[% META title = 'Ian Gillan, Interviews' %]

Ipswich Evening Star Monday November 23rd 1981

GILLAN didn't play a particularly long set at the Ipswich Gaumont last night - which was just as well, really. Any more and the fans would have been writhing on the floor, begging for mercy.

    Just Over an hour after the house lights had dimmed, the hand left the stage, having packed in just about every stunt in the hard- rock player's book of crowd-pleasers.
    Included among the flash-bombs, guitar torture and an extremely good light show was some fine music, forming an expertly-paced set of old and new material.

Quieter passages

    The programme started with the customary "Unchain Your Brain" (we did) followed closely by "Rip Out your Spine" (we did that too). Ian Gillan hinted cynically that songs titled as crassly as these could have little to do with putting across moral or message.
    But he can write the odd good lyric, as shown in the quieter passages of the mixed tempo "Born To Kill". That song - a lengthy and ambitious affair-started the show moving towards its peak.
    There was variety, but after the middle section the music seemed to get more and more powerful. The audience responded accordingly.

Crowd-pleaser

    I suppose it was no surprise to hear the old Deep Purple anthem "Smoke on the Water" crop up in the encores. But really after all this time, and with such a lot of good current material to draw upon. I wonder why Ian still insists on dragging the past around with him like a mangy dog.
    A crowd-pleaser - certainly. But by the time last night's audience got to hear it, they were already floating way above cloud nine.
    Ian and his band return to the Gaumont on December 19, and I'll bet many of last night's audience will be there for a second dose of these current masters of rock.