XACTO - “Life Begins At The Hop” - Sydney
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Canberra XTC tribute band, XACTO, supported U.S. tribute band, Start Making Sense, at their Sydney show. Both XTC and Talking Heads formed about the same time and released their debut albums a year apart. Both bands were swept up in the early days of punk but neither fitted the mould. Both bands wrote some brilliant songs, albeit on the opposite sides of the Atlantic. I wonder if they ever played together. If this show was anything to go by, they definitely should have.
If XACTO’s short set on this night is an accurate representation, it would appear they favour XTC’s earlier releases. Here they are playing “Life Begins At The Hop” from the 1979 album “Drums and Wires”.
EDIT: Following @riccurnow8127's comment, I did the research: it appears XTC and Talking Heads were in fact friends (at least in the early days). They not only played together on several occasions but also (according to Chris Frantz's book, "Remain in Love") toured together. There are several different photos of the two bands relaxing together at CBGBs in 1978 (although it is not stated whether or not they actually played together on this occasion) [ / xtc_mingles_with_talki... ]. However, they definitely did play together in 1978 at Beacon Theatre NYC (some online suggest that the CBGB photos were actually taken then) and in 1978 at Paradiso, Amsterdam. A poster for this latter gig sold at auction for over $1,000 [entertainment....]. So it would seem that I am most definitely not alone in wishing I'd seen these two bands together.
XACTO Facebook: facebook.com/xactoband/
XACTO Instagram: instagram.com/xacto.band/
XTC supported Talking Heads at the Beacon Theatre New York on New Year's Eve 1978 and earlier the same year at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. And almost certainly on other occasions as well.
That's good to know. Thanks for the info. I'd love to have been at one of those shows. Suppose I should be thankful that I saw them both separately. Thanks !!
@@Peter_LiveMusic I found an image of both bands' members sitting together but can't post it here. Is there somewhere you'd like me to post it?
@@riccurnow8127 Thanks for the info. I think i've found the photo you're referring to. I've added an 'edit' to my description and put a link there. I really should have done some research myself before hand. Thanks again.
Hey Peter - great to discover your channel, and glad you enjoyed your entree of XTC by XACTO before the feast of Talking Heads by SMS! We hoped it would be a good match with some overlap among fandoms. For this brief opener set we pitched towards the earlier/better known stuff (and shorter songs to squeeze into our allotted 30 min!) but the XACTO repertoire does extend through XTC's career from White Music to Wasp Star. For longer shows like the upcoming night at Gasoline Pony in Marrickville on Sat 15 Feb we'll be doing some deeper dives into the catalogue. Cheers!
Thanks for popping by and thanks for a great opening to a wonderful gig. Yes, I wasn't too sure about what period(s) of XTC's musical career you might favour. I know Scarecrow People prefer their later material (although they do of course, play the early songs too). I really enjoyed the songs you included. I bought "White Music" and "Go 2" when they were first released. And "Drums and Wires" is still my favourite album of theirs. So it was a very pleasant surprise finding you supporting Start Making Sense. Sadly, I can't make the Marrickville gig, but maybe next time you're in Sydney. Hope it all goes well. And thanks again for the comment.
@@Peter_LiveMusic Yes, clashing Mike Stern at the Factory! Damn it. With the tiny stage at Gaspo, these guys might find themselves on the floor!
@@trioofmisfortune Hoping they have a great gig. With luck they'll be back in Sydney sometime soon and I'll try to catch a longer set from them. Thanks for commenting.