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<copy><![CDATA[Reunions ΓÇô theyΓÇÖre the rockΓÇÖnΓÇÖroll equivalent of watching your parents renew their wedding vows on a Hawaiian beach before skinny dipping with the other fiftysomething guests in one giant parade of indignity. The Reunion is now an embarrassing footnote that appends many bandsΓÇÖ biographies, as inevitable as hair loss and erectile dysfunction, and neither cherished memories nor dead bandmates are going to stop old groups from dusting down their Sunday best and hitting the road. This is understandable for 1960s dinosaurs whoΓÇÖve run out of funds to build the new wing on their retirement home, but bands with underground cred? Surely such middle-age folly is beneath them? Apparently not. WeΓÇÖve seen the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, MC5 and the Sex Pistols strut their sagging stuff across the worldΓÇÖs stages. The bands that are back but which havenΓÇÖt lost any of their edge seem to come from the pantheon of art punks, such as Television and Wire. Now add to that line Mission of Burma, who have returned after a 22-year hiatus. Always dubbed ΓÇ£ahead of their timeΓÇ¥, they have re-emerged with a coruscating new album, ONoffON, to reclaim their status. Although they never achieved the popularity of American underground fathers Black Flag, Mission of Burma helped to establish a creative and commercial legacy that paved the way for alternative music, giving bands the opportunity to operate outside of the mainstream. During their brief tenure (1979-1983) they released only one album (Vs), one EP (Signals, Calls and Marches) and a double A-sided single (Academy Fight Song/Max Ernst) ΓÇô all are essential. They disbanded on the brink of success because of lead singer and guitarist Roger MillerΓÇÖs tinnitus, exacerbated by the bandΓÇÖs love of savage sound and their uncompromising, incendiary shows. They have since achieved near-mythic status, having been covered by REM, Moby and Graham Coxon, while their influence can be heard in indie stalwarts such as Sonic Youth, H├╝sker D├╝ and Fugazi. What does Miller think of these reunions? The question sparks a nostalgia trip. ΓÇ£I saw the MC5 at least 20 times, and the Stooges twice. And I saw Hendrix play a club in Michigan where there were 75 people. I actually had tickets to see the Yardbirds, but they cancelled and I didnΓÇÖt know who the hell this Jimi Hendrix guy was so I tried to sell my tickets, but I couldnΓÇÖt get rid of them. It turned out to be a truly mind-blowing experience. He came on stage with a cigarette in one hand and playing a guitar solo with just the other. I wanted to be exactly like him.ΓÇ¥ As someone who witnessed first-hand the ferocity of the Stooges, I anticipate him pouring scorn on their reunion efforts ΓÇô surely an act of violence against their once unimpeachable reputation? Not according to Miller. ΓÇ£We played with the Stooges last November and it was incredible, they manifested that same energy and IggyΓÇÖs dancing was great.ΓÇ¥ He senses my scepticism. ΓÇ£Sure, thereΓÇÖs not many bands that can do it, but I can attest that, although theyΓÇÖre probably not quite as great as they used to be, I did feel the same rush. Plus, I took my 15-year-old son and he was blown away.ΓÇ¥ Similarly, Mission of Burma still have the ferocious impact they had in the early 1980s. Why havenΓÇÖt they mellowed?ΓÇ£Okay, hereΓÇÖs one reason why I think the Stooges and Mission of Burma donΓÇÖt suck: itΓÇÖs because we never accomplished much in our time. When those guys came back they were reaching for former glory, whereas we never had any to look to. The same goes for Wire.ΓÇ¥ Seeing the re-formed British post-punk pioneers provided the impetus for BurmaΓÇÖs reincarnation. ΓÇ£Sure, thereΓÇÖs a nostalgia factor to take into account, but it sounded like they still had all that verve and venom. If Wire can do this then itΓÇÖs possible we can. When we broke up none of us thought we had unfinished business. Then, two years ago, when we got back together, we realised thereΓÇÖs still something adventurous weΓÇÖre supposed to do. Well, letΓÇÖs start doing it.ΓÇ¥ This musical sense of adventure is something that Miller feels is lacking in a lot of current bands. Whereas Burma channelled their avant-garde, Krautrock and punk influences into a pummelling sonic assault, now everything is filed into subgenres. ΓÇ£ThatΓÇÖs the great thing about movements. You have lots of people who are open to different kinds of influences, but once that rush of excitement is over then everything gets compartmentalised, which is where we are now.ΓÇ¥ Miller is aware that is he has lapsed into lecturing mode and self-deprecatingly refers to himself as an ΓÇ£old geezerΓÇ¥. How is he coping with tinnitus? ΓÇ£Well, thereΓÇÖre five things I do: I wear earplugs, I wear headphones, our drummer plays behind a Plexiglas shield, I donΓÇÖt use any monitors, and my guitar amp is by the side of me so I donΓÇÖt get blasted with sound. But given those five precautions my ears are still pretty bad. I put up with it because, even though weΓÇÖre in our late forties and early fifties, people are really being affected by us.ΓÇ¥ Fans now have the chance to catch Burma in frenzied live performances ΓÇô once the stuff of legend ΓÇô which, Miller assures me, are no nostalgia trip. ΓÇ£It was more nostalgic for me to watch these 16-year-old kids checking out my riffs just like I used to do when I went to gigs at that age,ΓÇ¥ he says, before allowing his boyish enthusiasm to get the better of him. ΓÇ£I can do this thing thatΓÇÖs kinda cool where I ram my guitar up against the amp and play with one hand while trying to smoke a cigarette with the other ΓÇô just like Jimi Hendrix.ΓÇ¥ Click <a href="asfunction:Tardis.webPageOpen,http://www.missionofburma.com"><b>here</b></a> to visit the official Mission of Burma website<b>Mission of Burma on tour</b> Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, June 30, then Scala, London (July 1), Academy 2, Birmingham (2), Barfly, Glasgow (3), Night & Day, Manchester (5), The Music Centre, Dublin (6), Cypress Avenue, Cork (7)]]></copy>
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<quote><![CDATA[Twenty years after breaking up on the brink of success, the influential post-punks Mission of Burma are back. Are they still loud and angry, asks Dafydd Goff ]]></quote>
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<caption><![CDATA[And then there were three (right, from left): Roger Miller, Peter Prescott and Clint Conley ]]></caption>
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<caption><![CDATA[They disbanded on the brink of success because of MillerΓÇÖs tinnitus, exacerbated by the bandΓÇÖs love of savage sound]]></caption>
<note><![CDATA[ Diane Bergamasco]]></note>
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<caption><![CDATA[ΓÇÿThereΓÇÖs not many bands that can do it.ΓÇÖ: Burma's frenzied live shows are the stuff of legend]]></caption>
<note><![CDATA[ Diane Bergamasco]]></note>
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<caption><![CDATA[ΓÇÿI wear headphones because my ears are still badΓÇÖ]]></caption>
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