U2 / Comsat Angels – 1981 Coventry

U2 / Comsat Angels – 1981 Coventry.

by Pete Clemons.

U2 are arguably one of biggest acts to grace the planet. They are known the world over. Fill stadiums. But, like most bands, they had humble beginnings. They played the Coventry area several times during those formative years. And, judging by the following report of one of those visits, U2's future success was far from anticipated. It is a fascinating read.............

"The Arts Centre Hall was, surprisingly, sold-out for this, the first big gig of the academic year. Still, in the first week the Freshers will go to anything, I thought to myself on the way in. My preconceptions were dashed by the strong and enthusiastic response that was enjoyed by both bands. Their appeal is, strangely, far greater than I had previously imagined. That is not to say they are undeserving of such acclaim, its just that they are both quite good, or okay, but not really particularly special.

The Comsat Angels made a dramatic entry. The stage was dimly lit as they ambled on and went into their first number, a tense and atmospheric little tune. The drums thudded away repetitively, the bass thumped along in a robotic manner, layers of keyboards added texture to the sound, whilst the guitar cut sharply through the middle. This combination was most absorbing but began to pall after a while. Their material tends to sound distinctly similar. 'Independence Day' was great and is still their best number. It has what many of their other songs lack - a strong hook. Of the newer songs, which are represented on their latest L.P. which is called 'Sleep No More', 'Do the Empty House' sounded the most promising, which is just as well for them as it is their latest single.

U2 received what was practically a heroes welcome. Familiar songs were greeted with whoops of joy. Certain members of the audience actually seemed to enjoy having water thrown over them by singer Bono.

They possess something that the support band, Comsat Angels, did not possess. And that was charisma. This comes in the shape of Bono, a man who definitely has a certain something denied to the mass of humanity.

Despite the weak points in the set, of which there were many, he somehow managed to carry them through. His colleagues are not especially talented. The guitarist would like to be a good old fashioned guitar hero whilst the other two are somewhat faceless.

They certainly have age on their side if nothing else. They began with 'Gloria' (the latest single) which was quite impressive. It featured the usual U2 formula of soaring guitar lines, a little bit of harmonics also on the guitar, in the middle and a strong riff. This is quite pretty, enjoyable, exhilarating etc., but can become tiresome when repeated ad infinitum. The rest of their set thus varied between the brilliant and the mundane

Unfortunately, they played a lot of inferior new material, some of which verged on the heavy metal. A slot number with only piano and drum accompaniment 'October' was somewhat embarrassing, but mercifully short. The old favourites were left till last and were brilliant "I Will Follow" being particularly outstanding.

There were many encores, of course, during which the magnificent '11 O'clock tick tock' was played. Not a brilliant gig but nevertheless fun. Oh yes, and Bono was suffering from a bad bout of flu."

Interestingly, 'Sleep No More' - the album being toured by Comsat Angels, was regarded as somewhat of a masterpiece. Additionally, it was said that it had a major influence on the future U2.

The Comsat Angels - Independence Day

Gloria U2