On October 19th, 2009, Rob and I (back when it was just the two of us) had the indescribable pleasure of playing with one of our favorite bands, Broadcast, during what would be their last American tour. In addition to being a favorite of ours, Trish Keenan and James Cargill of Broadcast were/are an ever-present influence on our music. As you can imagine, we were ecstatically excited over the period of weeks before the show as we feverishly devised a set for what we considered to be the most important show of our lives.
After weeks of obsession and almost daily reality-checks that we were indeed playing with one of our idols, the day of the show came. Shortly after arriving at the the SUNY Purchase student center where the show was to be held, the band walked in. There they were, Trish and James, accompanied by their tour manager and engineer, wandering the venue as frantically drank beer in the tech room to cool our nerves. After some more mental preparation, we nervously introduced ourselves. After expecting the dark and often bleak persona perpetuated by their look, music and press, we were surprised and delighted to meet such kind, polite and warm people. After making pleasant small talk, we urged them to stick around for our set, to which they happily obliged.
After our set, which we were both convinced was not of our best, we were confronted by none-other-than Trish Keenan. She went into great detail telling us how much she loved the set, pouring compliments with the upmost sincerity. She seemed to genuinely enjoy it in a fashion that was beyond the obligatory “Great Set” that is customary of performers on the same bill. It was a absolutely surreal moment. Hearing those words from someone I idolized was truly a very special moment in my life.
Trish and James went on immediately after us: the first half of their set was entirely instrumental, with the band members playing on both sides of a screen displaying psyched out visuals. The musical material resembled a mix of early electronic music and tape music; a taste of what their later material would be. The second half of their set consisted of the pop songs the band was known for, featuring Trish’s signature ethereal voice and James on bass and sampler. They mostly played songs from their 2005 masterpiece “Tender Buttons” and one or two from “Haha Sound.” It was truly special and every bit as incredible as I imagined.
After the show, we said our goodbyes. We exchanged CDs, with us giving them our first record and them giving us a tour-only EP called “Mother is the Milky Way.” To my knowledge, it is the last piece of music they released. She urged us to keep in touch, again with a level of sincerity that went well beyond mere politeness. After a few more pleasantries and laughs, they were gone, off on the next date of their last American tour before heading back home to Birmingham, UK.
As news of her death is only now beginning to set in, I am extremely grateful that I was able to meet and play with her the last time she set foot in America. Aside from losing such a talented artist, her tragic untimely death is that much more difficult for me knowing how kind a person she was. Thanks very much to Andrew Kuhl for making the show happen and thank you Trish Keenan for providing me with one of the most memorable nights of my life.
Hearing those words from you meant more than you will ever know.
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