NEWSPAPER REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS – 1972 and 1973
Flash on the road
Extracts from the contemporary press on Flash’s live shows
These are short extracts from reviews and previews of Flash concerts in British and American newspapers, each with the original clipping. Printed errors are marked [sic]. For the dates, see the Flash chronology for 1971–72 and 1973–74. Longer pieces have their own pages: the Los Angeles Free Press on the Whisky A Go Go run and The Prospector on the break-up.
The Banstead Herald (Banstead, Surrey) – June 8, 1972, page 18
“Music Below the Noise”, signed D.R. A concert at Ebbisham Hall, Epsom, presented by Wurkshop; the date of the concert is not stated.
“Topping the bill was Flash, a new band formed by ex-Yes man Pete Banks. Loud again—but this time no distorted fuzz. Clean and crisp, with nice vocals and harmonies. With a lead singer remarkably like Alice Cooper and two guitar and drum line-up they stormed their way through some great numbers including Black and White and a medley of Dancing in the Street and Heatwave.”
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The Oshkosh Northwestern (Wisconsin) – September 5, 1972, page 14
“Hot music warms chilly crowd” by Wilson Ruff. Free outdoor concert at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Monday, September 4, with the Brian Lee Blues Band, Blue Tale Fly and REO Speedwagon; about 4,000 attended.
“Even though the mikes weren’t right the music was intense and absorbing; a kind of psychedelic jazz, loud and leading. Banks moved quick, intricate lead riffs through a complicated structure. Fantastic precision and overwhelming volume kept the crowd standing much of the time, absorbed in watching four men on a stage producng [sic] pure musical energy.”
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The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania) – September 16, 1972, page 35
Two readers’ letters about the Kutztown State College concert at Keystone Hall on Monday, September 11, with REO Speedwagon and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks.
Karen Nicholson (“A KSC Concert . . . Some Liked It”): “Banks did tremendous guitar work and produced some fine feedback and a variety of sounds with his numerous foot pedals and fuzz tone controls. He had complete control of his instrument while putting everything into a fine performance.”
Denny Somach of WSAN, Allentown (“Some Didn’t . . .”): “England’s Flash was next. A splinter group of Yes, they started with ‘Small Beginnings’ which wasn’t bad. After that, well, the best way to describe their performance would be to say they came on with a flash and proceeded to fizzle out.”
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The Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico) – September 1973
“Six-Hour Concert Was Fun But a Bit Long” by Arlene Tellez, Del Norte High School. Civic Auditorium, with Quicksilver Messenger Service, El Chicano and Blue Oyster Cult; no show date is printed.
“Flash, from England, drew a polite response from the small crowd gathered at Civic Auditorium. They were energetic and flashy but somehow they never got the crowd to its feet. Flash is much better live than on record.”
On the next album, Peter Banks is quoted: “We’d like to have a double album with the first one live and the other one done in the studio.”
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The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) – October 4, 1973
“Flash, Deodato Bands Need More Oomph” by David Proctor. The Terrace, Wednesday, October 3, 1973; Flash opened for Deodato.
“They had trouble keeping time with each other, trouble producing listenable music and managed none of the special effects they base their name on.”
“Peter Banks’ chief ability seemed to be his talent with a synthesizer box hooked up to his guitar to produce violins-to-bagpipe sounds.”
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The Journal Herald (Dayton, Ohio) – October 25, 1973
“Two bands display variety” by Tom Scheidt. Hara Arena, “last night” (October 24), with Captain Beyond.
“Flash was the more musically bizarre and interesting of the two, but Beyond was more hard-dirving [sic], commercial and a bigger crowd pleaser.”
“Flash changed moods constantly and weaved in and out of their ideas in a smooth, even, unforcing [sic] manner. Some of their soft passages were exquisite.”
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The Prospector (El Paso, Texas) – November 15, 1973, page 14
“At 33 1/3” by Beth Jones, previewing the Three Dog Night concert at the El Paso Coliseum on November 16.
“Though not advertised, FLASH will open the Three Dog Night Show set for 8 p.m. tomorrow in the Coliseum. Such a combination seems not only odd, but down-right bizarre . . .”
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After the show the band gave the interview that appeared in The Prospector on November 29, 1973.
Newspaper names, dates and page numbers are as recorded on each clipping; where a clipping was cropped, they follow the archive’s own records. Extracts are given as printed.