This month we bring you the third premiere in our series of archival videos from Wuxtry Records in Athens, Ga., and it’s another flashback to February 1981 at Atlanta’s 688 Club. This time it’s a full 70-minute set from Athens post-punk/new wave act The Method Actors, filmed a week after the R.E.M. performance that kicked off this series.
Wuxtry’s tape captures the original two-man Method Actors lineup, with Vic Varney (who also managed Pylon) on guitar and lead vocals and David Gamble on drums, and the performance comes around the time of the release of the band’s 2LP debut album, Little Figures, in the U.K.
The video is transferred from VHS and, not surprisingly, given its age, it can be a bit rough in spots, but overall it’s pretty good, particularly the audio.
So check it out — and stay tuned for more vintage gems from the Wuxtry archives in the coming months, including upcoming installments on Love Tractor and Pylon.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Premiere: Pylon at Athens PopFest 2005 — watch full hour-long reunion set
- Premiere: R.E.M. at Atlanta’s 688 Club, February 1981 — watch rare 40-minute set
You can see the wall that Iggy Pop wrote his setlist on at the 688 in this video. Pretty neat bit of history there.
Thank you for this share! Smart, inimitable band, the MA’s. Looking forward to Love Tractor.