For those unfamiliar with Chuck Mosley, he was the lead
singer on the first two Faith No More albums, We Care A Lot and Introduce
Yourself. Both of which were hugely influential on the Alternative Rock/Metal
scene, and are still as relevant today as when they came out. Chuck has also
been a member of Cement and Bad Brains as well as a solo artist. But let's be
honest here, the vast majority of his fan base including myself, discovered
Chuck through Faith No More. When I heard he was doing a full UK tour, and better
still, playing a few miles from home, I was extremely excited.
Chuck seems to
have had a rough time over the years since his split with Faith No More. Aside
from the stories of substance abuse, Chuck broke his back in a road accident in the mid 90's
taking him out of the scene for about a year. He hit the music headlines in
December 2014 when he publicly asked for donations from fans as he'd fallen on
hard times and was on the verge of losing his home. Considering what a
groundbreaking and highly revered musician Chuck is, I am still amazed that he's
a struggling artist. Earlier this year, Chuck reunited for a couple of shows
with Faith No More to celebrate the release of the special anniversary edition
of We Care A Lot, so I was hoping this would reignite his career. Regardless,
this was my opportunity to see a living legend who had been a significant part
of the soundtrack to my teenage years.
I arrived during the support band's set. I counted about
thirteen people in the room, including the musicians, staff and myself. I
turned around, and there was the man himself. I said "Hi" to him and
asked if he minded if I took some photos of the show. He apologised to me for
the turnout. He came across as really down and disheartened, then went to the bar to get another beer.
Anyway, the show started with Chuck on his own with an
electro-acoustic guitar plugged into some pedals. This must have been going
straight into the P.A as there were no amps or cabs visible. Due to the poor
turnout, the show was very relaxed and had the atmosphere of one of your
friends jamming in your living room. Admittedly, there were a number of false
starts, and the playing was a little ropey from time to time (possibly due to
all those beers!), but given the setting, it didn't matter.
Chuck was soon
joined by the rest of his band, a drummer and a bassist. Like Chuck, the
bassist didn't have a visible amp and probably had a direct input into the P.A.
The drummer wasn't behind a kit. He had some bongos. Don't get me wrong, the
drummer and bassist were fantastic players and added some real magic to the
performance. The reason I'm writing about the lack of amps is because I don't
think I was alone in expecting a 'full live band experience', including a full
drum-kit, amps and electric guitars etc. The way they did it worked and sounded
cool. It also meant that they had minimal equipment to tour. They could have
fitted everything they used on stage into the back of a small car. Maybe this
is the future of touring on a budget? You can save money on extra transit vans
lugging around flight cases of amps, drums and lavish backdrops, and make your
tour less risky financially. It was an unusual set up, especially given the
price of the tickets, but it worked for Chuck's show. (Update: I checked the internet and some of the earlier tour posters said that this was an acoustic tour. The one I saw didn't, which is down to the promoters.)
The gig was fairly short, and he played a number of songs
off his 'Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food' album, and a few Faith No More songs
including 'Death March', and a beautifully unnerving rendition of the Patton
era 'Take This Bottle' which was a welcome surprise. The band toyed with the
intro of 'We Care A Lot' but didn't play it in full. The whole vibe of the show
was very loose and came across as improvised. At times it felt like
disorganised chaos bordering on the shambolic. However this chaos was laced
with rays of true magic. It would have been nice to hear more of a structured
set with some more classic songs in, but what we got felt like an authentic jam
session by some fine musicians lead by one of the most creative and influential
artists of our time.
At the end of the show, Chuck spent time with the crowd,
and signed CDs, and posed for photos etc. He was an absolute gentleman and a
down to earth guy.
Having been a huge fan of Chuck Mosley since my early
teens, it broke my heart a little to see him play in front of a handful of
people in such a lacklustre environment. I know there are many Faith No More
fans in the city, but where were they? Without Chuck Mosley, there'd be no Korn,
Disturbed, Linkin Park or any other of these multi-million selling contemporary
bands who clearly borrowed from the Faith No More sound. Chuck is hugely
significant in the world of Alternative Rock and Metal and I feel he deserves
not just the recognition from the mainstream media, but a better hand than the
one he's been dealt. Onwards and upwards, Mr Mosley!
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