wam show 2018

[Pete The Cat]

It’s only rock ’n’ roll.

Nowadays it seems that arranging social events with my own friends requires a few months' lead-in due to family commitments, and even then is subject to confusion on venue / timing, no-shows and last minute rescheduling. So in my book anyone getting a bunch of chaps together on this scale in the middle of the country after a snowstorm and delivering more than a Ferguson clock radio for musical entertainment merits acknowledgement. Doubtless some may offer improvements or criticism, but my take on it is that it’s a miracle that the thing gets off the ground in the first place so I’m not going to be churlish in suggesting either. It is what it is.

Overall and individually it was well organised at its new venue (room 201 made life easiest for those of us who prefer pictures).

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As I set off along the ground floor corridor Sakamoto's Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence theme wafted from Room 9. I struggled for a moment to pin the title down as I don't think I've heard it since the 80's... Anyway, being short on time I only managed between a third and half the rooms. Several were consistently busy and so I certainly missed gems, but my personal highlights were:

Best musical selection
Because for me it’s all about the music. At first pass SCIDB’s room 124 intrigued me with a Just Be Good To Me / Girls And Boys mash-up. Going back for more there was a real treat of Jamaican and soul. In fact by the time we hit The Detroit Emeralds' Feel The Need In Me I was smiling broadly, since the selections were foot-tappingly good. I could've spent far longer in there, it was the closest thing to a DJ set that takes you on a trip. Fair play to the owner as well for spinning tunes with a bit of thump in the hotel room and not opting for safety. The Avid (Acutus ?) turntable was at the heart of the system and probably responsible for letting me get, ahem, lost in music. I was particularly struck by the suppleness of its suspension.

Biggest surprise
A Quad 22 playing a role in Audioflyer’s room 1. I'm not sure how much modification it has (probably a complete transfusion) but I recall doing a double-take on seeing it holding its own while appreciating the spacious soundstage and crisp percussion through the JBL L40s.

Greatest spectacle
TheReelBBC’s room 208 was a privilege to behold. The Nagra Studer and Sony reel to reels were like altars. I must confess to losing the thread of the explanation of the components in-between those and the Rogers speakers (LS5/8 according to the brochure) but I'm sure that the ATC console at nearby East Midlands airport can't be any more impressive. If there's a heaven then I hope its lounge looks like this. New Order's sweepingly melancholic Your Silent Face was sublime.

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The sound I liked most
At the risk of offending, and acknowledging that I probably only managed to do justice to less than half the rooms, Spider’s room 6 edged it IMHO with the Club-27 Kurt speakers which were a new phenomenon to me. Their voice particularly nailed guitar (Billy Gibbons), bass (Bruce Foxton) and vocals (Joe Cocker), which after all is three quarters of what rock is about. Maybe I just like that kind of colour and they suit my musical taste. When I initially saw them I wondered whether the room acoustics would complain, however those were successfully tamed. The triple deck attack of Inspire LP12/Acoustic Signature Challenger/401 was hard to choose between. All I can say is that this chap's home must be a fun place.

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Boldest move
I keep coming back to it all being about the music. So on a final note, there were several rooms where I'd have liked to hear the system tackling something less polite and rather more challenging (of course, I could've asked but time was limited). Maybe the general taste is more conservative than mine or maybe, and quite understandably, folks want their systems to show in a good light and not have the day spoilt by a smart4rse like me scribbling notes as the angularity of the hotel room buckles the sound while Ms Bassey and orchestra hammer out Goldfinger. So I was pleased to come across a Beogram-fronted Sony rig really going for it and stripping the wallpaper in Daniel Ring's room 20 with, of all things, Total Eclipse Of The Heart - and remaining fully in control of the situation.

Credit to all concerned and apologies to the many I missed and fail to ackowledge. I'd briefly add that the commercial presence was unobtrusive to the point where I nearly missed Diverse Vinyl completely, but nonetheless managed to lighten their load when I finally found them.

As I drove home, no word of a lie, Guy Garvey then played Sakamoto's Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence theme on BBC 6. Clearly there are greater forces at work...

Pete