Saturday Jam: XTC Live on Rockpalast, 1982
A great YouTube discovery via Dangerous Minds, here’s a 1982 performance on German TV’s Rockpalast by XTC, a band that almost never plays live. It’s a shame that Andy Partridge hated touring so much — he’s really a good performer (and never got enough credit for his guitar playing).
This is a full concert, and the video quality is remarkably good considering how old it is. I took the liberty of setting the start time at one of my favorite songs:
“No Thugs In Our House”
The insect-headed worker-wife will hang her waspies on the line;
Her husband burns his paper, sucks his pipe while studying their
cushion-floor;
His viscous poly-paste breath comes out,
Their wall-paper world shattered by his shout,
A boy in blue is busy banging out a headache on the kitchen
door.And all the while Graham slept on,
Dreaming of a world where he could do just what he wanted to.No thugs in our house, are there dear?
We made that clear,
We made little Graham promise us he’d be a good boy.No thugs in our house, are there dear?
We made that clear,
We made little Graham promise us he’d be a good boy.The young policeman who just can’t grow a moustache will open up
his book,
And spoil their breakfast with reports of Asians who have been
so badly kicked,
Is this your son’s wallet I’ve got here?
He must have dropped it after too much beer.
Oh, officer, we can’t believe our little angel is the one you’ve
picked.And all the while Graham slept on,
Dreaming of a world where he could do just what he wanted to.No thugs in our house, are there dear?
We made that clear,
We made little Graham promise us he’d be a good boy.No thugs in our house, are there dear?
We made that clear,
We made little Graham promise us he’d be a good boy.They never read those pamphlets in his bottom drawer,
They never read those tattoos on his arm.
They thought that it was just a boy’s club badge he wore,
They never dreamt he’d cause folks any harm.The insect-headed worker wife will hang her waspies on the line;
She’s singing something stale and simple now this business has
fizzled right out;
Her little tune is such a happy song
Her son is innocent,
He can’t do wrong,
‘Cos dad’s a judge and knows exactly what the job of judging’s
all about.And all the while Graham slept on,
Dreaming of a world where he could do just what he wanted to.No thugs in our house, are there dear?
We made that clear,
We made little Graham promise us he’d be a good boy.No thugs in our house, are there dear?
We made that clear,
We made little Graham promise us he’d be a good boy.
