DESPITE ALL your Weather Report’s, Corea’s , Duke’s and such, Brand X remain the sum total of British Jazz Rock to reach what might be reasonably termed a ‘wide audience’, judging by chart positions. But even they must feel precarious. The City Hall attendance was wretched even after the rumoured handout of 500 freebies at local student’s Unions.

It was a shame by any standard because whatever your tastes they are something different. No vocals so no chorus’s so a heavier demand on your concentration than any straight rock band. You buy your ticket, then they make you work too? It’s tough all right but it can be worthwhile, though their first piece , ‘Access To Data’ bode ill. It was just the kind of empty display of high speed ~ virtuosity for which jazz rock has been often and rightly berated But they soon proved that this could be put down to warming up .In particular Peter Robinson , whose Keyboard playing was initially rather limp, was busy forgetting about the sickness which had had him throwing up all day.

They turned to ‘Black Moon’ from their new ‘Masques’ album and got stuck into it’s relatively slow, simple and tuneful structure which brought focus on to music rather than technique. Then they really raised the roof with one of their earliest tracks ‘Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria’. High-skill can be deployed without inhibition, the same as primitive no-skill, and that’s what Brand X did in their best moments. Mike Miller, late stand-in for John Goodsall on guitar, was brilliant, cutting swathes of hot and contrary notes across the boiling rhythms of the two percussionists.

They maintained this peak through ‘The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge’ and ‘The Poke’. Optimum jazz-rock: fascination because it’s bloody clever and excitement because It’s very physical. They did lose momentum though by presenting solos from Morris Pert on percussion and Chuck Burgi on drums in consecutive numbers at the end of the set (when, for all their skill, as ever It seemed dubious that the techno-bashes should be then at all). Still, I felt well entertained -- especially by the wondrous Percy Jones on bass whose ornate swooping and sliding at notes within an essentially sparing style provided Band X with an almighty undertone of power even at their least communicative.

It wasn’t a night for easy listening. Peter Hamill provided support backed only by Graham Smith (violin) mad Dave Jackson (saxes). It was odd and interesting, rapturously received by the several score of devotees who had come for him alone. I could see why. Introverted as he Is supposed to be he was projecting emotion with enormous energy. The Springsteen of Weird perhaps?