the feelers at the Life Festival with Submerge, The Puffins, Dark
Tower and Breathe (August 7, 1998) Joy of joys - the feelers return home for the second time in two weeks to play a free gig in Cathedral Square. Several hundred turned out and shelled out to see them on tour with the Dead Flowers at the Ministry club last month, now a few thousand have packed out the square for this mid-winter outdoor concert. The Christchurch Cathedral provides a majestic background to the homecoming - at the conclusion of a month of solid touring and travelling around the country, will the feelers be able to make the occasion suitably grand?
Meanwhile, Submerge - riff-meisters with keyboards and melodic vocals - are getting things under way in fine style. Next up are The Puffins - showmen popsters in tight white suits. Dark Tower are crazy local rappers complete with gravel-voiced third vocalist. Breathe are Wellington's answer to Bon Jovi (with shorter haircuts). The youngish crowd responds well but saves their wildest for the local boys made good, who warm the cold Christchurch air with a fiery `Friend' to kick off their set.
Tuning is frequently a problem out in the open on a frosty evening,but noone seems to mind, as the feelers pummel through `Satellite', `Space Cadet', `Albino' (complete with Ice Tv presenters John and Nathan on backing vocals) and `Honey God'. The `Pressure Man' sample starts up, sending the youngsters off their collective heads. `Pull the Strings' is huge, pounding and irresistible, as usual. Other highlights are the mighty `Super System' and a wonderfully extended `The Leaving', with Dark Tower's Jody adding some potent rapping to a modified outro. 'Venus' brings things to a beautiful end. The set has had to be cut short tonight because of time constraints (no `From Space', `Float' or `Arm') but we depart happy, with the feelers having confirmed again for us that their time has come.

Chris