Hatfield and the North – Live 1990 (England 2002) [ProgRock] @192

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Some 10 years or so before this performance finally made it onto DVD, it appeared in CD format as this live album. The performance is taken from a TV series called “Bedrock” which Central Television (UK) put together to showcase British Rock. The line up here includes Richard Sinclair, Pip Pyle, and Phil Miller. Dave Stewart is however notable by his absence, his keyboards stool being filled by Pyle’s then girlfriend and jazz virtuoso Sophia Domancich.
This leads to a somewhat diverse set list, which includes “Share it”, “Halfway between heaven and Earth”, “It didn’t matter anyway” and “Underdub” (which does not appear on the DVD) from “The Rotter’s club”. The rest of the tracks are not H&TN songs. The excellent 13 minute “Shipwrecked” is a new composition by Pip Pyle, which includes lengthy keyboard and guitar improvisations.
“Cauliflower ears” is from Pyle’s then current band Equip’Out (which also included Domancich in its line up), while “Blott” is a Domanacich composition, and essentially her solo spot. “Going for a song” is a Sinclair song with lyrics by Pyle, and hence the most Caravan like of the pieces.
As such, crediting this set to H&TN is somewhat liberal with the reality of the contents. It is however a highly enjoyable experience, which ranges from the light, almost pop like vocals of Sinclair to the improvised jazz of Soft Machine. The sound is very much rooted in the Canterbury sounds of the (male) protagonists, Domanacich making a reasonable stab at recreating the keyboard atmospheres and styles associated with that genre.

01. Share It (3:26)
02. Shipwrecked (13:31)
03. Underdub (5:03)
04. Blott (8:55)
05. Going for a Song (4:23)
06. Cauliflower Ears (7:02)
07. Halfway Between Heaven and Earth (8:19)
08. 5/4 Intro (1:47)
09. It Didn’t Matter Anyway (5:35)

Phil Miller: guitar
Sophia Domancich: keyboards
Pip Pyle: drums
Richard Sinclair: bass, vocals