New Model Army at the Hackney Ocean

Justin Sullivan & Friends gigs demonstrate once more the versatility of the material the man has at his disposal and for my money this was a better show than NMA’s rather over-familiar and comfortable performance at Kentish Town prior to Christmas. This had “that edge”. Joolz introduces Justin and The Changing of the Light sets the tone before Dean White and then Michael Dean arrive. Tonight is where Dean White in particular comes into his own – a somewhat underrated member of NMA - he puts in a flawless performance on keys and guitar despite (or perhaps because of!) being in the pub prior to the show. Michael Dean has already proved himself as a more than decent replacement to Rob Heaton and his drum solo at the end of Inheritance leaves everyone’s (Justin’s included) jaw on the floor. NMA without either is now unthinkable. I thought Nelson would appear as well having also been in the pub before but evidently this trio were happy with the format of last years shows.

Song wise whilst some classics were aired (Turn Away, Heroes, The Attack, Long Goodbye) it is the surprises that really get the blood boiling. Lust For Power is brilliantly re-worked in this setting and Drummy B finally gets played for the first time whilst I have been in attendance after some rather amusing anecdotes from Justin regarding his recent trip to Ireland in which he decry’s “The Troubles” as being “All Bollocks!”. I’ve waited for someone to stand up and say that for years.

It was too much to not expect the current Baghdad situation not to be addressed and Bob Dylan’s Masters of War is played apparently at Dean’s suggestion. In the hands of Justin the lyric is f**king acerbic so strong is his emotion and his eyes go completely with anger. Any other anti-war demonstrations that have occurred over the past three months seem merely adolescent posturing in comparison. It is quite possibly the greatest and certainly most caustic vocal performance of his career, which is then followed by You Weren't There which proves he is not bad at writing media-bashing rants either.

The new tracks fair well, and although I would have loved to have heard Danny Thompson on Twilight Home, no emotional impact is lost. All is not well however as Sun on the Water struggles against the backdrop of noise from the bar area, “If you are the kind of person who cannot stop talking for 4 minutes then you are at the wrong gig” states the man rather more diplomatically than his “f**k off” at the Borderline last year. You have to agree with the sentiment though. Unfortunately Justin is completely put off during the new and almost entirely acoustic Green and stops one line in. “If you don’t like it go home” he pleads before re-starting. Thankfully you could have heard a pin drop during the second version which builds perfectly to its apocalyptic climax.

It is a shame that this always seems to happen in London and I had the distinct feeling Justin would not return for a second encore. Credit to him though and 225 ends proceedings as per usual and Justin’s whispered “see you soon” to the crowd after the “we never asked for any of this” refrain is so heartfelt that you know he does not bear a grudge and we are all friends again. The night ends with him dropping a clanger and thanking Dean White and pointing to Michael Dean&ldots;which just goes to prove the man is human after all.

The militaristic section that followed Cromwell went under the collective name 'New Model Army'. Can the contemporary bearers of that name accomplish a similar feat tonight?

Mr Justin Sullivan and his cohorts have received quite a few reviews in these pages over the last two years, but this is my first time at one of their gigs, so please excuse my awe at being a NMA virgin on this occasion. For me, NMA epitomise everything that was going on ten or so years ago, at that weird little moment between baggy and grunge where a whole generation of sixth formers walked about in tight black jeans and 8 hole DM's hanging out with the kind of grebo crusties and travellers that were usually only seen at Glastonbury. Despite forming in the eighties and being of a previous generation, the band encapsulated the mood of an age group who were tired of a hopeless, politically nihilistic England and just wanted something better. Whilst the Levellers and Mega City Four may have spread similar messages and with more accessibility, nobody could compete with the combustible rage and conviction of NMA at there most furious.

Tonight the Kentish Town forum is full of the pierced and dreadlocked faithful that make up the core of NMA's fanbase, but perhaps the biggest surprise is the Goth turn out. And we aren't talking neon tube/New Rock boot wearing 18 year olds, we're talking about the crimped hair and crushed velvet real deal here!

I was going to absolutely tear the appallingly bad support band to pieces at this point, but as it's supposed to be the season of good will to all men, I won't bother. All I will mention is that this band's guitarist/singer looked VERY familiar. At least it's good to see that Les from Vic Reeve's Big Night Out is still making an honest living!

At least this made Sullivan and co look good, but it's not as if they needed any help! Tonight NMA are a 5 piece (as opposed to the usual threesome) which from a performance stand point is good for Justin, as he can do more than just strum his guitar and can actually perform and project far better.

As might be expected, the acoustic fare which has dominated NMA's out put of late gets pushed to the back as the boys are able to fire on all cylinders delivering a turbo charged set, that makes up for it's lack of volume with energy and determination. Considering how multi skilled the members of NMA are, it's slightly sad that they stay in a pretty fixed pattern of performance tonight, with the only deviation being some extra drums from bass player Nelson.

Sullivan's voice remains a one off. All the fire and bile are as bitter as they were twenty years ago, and yet there is vulnerability. Here is the the voice of the everyman, wrapped in barbwire yet still burning with an unstoppable fury. Considering the legendary rants that have characterised Sullivan's performances in the past, he's surprisingly quiet tonight (surely he's not mellowing with age?) yet he pours his criticism on the Bush and Blair axis, the perfect intro for 'Here Comes The War'.

Considering the huge back catalogue that NMA have to tap into, the setlist was pretty much dominated by the recent 'Strange Brotherhood' LP, yet there's much from the past that brings a smile to the faithful. '51st State', 'Stupid Questions', and a real surprise 'Vanity' from 'Impurity'. The Aforementioned 'Here Comes The War' is a virtual rallying cry of a lost generation. Justin does seem a bit breathless midway, but he's already taken his audience's breath away. No sign of 'Vengence', but it's one of those songs that despite it's brilliance, shouldn't be cheapened by over use (as Mr Andrew Lees has observed before, NMA aren't a one song band), so maybe that's a good thing.

In these all too sedate times, New Model Army's radical stance is still a breath of fresh air. Yet isn't it saying something that a band who are almost two decades old can have a lot more passion then any contemporary bunch of twenty something wannabes? The American guitar rock favoured by today's students may not be short of anger, yet it totally lacks the passion of Sullivan and his crew. And they say that we were born in peaceful times.....

Justin Sullivan is the greatest singer songwriter that has ever come out of the UK, period. No one has even come close to matching his wired emotions and plain old human experience for every single facet of existence. No-ones eyes can pierce into an audience like his with an intensity that is almost frightening. No one else can write political rants (with the possible exception of Neil Young) without making themselves sound anything other than a whinging bastard. No one else can start a set at the Borderline with "Fate" five days after your writer nearly lost his life in a motor accident on the M3 with the lyric, "I'm crying out in fury to the Gods of fate come on a get me if you can".

Tonight for an acoustic show Justin is joined by NMA hands Dean White on organ and guitars and Michael Dean on acoustic drums and both treat the material with the respect it deserves. While the talk before hand centred around Justin's new solo album "Navigating the Stars" out in January, only two new tracks are heard tonight and "One Bullet" is excellent, vintage Sullivan. He does also drag out "Trees in Winter" and "If you can't save me" from the Lost Songs package that came out about a year ago but the rest are pretty much familiar favourites.

As usual what Sullivan has to say between the songs is as essential as the music he plays. He tells all that he has no intention of writing a song about September 11 as he has already written about 17 songs about it before playing "The Attack" after assuring everyone that he doesn't sympathise with the protagonists; "We meet again at daybreak for the day that will be ours, with tomorrows history, so check your weapons, say your prayers". It was inevitable that the fireman's dispute which has gridlocked the tube gets a mention when "Snelsmore Wood" is aired for political activities everywhere; "these are the days that we'll recall, when the masks are off the faces and there's something to fight for". "Ballad of Bodwin Pill" is dedicated to former producer Tom Dowd who sadly passed away two weeks ago and whom Justin reveals was involved in the creation of the A-Bomb before not being able to face the consequences of it, and in the build up to "You Weren't There" Justin tells that there was a multi racial cricket match in another part of Bradford on the day of the race riots last year.

It's not all political though. "Aimless Desire" concerns inner will; "I've known people I'd die for, if only they had asked". "Headlights" a paean about not being able to escape your past has always been a great song but has never sounded great live until tonight; "and now the ghosts that you have laid, they all come out to greet you" , and "Turn Away" as ever remains the high point, a song concerning living with someone who suffers from addiction "all your love cannot save him", and finally "Lovesongs" concerns logistically challenged relationships, "Tonight we put the radio on when we ran out of things we could say. But it always plays love songs when you're far away".

Justin dedicates new track "Sun on the Water" to all the romantics in attendance, which he clarifies as everyone describing such a person as "anyone who wishes for something better than this". It achieves a laugh but the irony is surely not lost on anyone. There is NOTHING better than this. Not even a night in the sack with Kylie would touch the emotional nerves on display tonight. I leave utterly drained and in awe of a man whose hand I desperately want to shake and I cannot wait for the 22nd of December.

Who says that Vision Thing is biased towards gigs in London?! Being Cockney's I suppose we have neglected elsewhere in the past, largely due to logistics but we made the effort here, traipsing up to Oxford and taking two days off work in the process given that Justin Sullivan (of NMA fame) saw fit to have the London date of his current solo tour' clash with All About Eve, (Click here for a review of that gig). Even more surprising was that he actually got here judging by the clapped out relic of a tour bus parked on Cowley Road! Wish I had my camera to show you all!

We take our seats right at the front in what comes across as an almost café-like atmosphere in a black but pleasant venue. Justin walks out wearing a suit and looking decidedly dapper after being introduced and we brace ourselves for a cultural evening. While he is assisted on some tracks by Dean White (guitar, keyboards) and Michael Dean (drums, percussion) by and large this is Justin's gig and merely showcases what a great singer-songwriter he is. With acoustic music there is no wall of sound to hide behind and we have become used to Justin baring himself lyrically over the years.

The set comprises of old NMA numbers not heard for years ("The Attack", "Heroes"), b-sides ("Deadeye"), songs that were never recorded properly ("Turn Away", "Changing of the Light"), songs that to my knowledge are not available at all yet apart from on bootlegs ("Stoned, Fired, Full of Grace" and "Tales of the Road"), and even the odd new NMA number ("Headlights" and "Leeds Road 3am"). It is an eclectic set but only demonstrates the strength of the songs that he has put to paper over a glittering 20 year career.

Justin's banter with the crowd remains informed and as heartfelt as ever, dedicating "Tales of the Road" to everyone who has travelled to Oxford for this gig - which turns out to be everyone! - and revealing often the inspiration behind the more obscure numbers. The whole show felt like ten minutes although actually topped two hours.

Upon leaving and staggering back to the Guest House we crashed for the night before getting home for the World Cup opener, France v Sengal. Somehow, Justin Sullvan, this writer's greatest inspiration, never fails to fit in precisely with my way of life!

However they remain an ongoing concern despite an extended sabbatical in the mid 1990's and are still relevant and, looking at society, still wholly necessary - everyone paying attention at the back?

NMA ended the year 2000 in style with two of their (and just about everybody else's) best gigs in recent history - the double day Xmas 20th anniversary bash at the Astoria in December. Justin Sullivan and his merry men played a total of 60 odd songs over two awe-inspiring nights. The next gig was almost bound to be a let down but NMA cleverly re-introduced themselves with a low key show at a new venue to rid themselves of this hurdle. For those unaware "The Oceans" itself is a decent venue in a frankly appalling area. It was nigh on impossible to get a reasonable pint in the various insalubrious public houses we visited on the appropriately named Mare Street. A former Cinema/Theatre one presumes, the venue benefits from wide open spaces, wide stairs and decent layout conducive to a mellow relaxed vibe which brings about thoughts of the Pyramids venue in Portsmouth & Southsea. Even the toilets appear more sanguine than usual, although the circular wash basin contraption at the centre of the gents left most unsure whether to wash their hands in it or piss in it!

"When we first started Maggie Thatcher had just come into power. She's long gone and we're still here", not quite Justin, judging by William Hague's abortive attempts for success in the recent election, but the sentiment still gets a roar of approval. The old and the new are unleashed tonight in a somewhat eclectic set, "Here comes the War" rubbing shoulders with "No Rest" and some revamped old gems. "The Ballad of Bodmin Pill" hits home the best, causing a towering chorus from the "Freaks" in the audience as does newer material like "Stranger" from the somewhat misunderstood "Eight" opus.

Encore time beckons and NMA bow out with "Vengeance". Forget Slipknot, Linkin Park and their ilk, THIS is the ultimate hate anthem of all time. "I believe in justice, I believe in vengeance, I believe in getting the b@stard", Sullivan barks out the lyrics leaving everyone in no doubt as to how pissed off he is. Not withstanding this and the passion this song induces, I for one was left feeling slightly cold by the bands constant emphasis on signing off with this. NMA have dropped Vengeance from their set before and maybe its time to give it a rest again. They are not a one-song band and other gems have not been heard for years. The likes of "Heroes", "Master Race", "Frightened" would have all provided a fitting epitaph to the evenings proceedings.

Not at their very best then but better than 90% of the other acts you will see. Where NMA go from here is unclear, but as the troops depart into the sobering high street of Hackney, the same group of disenchanted and wrathful vagabonds along with a splattering of just plain lunatic delinquents will be there following them every step of the way. Make sure you're there too.