I realize that, technically speaking, this post doesn’t qualify as news, because it is about an event that happened over a decade ago. However, since history has shown that not enough of you know about the late great Catherine Wheel, this post, to a certain extent, does qualify as news.
In September 2012, YouTube user Michael Bond, who I can only assume is the younger brother of famed superhero James, posted a nearly complete concert of the Wheel from July 2000 at the Bowery Ballroom, when the band was touring in support of Wishville, their last record. The footage is pristine, and the sound quality is top-notch.
Things got a bit bumpy for the band at this point in their glorious career. Record label woes had plagued them for years, and they suffered a harsh split with their longtime bassist Dave Hawes prior to recording Wishville (Ben Ellis filled in for Hawes on this tour). Nevertheless, this show displays Catherine Wheel firing on all cylinders, as they offer a comprehensive tour through their catalogue, touching on deep album cuts like Chrome‘s “Strange Fruit”, rarities like “Intravenous”, from the long out of print Balloon EP, and more mainstream tracks like the Alternative Nation staple “Waydown”. Truly, even the Wishville material, which was never the band’s strongest, exerts mesmerizing power.
Not convinced that you should have been listening to this band all along? Well, then just click right through to the start of the third verse of “Broken Nose”, from Adam and Eve. That moment, faithful PopMatters readers, is the precise time when the hammer is dropped.
Watch all of the fireworks below, then please, thank Mr. Bond.