Anticipation was high on the first night of the tour and nobody quite knew what to expect. As it happened, the 500 fans packed into the Trinity were in for a treat - as Clash song 'Guns Of Brixton' was played as the final song part of the encore, the only time it would be played during the tour, and so far the only time the band has played this during their live shows. Back In The Day however was omitted from the set for this night only! Support came from French Juggler Sebastian Valade Rod Laver and his amazing ping pong ball act Full Stop Acrobatics (Vicky Steggles and Vibber Pompe), Max Williams and his diablo routine and of course Indigo Moss. [Photo credit: cobley]

richskara caught the legendary Guns Of Brixton on film - watch it here


Cobley got some amazing photos which can be seen here


The Independent wrote a review which can be seen here

The Bristol Evening Post gave the show a FIVE STAR review, see the review and great picture here


Sarah B writes:-
"The Trinity in Bristol was quite hard to find as i really wasn't expecting it to to be a converted church. Arrived early and was expecting a room full of screaming Damon fans but lo and behold it was a good mixture of both old and young (no jokes here about middle aged screaming ladies) A fantastic night of entertainment with an old fashioned music hall / vaudeville style , complete with jugglers,compere , gymnastics, and contortionist also support from a 'blue grass' band called ???? moss. A brilliant set from the whole of the new album including one from the b side of the single'Mr Whippy'.Three changes is one of my favourites songs if you guys are willing to have a listen try this track 1st it sums up England today perfectly lyrically. Herculean sounded really spot on live, another favourite of mine . It was great to see Simmo up there again prowling the stage like a leopard in a cage and pulling all those poses.He was a joy to watch. The bass is really heavy in the mix... very dubby and adds a unique touch But the best bit was still to come Paul takes the guitar and gives Simon Tong his bass and..............the guns of Brixton.Never thought i would ever hear Paul singing that again live, it must be over 20 years ago when i last heard it and it was MAGIC "

Claire G writes:-
Saw TGTBTQ at Bristol Trinity. One of the best nights of my life. Really, it was. How can I describe what I liked about the performance? I really like the record. I love the songs - there isn't a single moment on the album where I would change the harmony, melody, or arrangement. So, I absolutely ADORE the material, but on CD it can sound slightly cold, slightly hollow - maybe that's the intention? But at the gig there was a warm connection to the audience. There were a couple of technical hitches and Damon seemed to be trying hard to get things "just so". There was even a restart of "Herculean" after the synth came in about a semitone flat and some nasty feedback that threatened to spoil the eerie beauty of ""Behind the Sun", but yes, the performance prevailed. It also felt to me as if some tracks should run into each other more smoothly, and once or twice the band seemed to be waiting for the applause to stop so that they could re-establish the atmosphere. They did this very well so that despite the applause disrupting the flow, each track quckly got into it's groove. Despite minor imperfections, which Damon seemed to take quite hard, every track worked well within itself, the rhythms knitted together beautifully and Damon appeared to be concentrating intensely on his vocal performances and produced accounts of the songs that I would rate above those on the recordings; richer, smoother, warmer, at times more intense, at other times more dreamy. Paul Simenon provided the cool, and his relaxed and warm approach was a huge boon when things got slightly tense. There was a lovely moment towards the end where Paul put his arm around Damon and gave him a kiss as if to say "it's alright mate". The crowd were really, really appreciative - I think we all knew we were watching a group of very able musicians playing extraordinarily beautiful music that is technically tricky at times and pulling it off beautifully.
SEE THIS MUSIC LIVE IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN - IT IS A MAJOR EVENT. If you like Damon Albarn's more reflective, melodic, or romantic moments, this will just blow you away.
I first saw Damon with Blur at UEA Not long after "There's No Other Way" was a hit in 1991. That has always been one of my favourite gigs ever - what a performer he was - young, wiry, strong, fit (in all senses of the word), gorgeous, arrogant, sexy... I thought he was one of the most gorgeous creatures I had ever seen. And when he climbed a huge stack of speakers, and casually wobbled on one foot as he leaned out over the audience before casually jumping down - it seemed like twenty feet - I have no idea how far he really jumped but I was SO IMPRESSED. And of course the music was good, too - varied, exciting, melodic, with clever lyrics, social comment and a satisfying range of connections to older British music - The Mod movement, The Beatles, Punk... WOW!
So, how did TGTBTQ compare? Well, we've both grown older. This gig was all about music and musicianship. The band were conveying a series of delicious songs and gorgeous instrumental passages, all trying to contribute the best that they could to a fascinating fusion of styles - elements from all over the place including cameos from what seem to me to be reminiscences of Philip Glass, fragments of well-known songs ("As Tears Go By" and "Rock a bye baby on the tree top", "Bye Baby Bunting"), oriental melodies, together with snippets from all over the history of UK rock and pop (Bowie, Beatles, Kinks, Clash...), and the occasional Blur moment. But, crucially NOT ONCE does this music actually sound like something else. Every element is gently reshaped into something new. Quotations are used to enrich and inspire, not as a short cut, nor to guarantee recognition or easy appeal.
I don't know Damon Albarn the person and never will. And that's not the point. Damon Albarn the musician has given me so much in the past and the most with this album. The only other recording that I have loved anything like as much is "Trimm Trabb" on the Blur album "13", which is just about the only recording I have ever heard that I have never got bored with despite hundreds of plays.
I just love this TGTBTQ album more and more and more and more.
I wish I could find a more original phrase that was as potent, but creatively Damon is on fire at the moment, he is simply getting better and better. It's astounding.
So, Damon the musician now is much better than he was when I first saw Blur in 1991. Drawing more effectively from an enormous range of sources, putting it all together much, much more subtly, and drawing on a much richer and warmer range of life experiences and deeper connections to the people he cares about. But if it hadn't been for Damon the arrogant, sexy young pop star, it may well not have happened - and I may well not have heard any of this music even if he had written it and released it. The last track of the album TGTBTQ has just started to play as I write and my eyes are filling up with tears. So, so BEAUTIFUL ... GORGEOUS ... RICH ... INTOXICATING
Thank you Damon, Paul, Tony, Simon, and Brian for this very special album and, Damon, Paul, Tony, Simon and the rest of the band for Bristol Trinity - one of the very best nights of my life!