Bob Mould - Circle Of Friends - Live At The 9:30 Club (DVD)

Many years ago I was lucky enough to have in my possession the video of the wonderful Husker Du live in London. The gig was at the then called Town & Country Club (now The Forum) on the 21st June 1987 and was the last UK gig by the fantastic trio of Mould, Hart and Norton. The Huskers limped on together for another 6 months until the end of 87 when regrettably they each decided to go their own way.

I was also lucky enough to be present at that legendary gig and can remember being transfixed by the performance from start to finish. The set list was superb, and (not unlike the Huskers) comprised almost entirely of "Warehouse" numbers... (The current album) - With just a few "old classics" thrown in for good measure!

They charged on that stage that night and Mould launched into the opening bars of "These Important Years" and the whole f***ing place erupted! This was followed by... Charity, Chastity, Prudence & Hope; Standing In the Rain; Back From Somewhere; Ice Cold Ice; You're A Soldier; Could You Be The One.... And the list of absolute classics just continued on & on... With barely a breath taken between numbers - Grant Hart thrashing away on the skins and Bob jumping and charging across the stage at every opportunity!!!

Wind the clock forward 21 years and I can safely say 2 things... 1: - I have never forgotten the energy of that incredible night, and... 2: - I have not seen another release of either Husker Du, Sugar or Mould live performances that I can happily spend my money on since... Until I saw this - "Live at the 9.30 Club - Circle Of Friends!"

I think that we all approach performances and recordings of those that hold such superb memories for us, with real trepidation... We are just so worried that we are going to be so disappointed and the memories that we have held for so long are simply never going to be the same after viewing/listening!

However, I couldn't be happier to report that this is not the case with this excellent DVD! Apart from maybe looking that time has passed inbetween, I can safely say that very little else has changed about the enigmatic Bob Mould. His voice, the energy, his playing, the songs... They all transport a true believer and dedicated fan all the way back through those 21+ years.

Joined onstage by Brendan Canty (Fugazi), Richard Morel (Morel) and Jason Narducy (Rockets Over Sweden) this superb gig features Mould's songs from Husker Du, Sugar's "Copper Blue" and his most recent solo stuff.

Now, I would be lying if I suggested that my personal favourites weren't the Husker compositions... There is the "Candy Apple..." classic "Hardly Getting Over It" as well as "Zen Arcade"'s "Chartered Trips" - From "New Day Rising - Celebrated Summer" - From "Flip Your Wig - Makes No Sense At All", and finally "Could You Be The One" - Still sounding as good now as it did all those years ago! This is not to play down all of the other superb renditions which the band perform, such as "The Act We Act", "Changes" and "A Good Idea"...

I really cannot recommend this highly enough for fans new and old - The energy and passion never relent - And they even include one of my all time favourites..."If I Can't Change Your Mind."

And all that I can say is... "... I love you even still..." Brilliant!

Rickx