Metamorphosis - "Conception 1982" (Flowmotion FM 004) 1982

Being a native of the East Midlands in the UK, namely Leicester, I was guilty of missing some pretty essential gigs at the turn of the eighties; like Joy Division, The Pop Group,The Fuck Off Records tour, The Good Missionaries, Pere Ubu,The Disco Zombies, to name but a few. Not listed among these was Nottingham's own Metamorphosis, of whom I was unaware ever played a gig at all?Where they appeared in my place of birth I don't have a clue;but the evidence is here. An all encompassing tour of the East Midlands, taking in Nottingham and Derby too, such heights,only missing out Peterborough!

One was only previously aware of a single recorded outing on the "Elephant Table" compilation; but no, there's more!? A live compilation of the “high points” of this tour is preserved for a finite eternity on this Flowmotion C-45, “Conception 1982”.

They played a passable version of that funky Industrial stuff, with funky drumming and echo laden trumpets, patented by such higher profile luminaries as 23 Skidoo, 400 Blows and Bourbonese Quark. It has a limited danceable effect,but one can imagine several of the sparse audience in attendance dancing to it. The drummer is no Alex Turnbull and fails to play within his limitations,frequently struggling with the funky snare fills that 23 Skidoo could do with ease.

I've never really dug this direction of the funkier strains of Industrial music,or Industrial Disco. Living in an Industrial Environment is not funky or about dancing; unless its about recreating the pounding rhythms of factory machines, and dancing is reflecting the repetitive movements of the workers on the production line in this prison without walls ? I prefer the title “Dark Funk”, aligning it more with Miles Davis's early seventies period rather than William S. Burroughs. Even if the clichéd mantra of “Pay it all Back” is chanted at some moment during the performance, it still sounds too A Certain Ratio at times for me(Flesh trade is Sextet or what?).

But, i'd still sooner see Metamorphosis than Showaddywaddy(famous Leicester pop atrocity) any day,.....terrible drumming though!

Track Listing:

A1_Searching For A Secret (Leicester 18.6.82)

A2_Improvisation (Leicester 18.6.82)

A3_Canal Music (Leicester 18.6.82)

A4_We Better Pray (Nottingham 26.01.82)

B1_Fertile Ground (Derby 3.6.82)

B2_391 (Derby 3.6.82)

B3_Flesh Trade (Leicester 18.6.82)

B4_Intense (Nottingham 26.01.82)

B5_Cactus Land (Nottingham 26.01.82)

DOWNLOAD a virtualtour of the holyland of the east midlands HERE!