TAKE A BOW
IQ
VENUE ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL, LONDON
DATE 21/12/2024
It’s encore time at what has been a quite astounding Christmas show from IQ, and in keeping with a long-standing tradition, the band are preparing to bestow one of their 100 Club T-shirts on fan Malcolm Barden, who tonight has racked up the impressive 100th IQ gig milestone. Singer Peter Nicholls finds Barden in the crowd and ushers him stagewards. And we wait to applaud this momentous occasion. And wait. And wait. Just as Prog chuckles to our gig-going buddy that he’s probably been stopped by a jobsworth bouncer, it appears that this is exactly what has happened. Nicholls implores, the crowd boo but, hopelessly failing to read the moment and over-inflating his sense of self-importance, Mr Jobsworth remains unmoved. Eventually bassist Tim Esau takes the shirt, jumps down into the pit and delivers it to Barden himself.