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The Durutti Column, "Live in Bruxelles 13.8.1981"
Originally recorded for a radio broadcast, Vini Reilly is joined by Bruce Mitchell on drums for this live set of mostly new material. The concert is a good snapshot of a prolific period in the group's history, and shows another side of some of their better work.Performing in an open-air venue a few months before they would record the second Durutti album LC, this concert finds Reilly and Mitchell playing together somewhat tentatively but the result is still enjoyable. Mitchell's style complements Reilly's quite well, adding a nice complexity to the music. They start out a little sluggishly on their first few songs, including an awkward breakdown in the middle of "Jacqueline" that features a drum solo, but they start clicking on "Sketch for Summer." The seldom-performed "Danny" follows nicely here, with the equally excellent "Stains (Useless Body)" and "The Missing Boy" trailing after. The wild and effects-laden "Self Portrait" strays into abstract territory before closing with the appropriately titled, "For Belgian Friends." At 40 minutes or so, it is a relatively short but satisfying set.
The biggest downside to this disc is the sound quality. The drums in particular are all over the place, with various pieces of the kit sounding like they were recorded in vastly different environments. Reilly's voice is hit or miss and a microphone falls off his amplifier during the performance, which he attributes to the horrendous PA system and substandard sound technicians in the interview that closes the disc.
Still, for a live recording, it doesn't sound terrible either. The nuances of the performance come through fine, and the songs sustain a nice mood throughout . The interview at the end is probably only for the band's strict devotees, but the music more than holds its own even for casual fans.
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