The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – London Indigo O2 17 June 2017 Gig Review

Just around the corner in the Indigo was the surprise of the day for me – The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.  Like most people I only know him for the famous ‘Fire’ single/video so I really didn’t know what to expect.  As it was I was captivated by the music, the band imagery (and his numerous costume changes) and the exuberance of an old man and his showmanship.  I checked the set list (off the net):

• Prelude / Nightmare (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – 1968)
• Devil’s Grip (1967 single)
• I Put a Spell on You (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – 1968)
• Time Captives (Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come – Journey 1976)
• Sunrise (Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come – Galactic Zoo Dossier 1973)
• Touched by All (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – Zim Zam Zim 2014)
• Fire (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – 1968) click to view the video..

Arthur had plenty of weird dance routines (accompanied by his dancer Angel Flame) and a voice that really was from the god of hell fire.  Painted faces, bizarre costumes, good musicians and Arthur Indian dancing in circles wearing a cloak (with LED strips) of feathers that glowed all the colours of the rainbow.  I enjoyed all the songs, the performance and the artistry immensely. 

Sadly, the last song ‘Fire’ was cut short due to running overtime but it did give him time to let us know that he is 75 in a few days so we ought to go and see him again before he drops dead on stage!  Mighty impressive stuff, if you want to see something different, be entertained and enjoy some really good tunes go and see him before it’s too late – he can’t be replaced!

Marko 20 June 2017