1993 festivals and North American tour

London

February 25, 1993 with the Saw Doctors. BBC Research Central has a note of a recording on this date, but the tape no longer exists.

released1991
‘The Essential Collection’ compilation released on Stiff.

London Fleadh (Finsbury Park)

Fleadh poster, 1993
Fleadh poster, 1993

June 12, 1993. Other artists at the ‘93 Fleadh included Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Pogues, Runrig and Stiff Little Fingers.

A gig planned for the Mean Fiddler in London on June 18, 1993 was cancelled.

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL

June 25 or 26, 1993. Guesting with The Kinks.

LONDON Mean Fiddler

July 23, 1993 (support: Summerhill).

Kirsty MacColl at the Mean Fiddler, 1993 © Terry Hurley
Kirsty MacColl at the Mean Fiddler, 1993 © Terry Hurley
Kirsty MacColl at the Mean Fiddler, 1993 © Terry Hurley
Kirsty MacColl at the Mean Fiddler, 1993 © Terry Hurley

BRADFORD Wool Exchange (part of Bradford Festival)

July 24, 1993. Source: MH

SOUTHSEA Castle Field (Heineken Beer Festival)

August, 1993. According to JC she “blew Tom Robinson off the stage”.

LEICESTER Student Union, De Montford University

October 31, 1993 (no support). ‘Innocence; Titanic Days; Free World; Mothers Ruin; Bad; Angel; My Affair; You Know Its You; Tread Lightly; Still Life; Fifteen Minutes; Don’t Come The Cowboy…; Soho Square; Walking Down Madison; Cant Stop Killing You; You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet Baby; Big Boy On A Saturday Night; Miss Otis Regrets; I Wanna Be Sedated; A New England; They Don’t Know; Chip Shop’

releasedLate October 1993
‘Titanic Days’ album released in US on IRS.

ATLANTA Variety Playhouse

November 4 , 1993 (support: David Gray). JCF reported, “ At the cosy 700 seater Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Kirsty put on a show of impeccably chosen originals with a charm and conviction which overcame both her and her audience’s early reservations. By the time it was all over, she had firmly established herself as an abundantly talented songwriter and singer with a lot of substance to say, and a disarmingly natural way of saying it.

There were songs of bored housewives plotting revenge, women making a strike for independence from parents and lovers, keenly observed portraits of the lonely and displaced, also witty tales and cries of hope. Some of the songs from the current release, ‘Titanic Days’gained noticeable power with the live treatment.

The versatile, though hardly virtuoso, band included Pete Glenister on lead guitar. There were great songs such as ‘Fifteen Minutes’, which on record relied heavily on elaborate brass arrangements. They did them acoustically, and surprisingly it worked! Much of the audience sang along on the joyous salsa chorus of ‘My Affair’

For the encore Kirsty reached back almost a decade and a half to some of her earliest songs, such as the girl-group style classics ‘Chip Shop’ and ‘They Don’t Know ’. Over 20 songs, good value for $10. They used tapes for ‘Madison Avenue’ (sic) and ‘Angel’ backing effects, though with four guitars playing over the tapes, it hardly seemed necessary once they got going. Kirsty played a Gibson electric for about 5 or 6 songs. I was struck by the great variety of musical styles, she rarely repeats herself. I was reminded of Richard Thompson – and also she has a similar shy, self-effacing demeanor. For the most part she let her music do the talking, and very eloquent it was too.”

PHILADELPHIA Chestnut Cabaret

November 6, 1993. “I think it was her first time in the city of Brotherly Love. Got to meet her after the show and give a copy of my show the Listening Room. Since it was a dinkyass 10 watt station nobody listened to us, but I could play whatever I wanted so I did a whole show on Kirsty. She even did a station ID for me. Also showed her my acetate of the unreleased Stiff single a buddy of mine had picked up in England. Kirsty was surprised at its existance and mentioned it later in some interviews.” Source: SH

ALEXANDRIA VA The Birchmere

November 7, 1993 (Support: David Gray). ‘Titanic Days, Free World, Innocence, Mother’s Ruin, Bad, Angel, You Know It’s You, Tread Lightly, Still Life, My Affair, Fifteen Minutes, Don’t Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim!, Walking Down Madison, Soho Square, Can’t Stop Killing You, You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet Baby, Big Boy On A Saturday Night + Miss Otis Regrets, They Don’t Know, There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis.’

“A very intimate venue – 150+ or so (I‘m guessing). The place was sold out, totally packed. A great gig, one of the best if not the best I‘ve seen. She didn’t perform ’‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ that night (although she did when she returned to the Birchmere on St. Patrick’s Day 1995 for the Galore tour – I almost went to NY the next day to see her at Tramps!).’ Source: TJH

Note: support act David Gray (eight years or so before hitting the big time!) had a common link to Kirsty in that her half brother Neill played in his band and on some early Gray recordings. Source: TH

Here’s the show calendar from the venue for November 1993!

NEW YORK Tramps

November 10 or 11, 1993 . Ed says “[Vin Scelsa] mentions her appearance in town that week to promote Titanic. I was at that show, at a club called Tramps in midtown”. Source: ES

The venue closed in 2001, and has since transformed into assorted other incarnations.

Interview by Dawn Eden on Videowave

1993 Kirsty MacColl Rare Interview on Videowave

November 11 1993. Singer Dawn Eden interviews Kirsty at 594 Broadway.

Late Night with Conan O’Brien

"Can't Stop Killing You" Kirsty MacColl

Kirsty on the Conan O’Brien Show in 1993[/caption]3 (re-broadcast on December 27, 1993). “TV appearance on the just started Late Night with Conan O‘Brien talk show that airs on NBC. I believe that I caught a rebroadcast of this show in which she performed ‘Can’t Stop Killing You’ with a full band. I don’t remember the visual, but I did tape it onto audio casette. Unfortunately, that tape has been lost among many others, although I do hope to find it again some day. Source: PK

World Cafe

Also on this tour, Kirsty made her first appearance on the networked World Cafe radio program, performing acoustic versions of ‘Can’t stop killing you’, ‘Bad’, ‘Children of the revolution’ and ‘My Affair’ live in the studio.

BOSTON Axis

November 13, 1993 (support: David Gray).

Vin Scelsa Radio Interview

Broadcast November 14, 1993.

TORONTO El Mocambo

Kirsty MacColl at El Mocambo, 1993
Kirsty MacColl at El Mocambo, 1993

El Mocambo

November 15, 1993 (support: David Gray). ‘Titanic Days; Free World; Innocence; Mother’s Ruin; Bad; Angel; You know it’s you; Tread Lightly; Still Life; My Affair; Fifteen Minutes; Don’t come the Cowboy with me, Sonny Jim!; Soho Square; Walking Down Madison; Can’t Stop Killing You; You Just Haven’t Earned it Yet, Baby; Miss Otis Regrets; New England. ’ Pete Glenister (guitar), Dave Ruffy (drums), Gary Sanford (guitar), Segs (bass).

ANN ARBOR MI Blind Pig

November, 1993 (date unconfirmed)

“I saw Kirsty in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I think it was during 1995. I’m a friend of Gary Sanford (Aztec Camera) and he was in the band for that show. It might have been at the Blind Pig, which doesn’t exist anymore.” Source: TT

CHICAGO Park West

November 20, 1993 (support: David Gray).

“I was lucky enough to see her back in November 1993 (late in the month, can‘t
recall the exact date) at Chicago’s Park West — David Gray opened for her.” Source – JMS

St. LOUIS Mississippi Nights

November 21, 1993 (support: David Gray).

MINNEAPOLIS Rouge Night Club

November 23, 1993. Source: DT.

BOULDER Colorado Fox Theater

November 24, 1993 (Support: David Gray). “Wednesday night before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on a snowy and deserted University of Colorado campus. David Gray was the amazing and then completely unknown opening act. A great show!” Source: JM

SAN FRANCISCO Slim’s

November 28, 1993 (support: David Gray). Source – sfpromo

SEATTLE The Backstage

November 29, 1993 (support: David Gray).

LOS ANGELES Troubador

November 30, 1993 (Support: David Gray).

SAN DIEGO Solana Beach Belly Up

December 1, 1993 (Support: David Gray). “This gig was recorded by IRS, and two songs – ‘Free world’ and ‘Miss Otis regrets’ – were later released as B sides. The rest of the tape is long lost we believe. Source – ZTT. I was lucky to see the show. I had seen her at The Troubador the night before in Los Angeles and the next day I drove down to Solana Beach. The Belly Up Tavern is a good sized establishment with several rooms but it also has a very good closed circuit TV system and her show was broadcast all over the Tavern on TV. I always assumed that both a good audio & good video copy existed but never heard of any.” JK

SCOTTSDALE Rockin‘ Horse Saloon

December 2, 1993 (support: David Gray).

releasedDecember 1993
‘Angel’ single released on ZTT.

LONDON Mean Fiddler

December 9, 1993 guesting with Shane MacGowan and the Popes.