Pulsating journey

Former Guernsey Press reporter and Nightmoves correspondent Steve Falla took a trip down memory lane last Friday to watch legendary band The Pulse get together for one last time...

Like two packed houses of other live music lovers of a certain age, I couldn't resist Chris Dean's pulsating journey, skipping a few chapters, through his musical career.

There were some compelling reasons to be there.

Dean persuaded Geoff Le Friec out of retirement after not touching a guitar in anger for 10 years and Steve Foote to make the trip from the UK and pick up his sax, which had also gathered a decade's dust. Plus, a reunion with Jim Delbridge, the Hall to his Oates, and songwriting partner in crime.

While I vaguely recall Tempus in the Grammar School hall and I have nothing but respect for the rich array of covers that The Devotees can turn out, it was The Pulse that drew me to the Fermain Tavern, made me stay far too late and upset the babysitter.

For it was this most creative of songwriting bands that coincided with my Nightmoves reporting career and I couldn't resist a trip down memory lane to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was.

Back in the 80s they wrote real songs, songs that told stories – songs that were catchy, poppy and sometimes clever. They even wrote and performed a pantomime, staged at no less than The Savoy Hotel... and didn't their manager Alan Bland make a lovely dame?

Last weekend's set opened with Trouble with John and moved into the chant-driven OK Alright. Other highlights for me were Fashion (did they choose that title before Bowie?) and the melodic Changing our Lives. Then there was Red Day in Dallas, As Long As I Get My Money and the very apt resurrection of Recession.

I have to say the high point for me was Neighbours, which actually features Delbridge on lead vocals.

This gave Dean the opportunity to show that he's not just a pretty voice; in fact he likes a bit of slap and tickle on four strings as well as being a decent rhythm and lead guitarist and the odd prod at a keyboard, on this occasion under the professorial eye of Nick Creed.

The Blue Vein Shuffle were always so much more than a sideshow to The Pulse. Their tight playing and well-arranged parts were integral to what made these songs work – perhaps the inspiration also for Dean to go on and form King Rat and the Soul Cats some years later?

There has always been an almost invisible man behind Dean's bands, yet absolutely central to their drive – like Brian Bennett, Savs seems happy enough to be in the shadows. This was a high octane, very high volume gig, as my ringing ears still testified 36 hours later, and Dean's voice was showing the strain after the best part of three hours on stage by the end of Friday; then he had to do it all again on Saturday.

There are many doubters and I'm inclined to agree – it's hard to imagine Chris Dean, feet up with pipe and slippers – after all, if you're blessed with a voice like that you've surely got to keep on using it.

So Deano, think on this: if you don't want to lump around heavy equipment any longer the Eisteddfod's just around the corner.

There have been a few evocative retrospectives over recent years and this one was right up there.

I, for one, can't wait for the comeback.