Now that Shoegaze is regarded as a genre rather than a perjorative term and Slowdive have gone from pariahs of the 90s music press to headlining enormodomes you might be forgiven for wondering whatever happened to their old pals Chapterhouse – not least because the two were always lumped together back in the early 90s. In that era, the music press (when it had the role as both gatekeeper and jailer) briefly championed the shoegazers for 6 months in 1991 before deciding they were not ‘4 Real’ – polarising instead around Grunge and the mouthy Manic Street Preachers and castigating the ‘gazers for trying to be all experimental and not singing loud enough about REAL KIDS ISSUES. They were seen as upper class toffs to the extent that David Quantick famously invented a sort of Jeeves & Wooster/Just William world based on fictionalised members of Moose, Slowdive, Lush and Chapterhouse – characters such as Prince Namor, Nebuchadnezzar and most famously ‘Lord Tarquin from Chapterhouse’.

It was all a good larf really but the truth is that the bands were suburban kids from dreary satellite towns – with big musical ideas and dreams and a penchant for creating huge oceanic washes of guitar over breathy vocals, “sonic cathedrals of sound” indeed. By 1994 Chapterhouse had split up after just two LPs. History would prove them right and barely a week goes by when I don’t see or hear a new band who owes a debt to Chapterhouse and the rest of the Thames Valley Delta.

There have been sporadic reunions since their split in 1994 but the group have been dormant for 16 years – although Cherry Red saw fit to issue a lavish and extensive box set of most of their recorded and unrealised ouput (highly recommended) back in 2023 – lovingly compiled by the band which hinted that they may return. It took a while, but here they are all present. There is no new album to promote, just a celebration of their debut album and a chance for fans old and new to catch up. There’s a run of very quickly sold-out dates and a US tour to follow so suffice to say their appeal is less selective.

A long since sold out Trades Club has the pleasure of the excellent Mark Peters as support. Mark was formerly with Engineers – who came along a few years later but shared a similarly expansive musical vision as the headliners. Engineers combined Dream Pop with a melancholy and wistfulness adjacent to Tim Buckley or Pink Floyd at their most comfortably numb. Mark has since done a run of stirring solo records, mostly instrumental. He often performs solo but tonight he’s joined by a bassist and rhythm backing and easily wins over the audience with soaring melodies and his trademark evocative instrumentals. There are mics on stage which suggests this won’t be a purely instrumental performance – and sure enough he closes with the beautiful, gliding ‘Forgiveness’ from the excellent debut album by his old band.

Chapterhouse file on to a very enthusisatic crowd, having tuned their collection of 12 string guitars and got the FX pedals ready to stun. They open with ‘Ecstacy’ – uncharacterstically scuzzed up psych rock which reminds us that the group initially were more aligned to the motorbikin’ Spacemen 3 (who they played with in the early days) and the JAMC than the Cocteau Twins. This is only the 2nd date of the tour but they whip up quite the storm while coming across like you’d never guess how little they’ve performed together over the past 30 odd years. As always at the Trades, the sound and atmosphere is unbeatable so no better place to experience this moment.

Tonight is one of those ‘playing the album in full’ affairs and they have chosen their debut ‘Whirlpool’ so we’re whipped straight into Side One track 1- ‘Breather’ which shows they could really show Ride or the St**e R**es a thing or two about anthemic choruses and psychedelic jangling . “Classic album” gigs are always a bit of a gamble. I know bands do it to reassure punters that there will be lots of old songs, but what may be a perfect running order for a record to play at home doesn’t always make for a great live set. It’s slightly disorientating to go from the Indie disco staple ‘Pearl’ into the thunderous and brooding ‘Autosleeper’ but they pull it off in fine style and it is striking how huge a sound the five of them conjur up in this relatively small room- and nobody is gazing at their shoes. ‘Falling Down’ is perhaps a track that has dated less well, wah-wah guitar and Madchester funky drum loop. The lovely Spacemen 3/Velvets esque ‘If You Want Me’ however is a delight -and is played with some delicacy, light and shade that we’ll see more of later. It’s a majestic start.

There’s a quick break having cleared the decks of ‘Whirlpool’ the band return to play their own favourites. We get a couple of tracks from their 2nd LP, the somewhat ill-fated but hugely under-rated ‘Blood Music’ where the band persured a more dance/electronic direction (and made a wonderful reimagined version with Global Communication which took on a life of it’s own as an ambient dub classic). The set showcases a different side of the band and things get more delicate and swoonsome. A highlight is ‘Then We’ll Rise’ which they originally tucked away as a B side on the Mesmirise EP.

They end with a gorgeous ‘Love Forever’ before returning for a well deserved encore of ‘Mesmirise’ (which due to some tedious railway related shenanigans we have to skip). I hope this isn’t a one off as I’d like to see them again, picking their own choice of songs throughout. There is so much more to the band than their debut LP, lots of brilliant tracks tucked away on singles and unreleased material. On this form, like Slowdive, it would be intriguing to hear a new record. Meanwhile, they’re now off on a tour for the rest of the year and if you can bag tickets don’t miss the chance to do some catching up. Now then who’s next – Moose?, Catherine Wheel? Get those guitars down from the loft….