Tom Tom Club

[Spearmint Rhino]

For the last few weeks, and for the next few days, something billed as 'Tom Tom Club' has been performing at the Brighton Festival Fringe.

It's not the Tom Tom Club you've heard of. It appears to be some troupe of Australian 'modern' 'punk' acrobats who leap around while someone plays hip hop music.

YOU CAN'T DO THAT!

I mean, for fuck's sake! The other day I was strolling past the box office, and I overheard some young guy saying to his mates "Wow, that's that wicked female bassist, what's her name?" I had to step in and say "Tina Weymouth from Talking Heads, and it isn't her, it's just some bunch of chancers who've stolen the name", otherwise he was about to shell out on tickets.

If this sort thing is acceptable, fuck it. Next year I'm gonna get a bunch of my mates to ride around inside a marquee doing wheelies on their bikes, while another bunch of my mates bash upturned dustbins with baseball bats, and I'm gonna call it 'Public Image Limited'. I'll charge £20 admission. Sounds fair?

[Spearmint Rhino]

Tom Tom Club

Right, well I've just emailed (the real) Tom Tom Club and their various management representatives via the Contacts section of their website to let them know about this. I feel better for that.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Tom Tom Club

Ah man, 36 views in an hour, and not one reply. You all think I've gone nuts and lost the plot. I knew it.

Anyway, (the real) Tom Tom Club are playing Massive Attack's Meltdown. Worth going, cos last time I saw them they were ace.

[Fatter Hipper]

Tom Tom Club

How do you know it's the real one? How do Massive Attack know they've booked the right one?

I was going to say something else more worthwhile, but it's completely gone.

[Guest]

Tom Tom Club

Those beatbox acrobats are ace! You mean it's not them playing Meltdown!? Shit, that's the only reason I bought a ticket.

[Purves Grundy]

Tom Tom Club

The good news is it's the real Tom Tom Club.

The bad news is that it's this version of Massive Attack curating it.

[willie1foot]

Tom Tom Club

So that's how Harry Redknapp earns a few extra shekels in his spare time.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Tom Tom Club

Fucking hell, that's outrageous.

Though in fairness, my views on this are totally inconsistent, and mostly have to do with how much I like the act in question.

For instance, I thought the Chems were very hard done by ove the whole "Dust Brothers" thing (c'mon, guys, take a compliment...), but found and still find the phrase "The London Suede" piss funny.

[hobbes]

Tom Tom Club

There looks to be some good stuff on at that meltdown thing this year.
Shortwave Set and martina Topley Bird.
future Hip Hop. Peaches doing Silent Disco, Four Tet and Andy Weatherall.
George Clinton and Parliament. Gang of Four.

[wingco]

Tom Tom Club

Hmm, I dunno re the Chemicals/Dust Brothers compliment thing. It's like, suppose, as a "compliment" to The Beatles, Oasis had decided to call themselves The Beatles? Ructions would not unreasonably have ensued, the flattery notwithstanding, one suspects.

[Fatter Hipper]

Tom Tom Club

I remembered what it was.

My mum once told me that her friend's husband was the drummer in The Police. After much disbelief, it finally came to light that he was not in fact Stuart Copeland but paraded his paradiddles in the Merseyside Police Marching Band.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Tom Tom Club

Ha ha ha.

What makes that even funnier is that I'm sure it's a tired old stand-up joke (come to life).

[RobW]

Tom Tom Club

I'm seeing Tom Tom Club at Meltdown. I've not seen Gang of Four either, but it's really Chris and Tina I want to see. Also off to see SLF play 'Inflammable Material'. Always loads I want to see at Meltdown.
I might make an effort next year to save specifically so I can go to more than two nights, though that will depend on whoever is curating it.

[Fatter Hipper]

Tom Tom Club

Chris Frantz is phenomenal. Check out the cheesy grin when he first comes onstage in Stop Making Sense. And check out the "oh yeah" expression on his face everytime he hits the crash cymbal in 'Thank You For Sending Me An Angel'. And when he says "check it out y'all" during the Tom Tom Club interlude. He is the hippest un-hip man of all time.