Inmates: Back In History Live 1980 (MVD DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Concerts: C+

 

 

Featuring two rough decent concerts from their early years, Inmates: Back In History Live 1980 shows the likable, talented British garage band in action at their early peak with two concerts featuring their early line-up (including Tony Oliver – guitar, Ben Donnelly – bass, Peter “Gunn” Staines – guitar, Bill Hurley – vocals, Jim Russell – drums and Eddie Edwards – drums) performing two sets.

 

One is a five song set at Dingwall’s in London, while the other is fourteen song set from Nelson’s in Wimbledon.  In both cases, the shows are very good at their best, but have their rough spots and both are shorter than one might like, especially (obviously) the first one.  However, it is another solid archival find of a band that not enough people have seen or heard about and it is nice to have it on DVD.

 

Unfortunately, the 1.33 X 1 image is old analog videotape and it is hard to tell if it is NTSC, PAL or second generation of either, but it is very rough and can be trying to watch, but the music and their performances are worth the suffering.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is really stretching the old hissy monophonic sound out a bit, so don’t expect much here either.  There are no extras, but enjoy the music.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo