On This Day 21/02/1978 XTC

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On this day, 21 February 1978, new wave band XTC played Cardiff’s Top Rank. The band had just released their debut album White Music.

Released on 20 January 1978. It was the follow-up to their debut, 3D EP, released three months earlier. White Music reached No. 38 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the single "Statue of Liberty", which was banned by BBC Radio 1 for the lyric "In my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt". In April 1978, the group rerecorded "This Is Pop" as their third single.

Originally titled Black Music, referring to black comedy, the title was changed at the suggestion of both Virgin Records and the band's manager. The resultant title, White Music, refers to white noise.

White Music achieved modest success, charting in the Top 40 on the UK album charts, although its singles failed to chart. The band performed "Radios in Motion", "I'll Set Myself on Fire" and "Statue of Liberty" on BBC Two's The Old Grey Whistle Test on 14 February 1978.

XTC

Andy Partridge – guitar, harmonica, vocals

Colin Moulding – bass guitar, vocals

Barry Andrews – piano, organ

Terry Chambers – drums

Setlist

Radios in Motion;

Cross Wires;

Statue Of Liberty;

I'll Set Myself On Fire;

I'm Bugged;

New Town Animal In A Furnished Cage;

Into The Atom Age;

All Along the Watchtower;

She's So Square;

Do What You Do;

Dance Band;

Science Friction;

Neon Shuffle;

Hang On To The Night.

On This Day 02/06/1981 XTC

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On this day, 2 June 1981, one of UK’s finest bands to evolve from Punk/New Wave XTC played what was to be the band’s final UK live appearance at Cardiff’s Top Rank promoting their Black Sea album.

Lead singer and guitarist Andy Partridge recalled the gig not so flatteringly.

“ Last gig of a tour should have gone perfectly but both of my Amps blow up on stage. Nevertheless, the road crew decided to have their end of tour japes and dumped on my head a sack of confetti during 'Snowman' (Oh! nearly forgot, got myself a rotten electric shock that night as well).”

Black Sea was critically acclaimed and remains XTC's second-highest charting British album, placing at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart, as well as their most successful US album, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard 200.

It spawned three UK top 40 singles: "Generals and Majors" (number 32), "Towers of London" (number 31), and "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" (number 16).

Another single, "Respectable Street", was banned from BBC radio due to its references to abortion and a "Sony Entertainment Centre.

Black Sea was recorded at Virgin's Town House studio in London with producer Steve Lillywhite and engineer Hugh Padgham.

It was originally titled Work Under Pressure in reference to XTC's grueling touring and recording regimen. After their manager complained, frontman Andy Partridge devised Black Sea as a reference to his emotional state while composing the album.

At the age of 12, Partridge was professionally diagnosed as "hyperactive" and given a prescription of Valium.

He later formed a dependency on the drug that was exacerbated by the pressures of his music career.

After disposing of the drug in 1981, he experienced severe withdrawal effects that led to XTC's withdrawal from touring.

From 1980 to 1981, XTC toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US in support of Black Sea as the opening act for the Police. At this point, they were playing in arena stadiums while Partridge's mental state was beginning to deteriorate, and he requested to cease touring, but was opposed by Virgin, his bandmates, and the band's management.

He would occasionally experience moments of memory lapse to the extent that he would forget who he was. His then-wife Marianne blamed his illness on his longtime dependency on Valium, which he had been prescribed since the age of 12.

She threw away the tablets, and over the next year, he experienced intense withdrawal effects that he later described as "brain melt".