Perhaps it's because they're approaching the end of the tour but on this occasion there's very little preamble involved in what is probably the most direct first set so far.[endtease] Almost from the get-go Fred Chalenor's bass work provides a rich melodic direction for his colleagues to embroider with a variety of glittering motifs and threads.
However, it's the last part of the set which really delivers a different sounding Slow Music. Avoiding the crescendo adopted on previous gigs, they build up a pensive intensity around a jagged sample all of which is underpinned by Matt Chamberlain’s almost sultry rhythms. This is about as near to a straight ahead beat as you’re going to get with Slow Music and it’s a joy to hear.
In the second set that is just as forceful, Fripp comes up with some of his most assertive playing of the tour, layering in sustained notes on the penultimate section. Once again they steer clear of any obvious structure but still manage to sound intensely connected. You'd swear they were all following a chart on this one.Sounding more like a band than ever before, it’s clear they’ve gelled at this point and consequently give their most cohesive performance of the tour.
