"He sure had the touch" – Peter Gabriel live at WOMAD 1982 reviewed by Alan Hewitt. Photographs by Ted Sayers.

WOMAD '82...aah the memories. It really is very hard to explain the impression this gig made if you were not there to witness it which fortunately enough, I was! No one who was present (Peter included I suspect) had any idea of the long term repercussions of this gig but the idea of an international festival of music and arts had been in Peter's mind since 1980 and this event almost took place in 1981 but circumstances conspired against it. Even in '82 there were plenty of hurdles to cross before this memorable show finally got to take place.

By now it had been over eighteen months since Peter had released a new album and once again, he decided to opt to premier it in concert before it was released officially and so what you have here are the first raw performances of six of the eight album tracks in front of an audience. Opening with San Jacinto, a bona fide classic from the first performance, here it sounds surprisingly tentative, which is not surprising I guess but the majesty and drama are there for all to hear. The ritual of the wedding is next with The Family And The Fishing Net, raw, paranoid and highly evocative, this one was another destined to become a firm favourite in the subsequent tour. Here it is Tony Levin's incredible bass work which shines through along with the stabbing piano work of Larry Fast. I Have The Touch featuring the percussve talents of Bristol based drummers, Ekome sounds radically different to its finished version, edgier, sharper but every bit as much fun. David Rhodes' jagged guitar work cuts through like a knife wound.

Lay Your Hands On Me was soon to gain notoriety as the moment where Peter and his audience literally became one, as he allowed himself to be carried by the audience, displaying total trust in them not to drop him – although on many occasions he was to return to the stage minus several pieces of clothing! Here we have it for the very first time. Words really do fail me on this one as memories of the occasion come flooding back! The hypnotic rhythms and chant-like vocals certainly conjured up something special and here the Ekome drummers pull something truly magical out of the hat – just as stunning now as it was back in 1982.

The mood lightened somewhat for Shock The Monkey, a joyous raunchy and destined to become another on stage favourite and deservedly so.

Unusually Peter also opted to include a couple of non album tracks in his set. The first of which; I Go Swimming had first been aired during the 1980 tour and which remains unrelesed on a studio album but which did feature on the subsequent Plays Live set. Up beat, catchy and a whole bundle of fun, this one benefited enormously from the presence of Ekome whose rhythms accompanying the meatier ones of Jerry Marotta make this a truly remarkable romp especially when Ekome are given full rein to unleash their assembled percussive talents – if you aren't at least tapping your feet when you listen to this there is definitely something wrong with you!

Next comes what is undoubtedly the highlight of the set; The Rhythm Of The Heat. Originally titled Jung In Africa, it recalls the terror the psychologist experienced whilst on that continent surrounded by unfamiliar faces. It really is impossible to describe this performance, you really HAD to be there! Each and every element of the band came together here and despite the occasional fluff up , which actually added to the power of the performance in which Gabriel was definitely possessed. I have never seen a performance by him as totally mesmerising before or since! There is no let up for the audience – or for the band as the driving rhythms of Kiss Of Life follow – where the hell Peter got his energy from is anyone's guess – pure adrenalin I suppose. The audience were certainly living on that on the night and even here on disc, there is a power and raw majesty which will give you goosebumps.

Sadly the other non album track; Shosholosa is missing which is a great pity as it is a marvellously evocative track but that is more than compensated for by the one which closes the disc; the awesome Biko. What can I say about this that hasn't been said before. Majestic, powerful, dramatic, emotional are just some of the cliches which you can throw at it. Biko has never lost its ability to raise emotions and as an anthem against injustice it will never be beaten and this performance was particularly powerful.

Although the recording has been judiciously cleaned up in places, there does not appear to have been the usual amount of “tampering” from Mr Gabriel on this one and this is pretty much a warts and all recording and one which any Gabriel fan will cherish and those who were lucky enough to be there to witness the spectacle have something to rekindle the memories – superb stuff! It's also great to see another of the Founding Fathers of TWR – Ted Sayers – get a namecheck in the atwork for his excellent photography.