Wednesday 22 December 2010

209 THE SULTANS OF PING FC, the Shanks, Windsor Old Trout, Monday 18 May 1992

A nice sunny Monday evening trip down to a small venue by the banks of the Thames; very picturesque, despite the huge bouncers with bad attitudes everywhere. Still, I appreciated the "no stage diving!" signs, given the number of punters that have landed on my head during my gigging years!

Got there in time for The Shanks' young, energetic and erratic support set. One excellent song, "When I Go" and some other goodies revealed them as a cool band with some potential, if they tightened up. A lot.

"The Ping" came on at 10; an extraordinary sight, led by very eccentric frontman Niall, whose stage presence was no less than a cross between Mick Jagger and Julian Clary, if you can imagine that. Musically, "The Ping" are a Half Man Half Biscuit/ Fall type fairly ramshackle musician-free rabble, but "live" they put on a marvellously entertaining show, focused obviously on Niall's frontman antics and retorts to the heckling audience. "Give Him A Ball And A Yard Of Grass", a song about the Godlike Nigel Clough, revealed some supreme taste in footballers and was the best number in their wildly eccentric and excellent set, which culminated in everyone doing the dying fly! Hugely entertaining!

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