I can’t remember if the primary draw for this gig was James Ray Gangway or Judda – given that I really enjoyed Judda when I saw them a couple of months prior (GIG 118) but also really liked James Ray. Whatever the case it was a double bill that made me very happy to head into Kentish Town and the back room of The Bull & Gate (the pub pretty much next to The Town & Country Club where I’d already spent some cracking evenings).

I can’t remember a thing about Godlike Bass – but my notes are pretty damning. I apparently didn’t think they were very good at all.

Judda, once again, put on a fairly manic show and further cemented themselves as a firm live favourite.

James Ray was the singer on The Sisterhood “The Gift” EP that Andrew Eldritch put out to prevent Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams (who had split from The Sisters of Mercy and eventually became The Mission) using the name back in 1986. James Ray, who was also signed to the Merciful Release label (Andrew Eldritch’s record label), was often confused for Eldritch himself on The Sisterhood’s EP. Eldritch, however, couldn’t sing on the album otherwise it’d have fallen under WEA’s remit (the record company he had a deal with for The Sisters of Mercy releases). Some of the tracks from The Gift ended up later being incorporated into The Sisters live sets and one, ‘Colours’, made it’s way on to The Sisters of Mercy ‘Floodland’ album.

Beyond The Sisterhood James Ray recorded some cracking albums across a few incarnations, ‘James Ray & The Performance”, “James Rays Gangwar” and more recently “James Ray & The Black Hearted Riders”. Tracks such as “Rev Rev Lowrider” and “Mexican Sundown Blues” being a couple of personal favourites.

I loved James Ray live and glad I managed to see him a couple of times back in the early-mid 90’s.