Terry Chambers will always remember his twenty-first birthday. After all, who would forget being subjected to their friend’s TV show reel, fifteen minutes (well, more like three) of fame, on repeat? The friend was Dave “New Faces” James, the song was “Wheels Go Round,” and the show was, well, I suspect you can work that out from his nickname. Thankfully, Terry has another reason to remember that day, as he had just played The Old Town Bowl with his band, XTC.
Having not long rebranded as XTC (previously Star Park and then The Helium Kidz), on stage with Terry were guitarist Andy Partridge, bassist Colin Moulding, and keyboard player Johnathan Perkins. Perkins would soon leave, inconveniently just before the band’s crucial support slot for The Stranglers. He would later form Stadium Dogs and also turn up in Ian Broudie’s pre-Lightning Seeds, Original Mirrors. Barry Andrews would fill that vacant seat, and the band’s first recording lineup was complete.
As we all know, things worked out okay for the band. Although Terry decided to move on to pastures new when the band decided to “do a Beatles” and become a studio-only concern, they remain to this day a major influence on so many pop, rock, and indie bands. But that isn’t the story here.
The story is this. This summer, on 18th July, 50 years to the day since his last gig there, Terry is back treading those same boards with EXTC.
More than a tribute band, EXTC, as the name suggests, is your chance to hear those songs live once more, something that has hardly happened in the last 40 or so years. Not only that, but you get to hear them driven on by their original drummer.
Having hooked up with ex-bandmate Colin as TC&I in 2018 to put out four new tracks, such was the interest in this project that a two-week run of sold-out shows took place at Swindon Arts Centre. People travelled from as far away as the USA and Japan to attend, proving that anything connected to this much-loved band remained a major draw.
Although Colin was reluctant to tour with it, Terry was keen for more, and that hunger for the gigging life meant that a few years later, EXTC emerged, though the band’s birth proved difficult. Having rehearsed the band to the point where they were ready to hit the road, they managed only two shows before Covid hit, leaving them on an 18-month hiatus.
Since then, momentum has picked up significantly, and they have notched up 6 tours of the USA, where they remain immensely popular. The current lineup features his stalwart bassist, Terry Lines, Nigel Whitley on guitar, and the latest recruit, Karl Lornie, on keyboard and guitar, all of whom sing.
So, 50 years to the day, Terry is back. So why now? Well, as he explained to me over some refreshment one afternoon in Old Town. “People always say that we don’t play Swindon enough, so I thought if I’m going to do a show, it needs to be significant.” How much more significant could it be than playing Old Town Bowl 50 years to the day, and also Terry’s 71st birthday?
And you don’t just get to relive your formative years with all of those songs from way back when. Also on the bill is Scott Mickelson, an American songwriter who happily admits there is no small amount of XTC’s influence running through his banjo-led, quirky indie sound. Scott will be backed up by his regular pick-up band, which contains the great and good of Swindon musicians.
Chris Cobbson, of Osibisa and Courtney Pine fame, and Roi Geyari bring a touch of jazz and groove infused with Caribbean and African sonics. And funky, slide blues come courtesy of Jim Blair.
And, giving Terry the last word on what it all means, “It’s about my career turning full circle. I’ve been very fortunate to live a full life through music. A time will come when I can’t do it anymore, or people aren’t interested, or it’s not financially viable, so, if I don’t get to do it again locally, this will be a great way to bow out.”
Tickets HERE