinion.

We requested "Sleep Alone," and Miles' reply was something like "you know,
we rehearsed 40 songs for the show and you would ask for one we didn't
rehearse."  So, he managed to figure a chord progression that sounded
reasonable and gave it a go for us.  It was kind of funny, he kept looking
to Malc to see if he thought it sounded right.  After a couple minutes he
abruptly stopped, saying "it's pretty much those same words over and over
again . . ."

Talked with Malc for a little while after the show again, fumbled a few
words of thanks to Miles, got a new poster and t-shirt, the former of which
they signed, and was on my way.

David said they should be back in February for a full band tour.  Miles
told me that, right now, he wants to find out if these two Indiana
musicians (a bassist and drummer) will fill out the band.  He said their
band (which I can't remember the name he said) was on his old label, and
part of the reason they're back in the states is to look these guys up in
Indiana and secure a deal for their services, as it were.  It will, of
course, coincide with the release of the new album.

Well, I think that about covers it.  Any questions?  :)

Ciao,

Lorin

	I figured I've throw out some comments on the fantastic show 
at the Cubby Bear in Chicago last night. 
	About 8 of us met up at Redmonds beforehand... Doris from
Milwaukee and her friend, Jeff Barak, Chris & Jeff from Ann Arbor, 
Jim Novak and two of his friends, and Mike C. Forgive me forgetting last
names as I'm writing this from work and can't look them up. Good to 
meet those of you I didn't know. 
	Spent about 2 hours at Redmond's. Watched a cruel strom 
pass by, whipping trees about and cleaning out the garden patio at 
the restaurant next door. 
	Headed up to Cubby Bear at 9:30ish. Was greeted by David 
Smith's freshly shaved head and several other people I know, Fred 
Pienkos, Ali Rotramel, Dave from Milwaukee, it was a bit of an overload. I'd say 
there were about 150 people in the crowd, seemed to be composed
of people who came solely for the show. 
	Miles and Malc, who were in excellent spirits, took the stage 
about 10 and gave us an hour and a half of songs I hadn't heard, of 
thought I would never head again. The spectacular gig hosted a setlist 
similar to the ones posted previously. The acoustics were fantastic at 
the Cubby Bear, a place I had dreaded going to. It's still a die-hard 
sports bar, but one which now holds fond memories for me. 
	We all ended up at Smart Bar, which pretty much reduced me to a 
glassy-eyed blob. 
	Made it to work at 1pm(ish). 
 - Curtis

...definitely worked for me.  except i was at work at 8 am the next day, 
and kept on going until 4 am saturday!  Id have to agree that the 
show was a helluva lot of fun.  I never thought id hear mission drive 
again. There arent many things that could get me to come close to 
the cubby bear..  i doubt ill ever be there again, thank god.  but it 
was nice to have a small place for this show.

I got to the show a bit early and had 2 groups of sports fans ask me:

Jocks:burp! Is there like a band playing here tonight? is that why 
there was a cover?

me: Ahh.. (reluctance) yeah.

Jocks:who?

me: 2 of the people from a band once known as the Wonderstuff, 
also from Vent 414 and WKWYL.

Jocks:Oh.  Are they any good?

me: I just looked at them.

Jocks:Is it like whats playing now?

me: Unbelievable by EMF?  No ...  No Not Really.

Jocks:Oh.
 - Fred

I just thought I would add my take on the Chicago show now that I'm
home. David was right, I love Chicago too, and the traffic does suck 
big time. Big thanks to Doris who helped organize the meeting at 
Redmonds beforehand for list members.

The Cubby Bear was a sports bar, but there was no other bands 
playing, so the 120-150 people there were there to see Miles and 
Malc. Which was great because I was not bothered by people talking 
near me, which usually seems to happen.

Why do people pay all that money to go to a show that happens at 
best, once a year, and then spend the whole time shouting trying 
to be heard over the band discussing their frigging JOBS?! I'M at 
a show to get away from real life!

The track list for those interested was;

1. Don't Let Me Down gently
2. Give, Give, Give Me More, More, More
3. Its Yer Money I'm After, Baby
4. Manna From Heaven
5. Your Latest Innuendo
6. Fixer
7. Let's Hope I Get It Right This Time
8. Can't Shape Up
9. Sing The Absurd
10. Cartoon Boyfriend
11. Piece Of Sky
12. Amongst The Old Reliables
13. Circlesquare
14. Mission Drive

15. On The Ropes
16. Golden Green
17. A Wish Away
18. Caught In My Shadow
19. Unbearable

20. Maybe

The tracks 15-20 were "requests" but I suspect that they 
waited to hear requests they had rehearsed and planned on 
playing anyway! There were a few calls for songs they heard 
for certain but did not play, just like the old days! 

Curtis was also correct that the acoustics were fantastic. 

David Smith is currently leading in the short hair contest with 
his freshly shaved head, with Miles a close second and Malc 
trailing far behind. Will Malc's hair survive the tour? Stay tuned...

If the boys are coming to a city near you they are VERY 
accessible. Miles signed everything for everyone that wanted 
something signed and chatted and posed for pictures even. 

It was really a treat to be able to hang out afterwards at 
The Smart Bar in/under Cabaret Metro till all hours of the 
morning with Miles, Malc, David and the other list members.
 - Jeff

The chicago show at Cubby bear actually, i thought went over very well, even
though miles seemed to be having some trouble with his guitars, he recovered
nicely.  It was exceptionally interesting when after the show, some jackass
let open a can of pepper spray that cleared the room out with coughs and
people gasping for air.  The show was good, the spices we bad.  i dont have
a song list, but the only song i wanted to hear, that they didnt play was
red berry joy town.  rd.
- Fred

What a treat the Budapest Lounge show was last night. The boys played 
20 songs in a VERY cramped place and were in good spirits throughout. 
The highlight of the show had to have been when they played Ruby 
Horse and Miles forgot the lyrics. For those at home keeping score 
here is last nights set list from the Budapest Lounge in 
New Brunswick, NJ:

Matt Pinfield Intro

Don't Let Me Down, Gently
Give, Give, Give Me More, More, More
Manna From Heaven
Your Latest Inuendo
Fixer
Let's Hope I Get it Right This Time
Can't Shape Up
Circlesquare
Cartoon Boyfriend
Piece of Sky
Amongst the Old Relieables
Caught In My Shadow
Mission Drive
Ruby Horse (Miles forgets lyrics)
Golden Green
Its Your Money I'm After, Baby
A Wish Away
Unbearable
Size Of A Cow
Maybe

Sorry if I misspelled anything I working on like 4hrs of sleep. This was 
a great show. Hope to see everyone either at Brownies or at SurfStock.  
 - Pete

well, a few of us listers have just returned from the "SurfStock show" --
a.k.a. "Let's Pull the Plug Just as the Crowd's About to Burst into Dance
show" -- and we had a great time, but of course.

only went for miles and malc mind you! ian and julian came from england 
just for this and last night's brownies show, which rocked.

Surfstock is a cool idea, but giving a band less than 30 minutes sucks. 
well, what can you do with bureaucracies...

the guys were great, and a few mothers cringed when miles let out 
the first "f*ck"...

they ended on 414's fixer.
 - Liza

Wednesday evening I arrived in New Brunswick NJ on a train from 
NYC, and went to meet everyone at the Budapest Lounge. Aside 
from this dive bar, the university town also features a teaching 
hospital and guys coming out of liquor stores with guns. Hm. When 
David and I were getting pebbles thrown at us behind the Budapest, 
it was a real relief to find that it had only been Miles and Jake from 
Gig, rather than the other characters that populated the area.

As Peter wrote last week, it was a great show. Apparently the 
longest set so far, and the crowd were eating it up. Matt Pinfield 
was able to help Miles out with Ruby Horse and it was finished off 
without too many problems! Afterwards I helped Dave out in the 
CD-selling department - a popular place to be, let me tell you.

Afterwards it was back to Command Central (elsewhere in NJ, 
where certain of us were staying), so I enjoyed a car trip with 
David, Miles, Malcolm and Dave's Gig partner Indian. Aside from 
dealing with crass boy-type conversation (Malc was innocent, 
though, he was trying to sleep), the highlight of that trip was 
passing through Cheesequake, NJ.

CHEESEQUAKE? What is it with that state?

After about 5 hours of sleep, I headed back to NY Thursday 
morning to see friends. That night we were off to Brownies, 
on illustrious Avenue A. I'll tell you right now I've never been 
treated so badly by a door guy in my life. Maybe I wasn't helping 
matters by wearing my Black Grape shirt (which has the word 
BITCH on it and not much else), but all the same... 
After that nonsense we were treated to a great - though 
mellower - show. I helped out with CD sales again and met a 
couple of people from BRUM.

(Craig, I see I'm not the only person you asked to post something. 
So where's YOUR review?) Afterwards, we repaired to the bar 
across the street for a few hours. Miles and Malc were totally 
in their element as the place was filled with friends of theirs. 
You'd think they were a local band!

Headed back to New Jersey way, way, WAY too late at night 
and were able to catch a few hours of sleep before waking up 
first thing to get ready for Surfstock. We all met groggily back 
at Gig headquarters for coffee and shit-getting-together, then 
split up for another car trip, this time to the beach. David and 
Miles and I spent the time trying to remember old driving games 
and talking about the Wonder Stuff/Siouxsie & the Banshees tour.
(Russ - were you there for "WIFE. BED. NOW." ?)

The club at Ortley Beach was PACKED, but luckily we were able 
to escape by "chilling" in the green room before the show. As others 
have said, it was a real shame to see the show end so early (only 
7 songs) - guess the organisers had a schedule to stick to, but it 
would have been nice for the guys to get a three-minute warning. 
As Miles said afterwards, "It's been a long time since I've been kicked 
off stage!" The crowd were none too happy but it was great to see 
so many people excited about the show. Can anyone help me remember 
what they played there? I remember DLMDG, Cartoon Boyfriend, Piece 
of Sky, Can't Shape Up, Manna From Heaven, Fixer, and I know there 
was 1 more. All the shows are blending together for me!

Anyway, I'll stop there. It was great to finally meet M & M after all 
this time, and even though I may never get Piece of Sky out of my 
head (I woke up with it every morning for some reason), seeing them 
perform 3 times in as many days was quite an experience. I took lots 
of pix so if any turn out well, maybe they'll appear on a David Smith 
site near you.
 - Jennifer.

Hey, I got back from NY on sunday night - ace weekend. The 
brownies gig was excellent and, surprisingly I was still awake 
during the set too, not content with a 25 hour day, I had to climb 
a ladder and break in to the bathroom at my Girlfriends' 
apartment at 1am as it had locked itself and we all needed it badly!!.

Ortley beach was ace although a little pissed off that they got kicked
off after half an hour - and to think, it took us almost 5 hours to get
there from NYC too! It's definately a different experience watching a
band with people all around in bikinis and sitting facing the stage on
deck chairs while about a thousand beach balls come flying
overhead...mind you, I managed to hit David's cousin on the head with
one before it bounced to miles' feet (sorry david!!!) on the stage.

what fun!!! back to real life I suppose....till brum
 - Ian

Cheers to Miles & Malc!!! Saw the boys last night in Salt Lake and 
it made my month. Small crowd (about 60) - and from what I could 
gather, about 6 of us even knew who they were. But it didn't 
matter. the show was great. Hearing those wonderful songs in 
acoustic version was lovely indeed. Miles and Malc seemed to be 
having a good time on stage and chatted with the audience - both 
seemed to be in good moods. Got the set list and after the show 
had 'em both sign my entire collection. Not a small job, but both 
were good sports and I am more than pleased with the results. 
(besides, only one other guy had stuff for them to sign, so I just 
made up for the goofs who weren't there.)

The set list was similiar to the ones I've seen posted before. Caught 
in My shadow sure sounded good. Anyway, for me - a great evening. 
The general population of Salt Lake missed out on a great show - 
their loss. Thanks to Miles, Malc and David for driving around this 
country in their four-door auto to these smaller venues - Good luck 
with the West Coast - the fans there should treat you right. Here's 
to the best songwriters around!
 - Steve

The following is rated NC-17

Those of you under 21 years of age must immediately...SCAN DOWN 
AND SEE THE GOOD PARTS!

David has alluded to the Fresno Show at Jax' House being hot...it 
was indeed over 100 degrees in the butt-f**k town of Fresno in 
the bountiful San Joaquin Valley of California. (Hey, is that Tom 
Joad in those bushes?) Fresno is just on the sunnyside of Los 
Banos...Carumba! And some vast vast VAST miles between gas 
station restrooms...so, as a important safety tip, don't be drinking 
ALL of that coke once you get off I-5.

Me and my ever-patient girlfriend took the trek, steeled only by 
red whips and A/C at 11...and it was a fun drive...You know, they 
call this the Golden State only to put a better spin on the fact 
that the sun fries everything in sight. We lodged at the Best 
Western right off I-99 and headed out to find Jax' House...and it 
was not so easy to find...But we located it past the Latino Furniture 
Store...odd, every couch leg was sawed off, and all the chairs rode
low...but very nice black velvet...paintings of Elvis as Jesus and 
half-naked black women cavorting with leopards.

The show was quite interesting...and here's where the kiddies 
must be shoo-ed into the back room for some "adult talk"...ah 
hem--all clear? Well, dig this...opening was Ultrasound...actually, 
the dregs of Animotion...remember them? I didn't at first. And 
they were very forgettable...until they did Obsession (oh yeah!) 
and the crowd...which we thought was mostly for Johnette 
Concrete Blonde (the HEADliner) and of the "Rough Gal" 
persuasion...nudge nudge wink wink...the crowd of gals, yes, 
were treated to a slim blonde woman dancing seductively 
infront of a seated woman at stage front...the 
UltraAnimotionSound band were oblivous...with the 
woman singer doing ooooooo and ahhhhs to the synth part, 
as they didn't have a synth with'em...The rougher gals enjoyed 
the dance...and there was much more applause for the girl
than the song...

And that was a large part of the crowd...which amazed me 
and my girlfriend, on whom I had a tight tight hold. I 
thought we walked into a Jerry Springer program--and I 
was waiting for the fights.  There were rough gals with some
years on them, some with some plaid on them, some that would 
cause confusion with a whale, some with some grease in their 
hair and some that we figured were L.T's...lesbians in training...
'cause they looked too young, too lipsticky, to be paid-in-full 
members of that team...not that I'm judgin' just that I'm saying.

Miles and Malc came on and put on a good show...but a bit short
...the heat, remember, night has fallen and it's still topping the 
90s...ouch. AND, the rough gals were very responsive...um...to the 
songs. Although, they did tend to talk during all my faves...and 
do that silly little eye thing they do where they have a wonderful 
companion with them, but they just have to cast around to see 
if there's someone better. (At first I thought I'd have to fight with
some drunk cowboy over my girlfriend...but I realized right off...me 
and some diesel cowgirl may be going at it..."You want a piece of 
me?" Er, no, not really...) There were a goodly number of Wonder 
Stuff fans...and members of our team, too.

Okay, call the kiddies back in...dirty talk is over. Oh, wait..then that
Johnette Conrete bonde gal went on and the rough gals gave 
some rough applause and it was roughly after the first song that 
we split--lickety split, man. Even with the heat, the Jerry Springer 
crowd...there were some good WS fans who came out...er, came 
out-to-the-club to see Miles and Malc. We met Malc and hung out 
with David...and had a very good time. Surely ("Who You  Calling
Shirley, Buddy-boy?") a memorable experience for me and my 
girly...who ain't no Shirley.

We'll be at Slim's tonight...great T-shirts, Great CDs...buy the lot 
or you'll regret it.
 - Cort

Hello Folks....sorry for the late Bingen review, but after installing 
windows 98 my computer has been thrashed and i'm still working 
on ironing out the bugs.....be prepared for some fun.....

the bingen show was brilliant.  after a four hour drive i arrived in 
this tiny quaint little town in the middle of nowhere.  found the
venue and went in.  they told me that miles was going to go on 
about 9:30.  so, bought a lemonade and hung out.  met a few other 
list members who were extremely cool and helped pass the time 
as i was alone.  then david walked in and as everybody has said 
is an extremely nice guy.  i preceded to chat with him for about 
40 minutes.  

to be honest, i really didn't know what to expect at the bingen 
show.  there were only a handful of people and all i could think 
about was whether or not they'd play for a long time to us.  from 
the start miles was chatty and just fantastic.  the setlist is as follows

1. cartoon boyfriend
2. piece of sky
3. manna from heaven
4. your latest innuendo
5. fixer
6. let's hope i get it right this time
7. can't shape up
8. sing the absurd
9. amongst the old reliables
10. on the ropes
11. circlesquare
12. caught in my shadow
13. mission drive
14. ruby horse
15. size of a cow 
16. don't let me down, gently
17. unbearable
18. a wish away
19. golden green

after the show we hung out and talked for about two hours and 
then the after a four hour drive for me...i was able to hit the sack
....hell worth it.

i just have to thank david for being so nice and talking to me.  
thanks for bringing miles and malc around.  thank you miles and 
malc for making the trip worth it.  this will be an evening i won't 
forget....
 - Steve

Well, after not having had a dose of Miles in 4 years, it was really
great to see him again.  Both he and Mr. Treece looked in fine 
form and didn't miss a beat during the nearly 2 hour set.  The 
set largely mirrored the promo CD, but included some other 
classics with 'Size of A Cow' and 'Don't Let Me Down" getting the 
crowd into it.  Slim's, though not sold out, was about 3/4 full and 
those there were appreciative, to say the least.  

After the show, it was bizarre (for myself) to actually get to 
meet Miles and Malc and hit them for the requisite autographs.  
Miles made the comment, "Yeah, maybe this (the autograph) 
will be worth something when we get famous...!"  I don't 
frame many posters, but that one is a candidate for sure.
 - Craig

hey all ,
    Just come back from ronniescotts  , met dave dawson ,  
russ etc , good night .  Unfortunatle y  i`mpissed as  an arse , 
the show was blinding !!!! all  were in  good form and the 
set wasas follows in no perticular  order:

Cartoon boyfriend
Piece of sky
your  latest inuendo
Fixer
Caught inmy shadow
misson drive
amongst the old reliables
mamma from heaven
on the ropes
unbearable
can`t shape up
a wish away
circlesquare
it`s your money i`m  afterbaby
give givegive
sing theabsurd
let`s  hope i  get it right this time

i guess  i may have missed  a few  , enjoyed the drinks and 
had a bloody good  time , cheers  to all involved and as 
a last   word ; THE WORLD`S A BETTERPLACE FOR MILES  
AND MALC !!! GOD BLESS THE FUCKING LOT OF  US !!!

 P.s .  the c.d is  brilliant and the rendition of golden  green they
finished with was even  better !  Happy birthdaY Miles and russ`s wife!
 - Intoxicated Andi

This is going to be really quick and brief as it now works out I've had 
about ten hours sleep in 72hours so am exceptionally knackered...

Driving up last night, listening to the On The Ropes CD where Miles 
takes the piss out of the audience who are seated as tables and 
chairs, it suddenly dawned to me that this was what we were 
in for again.

Met up with Reedy and a couple of his friends when I got there 
and caught up on old times.  Lack of sleep was cast aside when 
I ordered a pint of Coke (hey, it's a four hour round trip so I weren't 
gonna get done for D&D) and they charged ú2.80 (I guess the 
half pint of ice in it must have been frozen in gold plated icetrays 
or something).

Caught up with Russ and got attacked by his killer camera (a 
strobe light in disguise methinks) - good to see you again, look 
forward to the pics.

Support was from Planet Clare and Heywire.  PC were damned 
good but Heywire were shite (imagine The Doors, crossed with 
Del Amitri and the worst lyrics in the history of lyrics)..

Miles came on at just gone 10pm (why was all the promotion saying 
they'd had 15 Top 20 hits?).  Too damned excited to get a setlist 
I'm afraid but someone will have one no doubt.

This for me was an experience.  With Phoenix being the only 
opportunity I ever had to see them live (but what a gig to do 
it at!) this was only the second time I've heard WS stuff 
performed live and I couldn't have wished for a better night.  
Ronnie's was a strange venue but Miles and Malc adapted well 
to it perfoming stuff like Circlesquare, Shadow, Fixer, Absurd and 
around a dozen more in the 90minutes they played for.  We 
even got Russ doing his techie bit when Milo needed a string 
changing.  Even with a two hour drive ahead of me when they 
had finished playing, I still wanted more at the end but I guess 
it was his birthday so he was entitled to a little fun and games 
afterwards - at least we sang him happy Birthday.

All in all and excellent night - with CD's available too.
 - Rob

A fantastic show, Miles & Malc on top form.

Three highlights for me:

1 "Fixer" - one of the greatest songs written (and performed) by
anybody, ever.

2. When the whole crowd filled in at the beginning of "Don't let me
down gently" whilst Miles struggled with equipment. (At least I think
it was DLMDG, my head is still a bit tender).

3. When Miles was recounting the tale about interviewing alternative
bands during his stint at MTV Europe. He was berating them for
associating arrogance with coolness, which eventually led to the punch
line that he then realised that had been his trick for the previous 10
years!  Trouble is, he might be able to get away with telling that
tale in the States, but as soon as he had said the bit about arrogance
and coolness, there were a number of ironic laughs and coughs around
the room, unaware as we were, that he was about to put himself down!
Good man that he did.

Good to meet Russ, Pippa and Tim from the list.

Genuine, sincere sympathy to the legion of fans who couldn't get
tickets. It's a great shame and I hope you don't have to wait too long
for an opportunity to see Miles & Malc at a venue with a less
restrictive capacity.
 - Mike

I'd like to put my bid in for the longest distance travelled to get to the 
gig on Wednesday, I woke at 5:30am UK time in Greece, had a dip in the 
pool, full english breakfast, coach trip to the airport, 3.5 hr flight to 
Gatwick (arriving 1 hour late - 4:15pm - stress - panic !!!), got a lift to 
pick up my car in Surrey, round the M25, up the M40 to Ronnie Scotts for 
about 8:30pm - all in all about 1500 miles!!

The gig was excellent, brought the CD, then a friend (Stuiiii) realised 
they had the CDs ordered from the list as well - anyway, I've got two 
copies now - aren't I lucky!!

Malc just has to be the most laid back rock star on the planet!

Miles was happy when someone eventually brought him some JD!

Loved the bit when Miles & Malc got confused at the start of Don't let 
me Down & the crowd carried on singing until they sorted themselves 
and joined in again!

The accoustic version of On the Ropes is superb, Russ was sober enough to 
change a string, and everyone looked and smelled wonderful!

Can't wait till next time they are in town!

Thanks to all involved,
 - John

Hey There,
	here are 3 reviews of Ronnie Scott's from local papers so you'll 
have to excuse the regional journo cheeseiness OK...

Russ

BIRTHDAY BONUS

The third successive sellout of the cit'y newest festival saw former Wonder
Stuff frontman Miles Hunt back at his old stomping ground for his 32nd
birthday.

Together with Stuffie stalwart Malc Treece, he revisited past glories,
breaking from the set to play fan favourites yelled out by a crowd that had
Ronnie's full to the rafters.

Many of the band's 15 hits were written on acoustic guitar, and Size Of A
Cow, Don't Let me Down, Gently and a closing Golden Green worked
wonderfully in their stripped down settings.

There was even an unlikely unplugged version on the manic Give Give Give Me
More More More, the Wonder Stuff's first hit, amazingly now more than 10
years ago. Amongst the many highlights were acoustic reworkings of Vent
414's Fix It (note, his words not mineàRuss) and Your Latest Innuendo,
revealing the songs behind the sonic barrage of Hunt's most recent band.

New songs premiered on the duo's stateside tour included the angst-ridden
Let's Hope I Get It Right This Time and the warning note of I'd Hate To
Find You Amongst The Old Reliables.

PAUL COLE
Birmingham Evening Mail 30-7-98



WONDERSTUFF DUO STILL STORMING

It's four years since the WonderStuff called it a day-But a sell out Ronnie
Scott's on Wednesday was treated to a blistering set from ex-lead singer
Miles Hunt and Guitarist Malc Treece which sounded like they had never been
away.

The pair, currently on tour in America (!!!), took time out to return to
their roots and play the Songwriter 98 Festival. Once they go solo, so many
stars seem to try and distance themselves from the hits which catapulted
them to fame. But Miles Hunt knew what the fans wanted and gave it to them
in buckets.

Brandishing a Jack Daniels and Coke to celebrate his 32nd birthday, Hunt
and Treece stormed their way thru some of the 15 Top 20 hits which took the
WonderStuff to the top.

In what was the best gig I have seen this year Hunt's inimitable voice
soared it's way thru classics like Can't Shape Up, Mission Drive and A Wish
Away. New tracks like Manna From Heaven and Let's Hope I get it right
showed Hunt was back where he belonged after his brief foray on MTV-on
stage.

When Hunt asked for requests the normally sedate atmosphere of Ronnie
Scott's sounded more like Viler Park (jeez this girls knows how to upset a
guy !!!-Russ).

After Treece's lead came out of his guitar during one track the crowd
carried on chanting the words until Hunt burst back into song.

CH
Sunday Mercury 31-8-98 



WHAT A PARTY AS MILES TURNS ON THE TUNES
Miles Hunt one-time frontman of the Eight Legged Groove Machine, invited a
few friends to his 32nd birthday party on Wednesday night - and what a party.
Now a streamlined Four Legged Groove Machine, Miles and former Stuffies
sidekick Malc Treece, ably supported by
Heywire and Planet Claire, packed out Ronnie Scott's as part of the
Songwriters Festival'98.

The normally subdued and softly-lit jazz club had never seen anything like
it as Miles and Malc bought back happy
memories with acoustic versions of Cartoon Boyfriend, Caught In My Shadow
Piece of Sky and Mission Drive from their WonderStuff chart-topping days.
Often overlooked as one of the great songwriters of the last 10-15 years,
he proved he has been busy of late,
turning out catchy classics in the shape of Manna from Heaven and Let's
Hope I Get It Right- he certainly did at Ronnies.

STACEY BARNFIELD
Sunday Mercury 2-8-98