"It's my conviction that persistence will triumph over anything" says Robert Fripp four numbers into the set to a boisterous crowd and a particularly enthusiastic heckler. The band had been touring The Netherlands, France and Germany and were now unveiling the League to a London audience for the first time. The last time Fripp had taken to the stage of the Marquee Club had been with King Crimson in 1973 and the contrasts couldn't be more striking. Beginning by telling the punters that they were a dance band the kick off with their volatile mix of toe-tapping bopping and left-field soloing. There are numerous highlights in this excellent soundboard recording. Before its last ascent up the scale, Trap teeters precariously but somehow makes the turnaround an unexpectedly tense listening experience as you wonder if they'll make it or fall off the edge. Ooh Mr. Fripp has a silky disco smoothness that's both urgent and delicate at the same time. Sadly there's a cut in the middle of an otherwise stonking Eye Needle and the beginning of Dislocated is missing but stay with it for a fantastic Larks-y chordal blast on the drop-out section. Eye-watering stuff!
