10CC

We went to see seventies legends 10CC in 2015. Really? Eight years ago? Now they’re back, so we decided it was high time we went to see them again. Have they released a slew of new albums and material since then? No. 10CC are a “heritage act”, playing their greatest hits.

We went to dinner at Concord beforehand. This is a newish establishment on the Wellington foodie scene, on the site of the former Lido café. Their aim is to provide upmarket European bistro-style food, including steak-frites in various disguise, i.e. different steak cuts. I had the eye fillet with frites, although bavette and sirloin are also available. Nicola had cacio e pepe. As we hadn’t had starters, we had desserts instead – a lime tarte and crepes suzette.

We were in the back row of the stalls of the Opera House for the show. We arrived just about on time, and the support act came on. Last time we saw 10CC, the support act consisted of...10CC! Playing acoustic versions of some of the songs they’d written, in various guises, for other artistes in the 60s, before they formed the band. But this time they had a proper support band, New Zealand icons Hello Sailor, no less. If you’ve never heard of them, don’t worry. They were also big in the late seventies, produced two albums and disbanded. Then they reformed, produced four more albums, and finally ceased following the deaths of two original members. 2023 is the first time the remains of the band have got back together. They played seven songs which were big hits in New Zealand. I must try to find an album of theirs…

10CC reached the stage at around 9:00pm, and played almost a solid 2-hour set, which included some lesser-known tracks such as The Second Sitting of the Last Supper, Old Wild Men, and Clockwork Creep. Despite being a heritage act, they did include two new songs, one by Graham Gouldman, and one by Iain Hornal, a touring member of the band and artist in his own right. They also played all the classics, finishing their main set with Dreadlock Holiday, before playing an encore of an a cappella version of Donna and then an extended Rubber Bullets. That set list in full can be found here.

It was good that they didn’t play an exact facsimile of the set last time we saw them, that they’d mixed it up a bit with some deep cuts, and also had a support band. Unfortunately they weren’t selling the “I Don’t Like Cricket” t-shirts (mine’s getting a bit tatty), so I just got a tour shirt.