Gavin Friday | Lesley Woods : EartH, London

Gavin Friday | Lesley Woods
EartH, London
6th April 2025 

Former Virgin Prunes singer Gavin Friday and former Au Pairs singer Lesley Woods appeared on the same bill in London recently. Keith Goldhanger went along to catch up with two performers he’d not seen for over four decades.

How do you want your favourite bands from the past served up to you in 2025?  Whilst the cartoon punks of the late 1970s who made all the right noises at the right time are doing what could be argued as cover versions of their own songs nowadays there are one or two people (Nick Cave, Kevin Rowland ….) not relying on a greatest hits package to keep the wolf from the door as the years tick by. Former Virgin Prunes frontman Gavin Friday has persuaded one or two of us to investigate his recent activities over forty years after we last saw him (this is his first visit to London in seventeen years) thanks to his recent album that has been enough to convince us this show will be worth checking out.

Seeing a man in his mid-sixties wearing a large frock and screaming out Walls Of Jerico isn’t on our wish list at all as we enter East London’s’ EartH venue on a Sunday evening however the idea that former Au Pairs singer Lesley Woods could potentially serenade us with a 2025 version of Diet certainly is something we had to arrive for in time to witness.

Lesley looks and sounds as great as she did when she fronted the midlands four-piece when one or two of us were still teenagers. Her voice seems even stronger tonight as it did back then. Of course, back in those days she was running around a lot more and having to contend with smoke-filled rooms on a nightly basis. Accompanied by a laptop containing modest-paced backing tracks it may be of little surprise to Au Pairs regulars when she starts with Dear John and ends with Janice Joplin’s Little Piece Of My Heart. This is pretty much how all the Au Pairs shows were presented to us. Her guitar is still set to the same settings that were doubled up in her Au Pairs days and yes, in between the regular set opener and cover version we get to hear Diet again, (Bowie’s) Repetition, Sex Without Stress and after a false start, a slightly different version of It’s Obvious.

A decent forty minutes or so hearing Lesley Woods’ voice again was an ideal start to the evening with the only disappointment being directed towards any late arrivals unaware of her inclusion on this bill who recognised her presence immediately and would regret this legendary performer not being a part of their nostalgic evening. Hopefully, Lesley will reappear to perform in London again such was the strength of the songs she was responsible for that a lot of people still cherish all these years later.

Gavin Friday has not been resting on his laurels since the mid-1980s. His sixth album Ecce Homo – his first solo album in 13 years, came out late last year following his Catholic album in 2011. Collaborations with childhood friends U2, The Fall, Colin Newman, Laurie Anderson, Sinead O’Connor, Scott Walker, and Quincy Jones plus his award-winning music scores have also kept him busy. And after all these years he also has a few stories to tell about some of the important people that have kept him going. Apart from Sandpiper Lullaby (From the Virgin Prunes New Form of Beauty series) and an unrecognisable (and arguably unnecessary) version of Caucasian Walk (If I Die I Die) this isn’t an awkward trip down memory lane some of us may have feared. During Daze from the recent album, we even hear the short refrain ‘Give me money give me sex give me food and cigarettes’ lifted from Baby Turns Blue. It’s all we need without feeling the need to ask for more back catalogue material.

Tracks from the recent album arrive early. Looped electronic pulses and big bass drums accompany the Irishman’s distinctive voice and in between songs, he’s sitting at a desk sharing anecdotes about his musical past and making us aware of the people in his life (many of who he has lost) who have continued to inspire his continued existence. He confesses he kissed the TV when Marc Bolan first arrived on Top of the Pops and without naming names hints of another 1970s icon (at the time) that he adds to his list of early musical inspirations. This is followed by the man with his head covered in glitter performing Lady Esquire from the recent album with its nod to the 1970s glam period (Rock’n Roll Part 2). Occasional lines (‘Do you wanna, do you wanna…..’ & ‘I, love, you love….’) many of us recognise make us feel slightly uncomfortable when being reminded of this unfortunate era in pop music however, it’s a cracking tune and the highlight of the evening that wouldn’t be out of place if performed in the same way by Fat White Family.

Gavin Friday provided a selection of electro-pop ballads in a similar way that the Mael brothers (Sparks) have provided us with in recent years. The Dave Ball (Soft Cell) produced album suits 2025 more than anything he may have been involved with in the 1980s or 1990’s and with carefully thought-out lighting at times the show (in a small way) was reminiscent of the 1972 film Cabaret that Gavin has admittedly been a huge inspiration in a lot of his work over the past few decades.

Considering the Virgin Prunes provided an incredible visual experience to accompany the music in the early 1980’s it’s difficult remembering if they performed in seated venues back then. Tonight’s show was housed inside the Theatre part of the EartH venue but may have worked better for both acts in a standing environment (the one in the same building?). We may all be getting a little long in the tooth but viewing this from a lower position looking up (and standing up) may have been preferable (for both acts) than viewing from above peering down at the performers. A minor quibble during an evening when some of us are reminded of what makes some nostalgic nights out more superior than others.

Gavins’ recent album is a real grower. Watching him perform this along with a lot of his other post Virgin Prunes material is well worth a look if you ever get the chance. If you’ve never seen why some of us consider The Virgin Prunes one of the best live bands we’ve ever seen then look them up. Seeing Gavin Friday again after all these years has certainly not tainted the memories we still hold close to our hearts. It could have been tempting for him to have ruined this by attempting to recreate his past for ninety minutes.

Top marks for continuing to move forward. It’s what some of our heroes have succeeded in doing after all these years and that is always worth celebrating.

~

Words by Keith Goldhanger. More writing by Keith on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive. You can also find Keith on Facebook Instagram and Bluesky 

Photos by Robyn Skinner