Tune of the Week: XTC

By 1982 punky new wavers XTC were at the top of their game in the UK and Europe. They had scored several top 40 hits in the UK in a short period of time. Singer-songwriter Andy Patridge had always been anxious, but the success and momentum of the band drove his condition to new heights. After intentionally trying to make an album of difficult to play live music, they scored their largest LP to date, “English Settlement”. The subsequent tour aligned with Patridge’s wife flushing his prescripted Valium down the toilet. They only made it a few dates before Andy succumbed to his mental condition. He not only quit the tour, but XTC would never again perform live.

One date from the short-lived tour was captured for German TV’s “Rockpalast”. As they rip into their set with the “Black Sea” opener, “Respectable Street”, Andy makes rocking look too easy with his stage presence and spactic energy. It just goes to show that just because someone LOOKS like they’re having an easy go of it, they might not be FEELING very well at all.