The Reaction - New Musical Express - Marquee Concert Review 1978

 

Bruce Douglas & Mark Hollis - Photo by George Bodnar, NME

New Musical Express - August 26, 1978

Caption: THE REACTION: “So cop the new single, right?”

The Reaction
MARQUEE CLUB, LONDON

REACTION, You wanna reaction? Aw, right - try this.

Hey gang - Remember those fabulous ‘60s? No? Rowboat the slick ‘70s? Reaction do. They checked out transatlantic Pop Rhythm ’n’ Rock Hall of Fame. And decided that’s where they’re coming from.

They’re young and they play good. Sound is structured round controlled interplay between lead and rhythm guitars, with heavy rhythmic support at the back. I heard them make a mistake on “Live Alone”, but otherwise the playing was just about flawless. Tasty harmonies too.

Mark Hollis (rhythm guitars) take the lead vocals and catches the main visual action. He kneels (prayer wise?) in front of the speakerstack. He reached for the volume switch… I felt a lump in my throat: this is feedback. And Gino Williams Jr. (drums) played a solo. That’s right - a drum solo. Laugh? I nearly cried as their cover version of Cream’s “Badge” chop-chopped through the speakers. Oh to be thirteen…

The Reaction look like up and coming corporate rockers should. Bruce Douglas (bass) is like Willie De Ville in a smartie suit. Bruce handles the material with finesse. He’s a suave player.

Perhaps they’ll headline and make albums. Just like Taste, Ten Years after and all that crew. Then the business really moves in and they get bagged as Rock stars.

Catch them now while they’re still fun.

Caris

(Fun fact: George Page mentioned to me that the two people at the mike was their nod to the Beatles.) 

The Reaction-Promotional Poster - courtesy George Page

Geoff Baker's review of The Reaction @ the Routes Club in Exeter

photo: Mark Jordan - Aylesbury Friars April 15th, 1978 - used here for illustrative purposes only 😄

(All photos and documents herein provided by George Page (unless noted^^) and published/shared with his kind permission.) 

In the previous post, there was a letter from Geoff Baker to the Reaction asking to attend their gig at the Roundhouse for July 23. In the letter he mentions an unpublished  review, which I've transcribed for you here.

God bless Geoff, he was truly a great fan of the band. A 'gushing' review according to George Page. But I disagree and think he's just being humble. I think it's probably spot on. Geoff's description of George made me truly regret never seeing the Reaction live. Mind you, I would have been three years old at the time and nobody wants a crying toddler around them.

GWB July 12

After getting drunk on warm beer, and feeling better for the belches, I hung around (trying to look hard and failing) waiting for the support band - The Reaction.

They came on like they knew they were good. They had an instant buzz in their blues which hit you like a smack in the face.

Like may of the bands that have emerged since J. Rotten esq. started puking over punters and saying it was cool, they had that aggressive energy that hippies lack, but they added a definitive touch that put them miles above the bands whose names people like to mention in “hip” conversation at gin and tonic records parties - musicianship. They don’t just strut like turkeys playing B flat, they know their way around an axe.

Gino Williams, who drummed like a threshing machine on amphetamine sulphate, summed up the band’s ethos for the ligging journalist.

“The most important thing lacking today is the ability to play what’s hanging round your neck. The Pistols started the vibe - which was great cos it proved you could get to the crowds without coming on like some super guitarist. But then it degenerated and you got bands just getting up and playing anything as long it was loud and fast.

“What we try to do is link both areas so you get this high energy and musical ability”.

Which is what they’ve got. As a band they are enigmatic on stage. Mark Hollis, lead vocals and rhythm axe, stands, legs askance, ready to blow a lot of “name” bands off the boards. To an extent this kid is personified rock and roll.

- Gruff, wild, skinny and raw - R&R ain’t about be[ing] fat and comfortable in your silk armchair. Let’s hope that no executive from Island “matures” the image and wrecks the band with business-inclined compromise.

Even though his brother - who brought a new meaning to the Hot Rods and to sunglasses - helped shaped Barrie Masters into one of the best front men in the country - Mark’s gonna wreck that reputation if the Press give him a chance.

On lead there is this demon who comes on like some cross between Wilko Johnson (in dress) and Billy Wyman in his dancing. Wilko, who half the country acclaimed as king when he was with the Feelgoods, just ain’t in the same league as this guy, he whips solo’s out with all the ease of someone darning socks.

The band is tight - tres tight - a lot of that, I think is due to Bruce’s bass, I haven’t seen a guy move over the frets with such power and dexterity since wotshisname left Free.

You can’t describe the effect a band like this has in an article. But the best way to sum them up was by their version of “Badge”.

They broke this 60s classic into the 70s by mixing the epitome of musicianship (viz. Cream) with all the raw power and energy of punk This was music how it should be played - brining new ideas and interpretations to old, but intact, doctrines.

See them when you can, impress your friends with tales of these Titans of young rock. Your future and the health of music lies in their hands. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Reaction - You Have Got a Rare Magic, Don't Compromise

Live at the Marquee 1978

(All photos and documents herein provided by George Page and published/shared with his kind permission.) 

If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, then you might have this inkling that recently, I've been in touch with their guitarist, a legend, so far as I'm concerned and all around gentleman. 

For those not in the know, the Reaction is Mark Hollis' band prior to Talk Talk. They toured (a lot! Their tour itineraries are below) and recorded a few things here and there for an album that never came to pass. What came was a single, the b-side and a contribution to a compilation album. 

George has been digging tirelessly throughout his own files and archives and has been kind enough to share his finds with me and with his kind permission, with you. I've always been firm on my belief that these kind of thing should be accessible to the fans. Among the Talk Talk fans, there sits plenty of us that discovered Mark's first band with George Page, Bruce Douglas and Gino P. Williams and absolutely fell in love with the three tracks (I Can't Resist, I'm a Case and Talk Talk Talk Talk) that we were allowed to hear. 

The Reaction photoshoot @ Electric Avenue

Over the last two years demo tracks and even a live recording surfaced on YouTube. Gold! Pure gold for us. But unfortunately, so far as I can tell, all of these tracks have since been pulled down from YouTube. If new recordings pop up on YouTube (or on a public forum elsewhere) I'll be sure to share them with you. For now, here is a link to a playlist with everything I've been able to find, Reaction related, on YouTube.

I was fortunate enough to have received this from George Page. A letter from reviewer Geoff Baker from the Express & Echo newspaper in Exeter. I don't have the actual review yet (UPDATE: within hours of posting, the most excellent Mr. Page came through and sent me the review. I've transcribed it in next post or you can click on the link here), but I think the last line of Geoff's letter says it all. Clearly Geoff saw in a 23 year old Mark what we all now know.

(For those not in the know, Geoff Baker moved on to become Paul McCartney's PR guy for a while. Special thanks to Alla Webster for providing me with that tidbit.) 

Transcript of the letter is below. 

Letter from Geoff Baker to Mark Hollis and the Reaction

Letter Transcript: 

Dear Mark,

Regarding me and the bird coming to see you blast Sharr Murray* to bits at the Marquee. Well, we can’t make it, cos my editor won’t give me that day off. But, there’s always a but, we can come up to see you at the Roundhouse. Are you playing the Roundhouse? On Sunday July 23? I fucking hope so. If so, could you get my name on the door - plus two (cos I’ll bring the bird and I’ve told my brother what a blast you are on stage (I’ve also told half of the Westcountry) and he wants to come). If you can’t manage it, we’ll pay cos I don’t mind forking out for bands like you, it would just make it all easier if we were “on the door”.

I’ll send the single review up when its published on Saturday. I think they might have cut it cos I wrote a lot - I also wrote a review of your Exeter gig and I think they’ve spiked that as well - I have no control on what appears in the paper. In case it don’t get printed, I’ve included what I wrote about you that night.

Could you phone me some time to say whether you’re playing the Roundhouse? Thank you. Best of luck with future gigs - you have got a rare magic, don’t compromise.

Geoff   

______________

*Note: George explains that Sharr gave them a bad review which is what Geoff is referring to in the letter. From Geoff's enthusiasm in the letter, I assume they definitely blasted Sharr 'to bits'.

Oh... and happy birthday Mark Hollis, man of rare magic and few compromises.

Mark Hollis @ the Marquee, performing with The Reaction, 1978

 

The Reaction Tour itineraries:  

May 1978

July 1978

July 1978 with the Shirts

September - November 1978 with the Radio Stars