Maxwell Hall,
Civic Centre,
Market Square,
Aylesbury
Saturday September 17th
1977
Mink
DeVille and
the Immortals
Tyla Gang
Kris Needs, writing in
Zig Zag, October 1977 (reproduced with permission of Kris Needs)
"THERE'S
OVER 1,000 people from kids to hall staff grinning, swaying, dancing and
screaming with delight at the stage on which Mink DeVille are playing the
set of their lives. Willie DeVille is
bent double, sweat-drenched and hollering his soul out on the classic
'Stand By Me'. As each of the three silk-suited Immortals takes a line of
the verse the waves of ecstatic cheering build until the whole place feels
like it's gonna explode, your head feels like it's gonna explode with
pure, undiluted...happiness at what you're lucky enough to be
experiencing. This is New York band Mink DeVille's first British gig. I'm
not talking about the Rainbow, but Friars, Aylesbury, the club where the
band repaid the crowds overwhelming arms-outstretched welcome to these
shores with a total of five encores. At the Rainbow there were two. That
about sums it up. Big London gig, the place to be seen that weekend, big
press build-up stoked by impressive debut album. Make no mistake, Mink
DeVille were GOOD at the Rainbow. It was the biggest place they'd ever
played in their lives. They knew they HAD to be good, more than good,
AMAZING to live up to their reputation. But Aylesbury was the gig where
they did it. I know several people who were quite disappointed at the
Rainbow, though realising the group could be the hottest thing on eighteen
legs in a smaller place. "It was like watching a film", said a disgruntled
Danny Baker of the Rainbow. Right, But at Aylesbury it was like you were
part of that film, extras in a milestone movie of the decade. After that
how could the Rainbow not be a bit of an anti-climax."
