New Cats: Part III...

 

We've now had the new cats for three months and they're starting to relax at chez Brooks. Dolly is the braver of the two and she spends more time with us, while Dotty is more timid. But she's coming out of her shell a lot more now. Both occasionally sleep on the bed with us and divebomb us for food first thing in the morning.

I'd forgotten the joy of having pets. We took a two-year break when our beloved cat, Buffy, died. But those little moments of affection when they plonk themselves on your lap, or visit you and sit on the desk in your office are worth the price of looking after them. I'm a little bit besotted by them.

They do have a calculating side, though. There have been times when I've been cooking in the kitchen and one of them will distract me, while the other will sneak in and steal whatever is available. Nam breads, gingerbread men, slices of garlic bread and bits of French sticks have all been recovered from the garden room that is their kingdom.

We've essentially adopted the raptors from Jurassic Park in the famous scene where one distracts the hunter while the other ambushes him. We're in the throws of slowly letting them roam free at the moment. It would not surprise me if they dragged a Big Game Hunter through the catflap.

Soft Cell: Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret 40th Anniversary Gig...

My musical tastes are wide-ranging and always have been. Part of that variety in taste is because I inherited a lot of different bands and artists from family members, friends and other notables in my life. My long-time love of The Who, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Neil Sedaka, Gene Pitney, Joe Jackson, the Electric Light Orchestra, the Waterboys, Joy Division, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen and the Sisters of Mercy are a good example of these diverse influences. 

The advent of streaming services has since allowed me to dabble and further expand my explorations of music. So I've worked my way through modern minimalist composers such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich, classical masters such as Johann Sebastian Bach, and new bands to me, such as Slow Show, Biffy Clyro, Arab Strap and Sports Team. 

And, in even better news, there will be many more new ones to come. 

The first band I really discovered by myself was Soft Cell. Back in the heady days of 1981, I adored the single, Tainted Love, and the album it came off, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. This was a thing that amazed, seduced and intrigued me, although I much preferred their 1983 album, The Art of Falling Apart. Sadly, I never got to see them live. 

Fast-forward four decades and the no-longer-together Soft Cell announce they're reuniting and performing a series of shows to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. Bugger the expense. I am in. 

The gig was superb. They opened with a glorious version of Torch, ran through a series of songs from Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing and The Art of Falling Apart, plus tunes from the massively under-rated This Last Night in Sodom and Cruelty Without Beauty. They even previewed songs from their forthcoming 2022 album, Happiness Not Included.

But the highlight was them playing Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret in its entirety. Personal non-hit-single favourites such as Frustration, Seedy Films, Sex Dwarf and Chips on My Shoulder all received rapturous welcomes from a partisan audience, while hits such as Tainted Love, Bedsitter and Say Hello Wave Goodbye got everyone on their feet and joining in when invited.

Marc Almond's voice was in surprisingly fine form, while Dave Ball's accompanying synthesiser was immaculate. The accompanying backing singers also did some of the heavy vocal lifting when needed. 

It was a joyous evening. It took me back to being 12 and feeling both insecure and excited about what the world had to offer. But music retains that ability to trigger memories and feelings. I'm just glad I don't have to revisit the near-teen version of myself as part of the package. I'm much happier as a 52-year-old...