Matching Mole London 1972 (original) (raw)

Matching Mole – London, King’s Cross Cinema – 17 June 1972

This incomplete recording of one of Matching Mole’s two appearances at the King’s Cross Cinema, just a short walking distance from the band’s rehearsal space, UNIT, was salvaged from an old cassette which, at times, shows its age, particularly during the extended “Lything and Gracing” at the end. Otherwise it’s a very listenable ambient capture of the performance, which stands out from the other ones available thanks to the inclusion of a probably truncated “Dedicated to Hugh, but you weren’t listening”. There is also a very nice version of the Kevin Ayers-derived “No ‘Alf Measures” with some particularly effective use of the Echoplex on Robert’s wordless singing. Just how much is missing at the start may never be known, but we do have the ending, with the audience showing its appreciation.

The evening was originally supposed to also include Elton Dean’s Just Us and Soft Machine (this would have been the debut of Elton’s replacement Karl Jenkins), but members of these two bands were caught ill and instead the Brotherhood of Breath, Stud, and a pick-up band of Graham Bond and Pete Brown with ex-King Crimson members Mel Collins and Ian Wallace performed in their place. The CBS evening took place as originally intended on July 7th.

Phil Miller – guitar
Dave MacRae – Fender Rhodes
Bill MacCormick – bass
Robert Wyatt – drums, mouth