Despite the reputation reunion tours have, you couldn’t really say that The House of Love were cashing in by reforming. Once darlings of the music industry, Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers have long been the forgotten men of British music, never amassing the kind of following that might make a reunion financially attractive.
They do though have a loyal bunch of fans and many, such as Neil Hannon, turned out for what was a refreshingly forward looking set at The Village. This wasn’t a night for merely running through the old numbers, playing the crowd pleasers and than jumping on the ferry. Indeed many of the group’s best loved tunes, such as ‘I Don’t Know Why I Love You’, were absent. Much of the set was made of material from their forthcoming Days Run Away LP.
However, some gems of the group’s back catalogue did survive the cull. ‘Christine’ and ‘Shine On’ in particular, were rapturously received. The former, arriving midway through the set, ended in a cacophony of noise and applause. It was the new material, though, which was most surprising. Bicker hasn’t lost his knack for killer guitar hooks and melodic fills. ‘Gotta Be That Way’ was filled with some of his finest moments, and Chadwick’s dreamy vocals aptly complemented throughout. Other new songs such as ‘Love You Too Much’, ‘Money and Time’ and ‘Wheels’ slotted neatly in between the few oldies played like ‘Beatles and The Stones’. Certain numbers, such as ‘Kit Carter’, even eclipsed their former glories.
‘Shine On’ called things to a premature end and The House of Love left amid cries of one more tune. It didn’t happen, but one more gig will be good enough. Reunions like this are to be treasured. Welcome back Messrs. Chadwick and Bickers.