The band that took
Ian Gillan's side at London's Marquee Club in December 1978 was far, far different than the group that had accompanied him onto that stage a mere six months before. In the interim, the former
Deep Purple frontman had deep-sixed his own
Ian Gillan Band and tossed his jazz-rock fusion sound overboard. Retaining only keyboardist
Colin Towns, the singer swiftly enrolled drummer
Peter Barnacle and a pair of
Zzebras -- guitarist
Steve Byrd and bassist
John McCoy -- and christened the new-look group
Gillan. They debuted at the Reading Festival in August, and by the time the band hit the Marquee stage
Gillan was already a stunningly tight unit. Opening with a new number, the blistering "Secret of the Dance,"
Ian Gillan deliberately drew a thick line through his recent past. At times the song almost strays into
Motörhead territory, the ferocious "Message in a Bottle" storms between the twin peaks of hard rock and hardcore, while "Back in the Game"'s stop-start rhythm pushes towards post-punk. "So Low" was a showcase for
McCoy, the soaring "Tokyo Flight" highlighting
Byrd's phenomenal guitar licks.
Towns' moment of glory came on "Dead of Night," his stellar jazz solos a potent reminder of what had been. For although
Ian Gillan had dramatically shifted his sound, he wasn't turning his back on his career. A trio of numbers dated back to his
Purple days, with the band performing an emotive version of "Child in Time" and an incendiary "Smoke on the Water," and closing the show with an exuberant "Woman from Tokyo."
McCoy and
Barnacle are the Rock of Gibraltar over which
Towns' exhilarating keyboard dances and
Byrd's guitar launches into extensive soaring, searing solos so savage that they eventually caused almost irreparable damage to his hands and wrists. But even his phenomenal work didn't stop
Ritchie Blackmore from stealing the show when he took the stage for the encore, "Lucille," although
Towns attempts to thwart his theft at every turn. No wonder the crowd screams itself hoarse at the end. The sound quality, while not pristine, is good enough to capture every thrill and musical chill the band delivered;
Gillan at their headiest of live heights.