Closing Loops – music

Over the last couple of months there have been music events which have been an opportunity to close off some loops in my life. Two concerts – the first was Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark at the Liverpool Philharmonic Halls with the full orchestra, and the second was King Crimson on their latest tour. 

It’s been great to have the opportunity to go to both of these gigs. The first one, OMD, was an early celebration of their 40 years of making music. It closed a loop, because they were the very first band I saw when I came to Liverpool as a student. I saw them at the Freshers Ball. Two guys and a tape recorder called Winston. The tape recorder played the drum track, and they played keyboards and bass. I loved the concert back then – the influences of Kraftwerk were what settled it for me. Autobahn was the first album I ever bought. So, there I was sitting in the venue with June waiting for OMD to begin – and thinking how this was going to be the closing of a loop that was nearly 40 years long. Here they were, with arrangements by two composers, performing their hits and other songs. It was a wonderful gig – two guys in awe of standing in front of an orchestra. Their humility was beautiful to see. The music was fabulous – and there was a company there who were recording the show to be made available at the end with freshly burned CDs. I bought a copy – great to hear back with such amazing sound quality. 

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I took my youngest son Theo with me to see King Crimson. Now, this band weren’t the first band I was into, but they were pretty close. Back in the mid 1970s I bought their “Red” album and was blown away by it. I still listen to it. I’ve got all their studio albums, as well as many spin off projects. I also have loads of Robert Fripp’s ambient frippertonics and soundscapes. So, there was a certain trepidation in case it didn’t meet expectations. This incarnation of the band has three drummers! The gig was amazing. They played for three hours, with music from across the years, always fresh – always a new take on things. 

So, two concerts – each a revisiting of something from long ago, and each an opportunity to pull together a memory with a fresh take on things. Closing loops is a way of making sense of the world, of understanding things in the context of the passing of time. These two occasions gave me an opportunity to appreciate the freshness of something when first heard – and then take its journey across decades to seeing it anew with the power of experience. 

Also published on Medium.