100 Club, Oxford Street, London
Saturday, 20 June 2026
A balmy summer evening greets us revellers as we emerge from Oxford Circus tube station, heading for a tasty pre-gig curry. Suitably nourished off we go to the nearby legendary 100 Club, a place that holds many memories of punk gigs of yore. That old dive is more than a tad smarter now, TV Smith wouldn’t recognise it. The floor is no longer sticky! The stage is still in the wrong place, and those pillars are no smaller though. 🙂
BRUCE SOORD & JON SYKES
Bruce and Jon, the beating heart of prog veterans Pineapple Thief, opened tonight’s shenanigans with what starts off as an unplugged set and slowly gets spikier as Bruce picks up his electric.
There was a time, quite a few years ago now, when I was a bit of a fan of Pineapple Thief, but we seem to have drifted apart. As a result I was unfamiliar with tonight’s set.
With drums on a backing track for the rockier numbers, this, in sound at least, was a PT gig. They seem to have got a tad heavier since I last encountered them, which is no bad thing. I think I need my earplugs now, the volume has increased accordingly! Typically they then slow things down again. The set peaks with the near-epic Ghosts In The Park from Bruce’s new album of the same name. Review link if there is one?
I do enjoy the heavier stuff more than the quieter introspective numbers, which tend to inhabit a rather narrow soundscape as far as my battered ears are concerned, it has to said, but it’s an enjoyable start to the evening.
Pillars
Solitary Path
Dear Life
Meet Me On The Downs
Never Ending Light
All This Will Be Yours
Cut The Flowers
A Lonelines (that’s what the setlist says!)
Ghosts In The Park Pt 1
Ghosts In The Park Pts 2&3
Snowdrops
[Photos courtesy of Leon Barker]
Bruce Soord – Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Vocals
Jon Sykes – Bass
TIM BOWNESS & THE BUTTERFLY MIND
After a much-needed chance to recharge our glasses and chat to some familiar faces, we have the headliners Tim Bowness & Butterfly Mind, back to their original line up now that the mercurial Andy Edwards has returned to the drum stool. Tim Bowness is a man who has written some extraordinary songs in his long career. Always self-effacing, for a while now he has been blessed with a new confidence and a spring in his step, that tonight transmits to the band as they deliver a feisty and edgy set. I think he may have smiled, more than once, too!
After opening with the as yet unreleased No Fires Lit Here the band propel themselves into a fiery rendering of live favourite Time Travel In Texas, which segues straight into Sweetheart Raw, featuring Mr Jon Jowitt on extra funky bass groove.
Tim finally gets to chat between numbers, noting that his stage suit and smart top bear a striking resemblance to the favoured garb of our Prime Minister-in-waiting… “If we sound crap, it’s the curse of the Andy Burnham suit” jokes Tim. It’s ok Mr B, no worries on that score. For all it’s ergonomic failings, the 100 Club always delivers a good sound, and tonight is no exception.
The frenetic atmosphere is brought down a notch or two with no man’s Wherever There Is Light. It was good to hear a liberal sprinkling of no man material throughout the set. I think I’ve heard…or I’m starting a rumour 😉 …that there is new no man material on the way. Let’s hope so. For all his success elsewhere I still consider Mr Wilson’s collaboration with Mr Bowness has produced the former’s best writing. Other opinions are available.
Tim’s band intros are always wryly amusing, and tonight’s into for the bass player is no exception… “And on bass guitar, Jon Jowitt, a man so masculine he invented the manosphere!” 🙂
Rainmark sees some skysaw Fripp-styled guitar wrangling from Matt Stevens, who along with Rob Groucutt are introduced as “the two nicest men in rock”. This is followed by a mad but thrilling drum cacophony from Andy Edwards, who definitely exorcised some ghosts on that one! Mixtaped, another no man treat, brings things down after that adrenaline fest. Or so you might think if you were unfamiliar with the tune, for it soon jumps into a broiling gaping maw bubbling with hot lava guitar. Nice!
As the band can’t leave the stage with any dignity, as they’d have to walk through the crowd, they remain where they are for the encore, after Tim has exhorted the appropriate whooping and hollering from the appreciative crowd. They encore with Lost/Not Lost, a song from Tim’s last album Powder Dry, with a top line that reminded my companion of Firestarter (it does!), followed by a “punk” version of Time Travel In Texas in honour of the iconic venue’s past.
That was a jolly good gig, o yes!
[Photos not entirely ruined by All The Blue Lighting (thanks Sam 😉 ) – Roger Trenwith]
SETLIST
No Fires Lit Here
Time Travel In Texas
Sweetheart Raw
All The Blue Changes
Wherever There Is Light
The Warm-Up Man Forever
Sing To Me
Rainmark
Mixtaped
Things Change
MUSICIANS:
Tim Bowness – Vocals
Matt Stevens – Guitars
Rob Groucutt – Keyboards, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jon Jowitt – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, [manoshpere]
Andy Edwards – Drums
SETLIST
No Fires Lit Here
Time Travel In Texas
Sweetheart Raw
All The Blue Changes
Wherever There Is Light
The Warm-Up Man Forever
Sing To Me
Rainmark
Mixtaped
Things Change
~ Encore:
Lost/Not Lost
Time Travel In Texas – “Punk” version
LINKS
Tim Bowness – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
