The main feature is an unscripted fly on the wall documentary starting with some respect for Brixton Academy. On stage, there’s some suit wearing going on in due reverence to the hallowed venue as they start with ‘Ray Ray’ (What’s the world with no soul?).

No time to hang around. Off to Edinburgh for a much smaller venue, we view the Castle from the “massive tour bus” (not a VW van anymore) and then off to the The Garden Party festival in Ireland (as organised by part of the Scribble Records empire). That looks a great mud free site that attracts some eclectic souls.

And on the subject of mud, perhaps I’ve OD on Glastonbury Festival interactive TV viewing this weekend, (did they show FFD?), by now the edited versions of the performances on this DVD we’re getting frustrating. Even so, it’s an excellent record of the tour and there are always the extra of their three videos. You get the full range from the surreal animation on ‘Ray Ray’, their own version of Gorillas cartoons (Roady) and the Freddy Fish & Chips short for ‘Wandering Eye’.

Apart from the vids, there are some photos and Dobie Blaze’s celebrity chef’s guide to Kiss The Cooks’ cockles Galicia. Sea food is supposed to be an aphrodisiac but these guys’ horns are always hot.

Back to the main feature, by the time they get to the gig in Berlin (and the Big Match), Tehimana Kerr gets to show off on his guitar solo and there’s a visual joke as Joe tells Mu “That’s not the knock”. Joe records a jingle for Radio Eins; “No. 1 in my lift” then there’s a quick cut to Barcelona for an outdoor stage at Sonar (with a quick visual tribute to Salvador Dali).

By this time, there’s a hint of Ho Pepa’s school of dancing but it never really gets the full exposure it deserves as it’s off to Paris for a bit of culture with a city walkabout. The gig is at the Cabaret Sauvage and the funky shank be the rock in my life drops into the Eurythimics’,
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)! OK, but we much prefer The Congos’ ‘Fisherman’ that we got at the Opera House last week.

The tour ends at the Summer Festival in the Algarve. The stadium gig is clearly not typical of the tour but the same packed house is. The Horn Section is in fine form and they love a funkin’ good time.

The end is always a bit sad and in this case, it’s the last time for backing vocals by Deva Mahal and Lisa Tomins as 2007 sees the new all male vocal line up. Perhaps one for the fans as apart from picking up on their food obsession, all we learn is, as they say, they do it “for the love of music”. That said, this DVD is a cool insight into life on the road with the band and it’s always good to hear them.

FANTASTIC VOYAGES — SUMMER 2007 DATES
27 JUNE ASTORIA, LONDON (SOLD OUT) “sold out in 2 weeks”
28 JUNE ASTORIA, LONDON £19.50, www.ticketweb.co.uk “2nd show just announced due to overwhelming demand”
30 JUNE ZENITH PARIS
01 JULY THE FRITZ CLUB BERLIN

‘Ray Ray’ Video in various formats.

Ray Ray 34 ram

Ray Ray 350 ram

Ray Ray 700 ram

Ray Ray 34.wmv

Ray Ray 300 wmv

Ray Ray 700 wmv

Links:
www.fatfreddysdrop.com
www.myspace.com/fatfreddysdropnz
www.radioeins.de
Eurythimics — ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’
Video the Congos fisherman on www.dailymotion.com Roots …
Save the Astoria www.petitiononline.com/savethea “Bulldozers move in in 2008. We’re not giving up hope yet, and neither should you!”
24 JUNE — HOLTON CLASSIC aircooled VW & Porsche show with www.jcevents.co.uk Holton Lee, Holton Heath, Poole, Dorset. BH16 6JN