Positive feedback

Press, 12 July 1979, Page 14

Positive feedback

scene |

By

NEVIN TOPP

The 10-person group, Affirmation, which has been resident at the Carlton Hotel for seven weeks now, is getting a lot of positive feedback from its playing. Not many hotels in Christchurch can claim to turn people away on a Friday and Saturday night, but that is what happens in the big main lounge bar of the Carlton. According to the bass guitarist, Vince Clarke, 500 people were in the bar last Saturday night, and more were turned away.

The concept of a 10-per-son band, including two vocalists and a four-piece horn section, is a daring one, even on a commercial basis. Other, smaller, bands playing a similar type of material told Vince Clarke, the organiser of Affirmation, that because the group was so big it would not get off the ground. However, the band is still going strong, and interest has been shown outside New Zealand. A journalist from the Australian “Daily Mirror” recently came across the Tasman for an interview.

Affirmation play quite a mixture of music. Most of

it is up-to-date, disco-ori-ented, but with a strong emphasis on the horn section, and enough variety to make the night interesting.

Thus the material extends from the Bee Gees and Rod Stewart to Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Steely Dan — Vince Clarke would like to do more material by the latter group, but because of the nature of the crowd the emphasis is more commercial.

Last Friday night for example, it was a surprise to hear them doing Neil Young’s “Lotta Love,” which perhaps is better known as the single put

out by Nicolette Larson. However, the song after that, Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” was a real bummer, but Vince later explained that all the band’s sheet music had been stolen recently. “Sexy” had had to be rewritten, and it was done out-of-key. The band itself was conscious that the Stewart song was bad, and joked amongst themselves afterwards that it would be the last time they would do a number by Rod. Affirmation play at the Carlton Hotel every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.