Tommy Scott of Space at the 02 Academy, Liverpool. 2014. Photograph by Ian D. Hall

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

It had all been leading to this. The moment when the re-emergence of one of the great Liverpool bands kicked off touring again, being back in the studio for the first time in years, re-connecting with those that never wanted to say goodbye to them and the songs; the epic nature of tracks that more than ever had the ring of truth and perfection about them.

From being interviewed in the studio at the University of Liverpool to the release of the Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab, for the ever likeable Tommy Scott, the gracious Franny Griffiths, the dedicated and absorbing Phil Hartley, the scamp like and loveable synth scoundrel Ryan Clark and the buoyant bubbly Alan Jones, the moment had arrived to show exactly once more why Space were and remain a band in which nobody should ever miss seeing performing live and in their natural exuberant state.

For the last couple of years the greats have been getting even better and yet throughout it all, the three ‘new’ recruits have quietly performed miracles; they have given Franny and Tommy the urgency to stamp the Space logo on the streets of every part of Liverpool again. For all inside the o2 Academy though, something new was happening, something undeniable, something rather thrilling and beautiful. From out of the gloom Phil Hartley, a bass player in the mould of J.J. Burnell from The Stranglers, stood like a colossus, prowled the stage like a tiger smelling its weakened prey and grinned like a Cheshire Cat after hearing that Alice had left him all the drink me solutions. Phil was not alone in coming of age, Ryan Clark stood shoulder to shoulder as in intricate member of the band. The book end approach of having two synth players either side of a Liverpool legendry frontman works brilliantly, the expertise in one being mirrored in the other. For Alan Jones, perhaps the man with hardest job of all, this was such a moment in which he was just stunning, the timing of authority and the pulsating beat of a man enjoying life.

With the sound of the famous Pearl and Dean advertising signature tune growling down the ears of an expectant crowd, the music was one to savour, the sight of Tommy Scott, resplendent in rich musical finery at his disposal, leading the band through tracks such as Mister Psycho, Begin Again, The Ballad of Tom Jones, Me and You Versus The World, the subtly of brilliance in Female of the Species was a sight in which smile followed smile and loud participation struck at every opportunity.

It was the new songs though which captured the interest. Tracks such as Fortune Teller, Attack of the 50ft Kebab and She’s in Love With A Boy In A Body Bag were greeted with the same ferocity as any of the much loved songs of the band’s illustrious past.

The moment in which Phil, Ryan and Alan became indispensable to the band was in the hall of the o2 Academy, Liverpool, the home town of all. The moment in which Tommy and Franny had been working together towards had arrived and the smile said it all. No matter how many great nights the band had in the 1990s, how many wonderful evenings they have performed with absolute conviction since the veil of that decade had been drawn, this was a night in which all the hard work, sweat, tears and much needed laughter came all together in one set of charming Liverpool music.

Ian D. Hall