Tribute to Gerard

[Trevor <boyds56@ti...co.uk>]

A beatnick with altitude......there's only 5 music people that I'd  
crawl through hot shit to shake their hands : Steve Kilbey (The  
Church); Peter Perrett (The Only Ones); Luke Haines (The Auteurs);  
Martin Phillips (The Chills) and last but not least Gerard Langley.   
Who'd have thought that after all these years we'd get a tour and a  
brilliant new album (because that's what it is - brilliant) from the  
Aeroplanes?
Although we've had the annual Fiddlers gig and one-offs like  
Shrewsbury; I've always felt kind of sad that the world was unlikely  
to hear another Aeros album and then this.....Swagger re-release and  
then Altitude.  I  remember having a piss next to Rodney in the bogs  
at Fiddlers one year and he told me that Gerard was trying to get  
Swagger out again...then he told me the same again the following  
year!  It just seemed like it would never happen.  Most people in  
Gerard's position would have given up and taken a day job but this  
man really believes in his stuff.  He's ploughed on and the reward is  
a deal with one of the great labels - Harvest (home of Kevin Ayers/ 
The Soft machine/Edgar Broughton Band/Barclay James Harvest/Roy  
harper/Shirley and Dolly Collins etc etc) - fantastic.
I had expected a pretty random collection of songs with iffy  
production.  But no - this is the best thing since Beat Songs by  
far.  Apart from the Aeros classics like Raise the Roof and Up In A  
Down World we have startling beauty in Hexanal; Adulthood; Multi  
National and Beautiful is.  The psychotic Star Below and the album's  
highlight:  Bright Star Catalogue.  This is the Aeros at their best -  
the electicism of Spitting Out Miracles coupled with the adrenalin  
rush of Swagger and the polish of Beat Songs.  Fantastic stuff.
The recent Live shows have for me featured the tightest line-up since  
the Swagger band.  Angelo will always be difficult to replace but  
Julian does a great job and it's just so cool to see the band have so  
much fun.
From my first Aeros gig in Milton keynes 1990 to now has been a  
great ride.  There's been the barren years but their star is shining  
bright again.
Gerard Langley you art star - I fuckin love you man..  Right, now to  
finish off this bottle of wine...
Trev

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