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On this day, 2 June 1981, one of UK’s finest bands to evolve from Punk/New Wave XTC played what was to be the band’s final UK live appearance at Cardiff’s Top Rank promoting their Black Sea album.
Lead singer and guitarist Andy Partridge recalled the gig not so flatteringly.
“ Last gig of a tour should have gone perfectly but both of my Amps blow up on stage. Nevertheless, the road crew decided to have their end of tour japes and dumped on my head a sack of confetti during 'Snowman' (Oh! nearly forgot, got myself a rotten electric shock that night as well).”
Black Sea was critically acclaimed and remains XTC's second-highest charting British album, placing at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart, as well as their most successful US album, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard 200.
It spawned three UK top 40 singles: "Generals and Majors" (number 32), "Towers of London" (number 31), and "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" (number 16).
Another single, "Respectable Street", was banned from BBC radio due to its references to abortion and a "Sony Entertainment Centre.
Black Sea was recorded at Virgin's Town House studio in London with producer Steve Lillywhite and engineer Hugh Padgham.
It was originally titled Work Under Pressure in reference to XTC's grueling touring and recording regimen. After their manager complained, frontman Andy Partridge devised Black Sea as a reference to his emotional state while composing the album.
At the age of 12, Partridge was professionally diagnosed as "hyperactive" and given a prescription of Valium.
He later formed a dependency on the drug that was exacerbated by the pressures of his music career.
After disposing of the drug in 1981, he experienced severe withdrawal effects that led to XTC's withdrawal from touring.
From 1980 to 1981, XTC toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US in support of Black Sea as the opening act for the Police. At this point, they were playing in arena stadiums while Partridge's mental state was beginning to deteriorate, and he requested to cease touring, but was opposed by Virgin, his bandmates, and the band's management.
He would occasionally experience moments of memory lapse to the extent that he would forget who he was. His then-wife Marianne blamed his illness on his longtime dependency on Valium, which he had been prescribed since the age of 12.
She threw away the tablets, and over the next year, he experienced intense withdrawal effects that he later described as "brain melt".
