📰 T. Rex – The Lyceum, London: Feb. 1976
- T.Rex
- Feb 18, 1976
- 3 min read
T. Rex – The Lyceum Ballroom, London
February 18, 1976
Full Concert Review (Sounds + Record Mirror/Disc)**
A combined critical portrait of Marc Bolan’s Futuristic Dragon‑era return to the London stage — charisma, nostalgia, contradictions, and a band fighting to reclaim its place in mid‑’70s rock.
📰 Key Highlights
• Concert date: February 18, 1976
• Venue: Lyceum Ballroom, London
• Reviews published: February 28, 1976
• Publications: Sounds (Jonh Ingham) & Record Mirror/Disc (David Hancock)
• Band lineup: Dino Dines, Steve Currie, Davey Lutton, Gloria Jones, Tyrone Scott
• Stage set: giant dragon prop emitting dry ice
• Setlist heavy on classic hits
• Critics note Bolan’s charisma, energy, and contradictions
• Audience: hardcore fans + curious onlookers + heavy press presence
📰 Overview
These paired reviews offer a rare dual‑lens snapshot of Marc Bolan in 1976 — a performer still capable of commanding a stage, yet caught between past glory and present reinvention. Both critics acknowledge the strength of the band, the power of Bolan’s charisma, and the nostalgic thrill of the hits, while also noting the artistic tension of a setlist that leans heavily on the past. The Lyceum show becomes a portrait of Bolan’s mid‑’70s identity: confident, worn, magical, and strangely fragile.
📰 Source Details
Publications: Sounds; Record Mirror & Disc
Date: February 28, 1976
Format: Two contemporary reviews combined into a single Chronicle entry
Provenance Notes: UK press coverage of the Futuristic Dragon tour.
📰 The Story
A Return After Two and a Half Years
Both reviews frame the Lyceum show as a comeback.
Record Mirror notes the presence of:
• curiosity seekers
• loyal screamers
• industry figures
• a surprising number of photographers (seven at the stage front)
Bolan, slightly heavier and visibly worn, nonetheless commands attention the moment he appears.
📰 The Stage – The Dragon Awakens
Record Mirror highlights the giant dragon prop, spewing dry ice, with lighting effects that give the show a theatrical, fantasy‑rock atmosphere.
It’s a visual extension of the Futuristic Dragon album aesthetic — part glam, part myth, part self‑parody, part spectacle.
📰 The Band – A Rhythm Machine
Both reviews praise the band’s tightness:
• Steve Currie – bass (described as “fine” and “booming”)
• Dino Dines – keyboards
• Davey Lutton – drums
• Gloria Jones – Fender Rhodes + vocals
• Tyrone Scott – keyboards + vocals
Sounds calls them a “pumping rhythm machine”, while Record Mirror emphasises their cohesion and drive.
📰 The Set – Nostalgia Over New Material
Both critics note that Bolan avoids most of his new Futuristic Dragon material, instead delivering a hit‑packed retrospective:
• “New York City”
• “Children of the Revolution”
• “Solid Gold Easy Action”
• “Hot Love”
• “Jeepster”
• “Telegram Sam”
• “Ride a White Swan”
• “Get It On”
Sounds argues that Bolan should be showcasing new work;
Record Mirror argues that the hits are exactly what the audience came for.
📰 The Acoustic Interlude – A Misstep
Record Mirror singles out the acoustic mid‑set as the night’s weakest moment:
• Bolan struggles with top notes
• “Debora” is specifically mentioned as faltering
• The critic notes Bolan has “never maintained he was a great singer”
It’s the only moment where the show’s energy visibly dips.
📰 The Bolan Paradox – Innocence vs. Decadence
Sounds offers the most striking psychological insight:
• Bolan’s lyrics remain innocent, whimsical, fairy‑tale‑like
• Bolan himself looks “debauched,” a figure out of a Dorian Gray fantasy
This contrast — childlike songs sung by a visibly ravaged man — becomes the emotional core of the review.
📰 Charisma, Confidence, and the Press
Record Mirror emphasises Bolan’s confidence, his smiles, his kisses to the crowd, and his willingness to pose for photographers.
Sounds notes the same charisma but frames it as slightly haunted — a performer giving everything while something underneath feels unsettled.
📰 Setlist – Futuristic Dragon Tour (Lyceum, Feb 18, 1976)
• 20th Century Boy
• Jeepster
• Funky London Childhood
• New York City
• Solid Gold Easy Action
• Children of the Revolution
• Teenage Dream
• Telegram Sam
• Debora
• One Inch Rock
• Ride a White Swan
• Life’s a Gas
• Dreamy Lady
• London Boys
• Hot Love
Encore:
• Get It On
(Source: setlist.fm)
📰 Ephemera Archive – Ticket Text
DEREK BLOCK presents
T. REX
plus Support Group
LENNIE MACDONALD BAND
on WEDNESDAY 18th FEBRUARY 1976
LYCEUM, The Strand, London W.C.2
Doors Open 7.50 pm
Tickets £2.00
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📰 Closing Notes
Together, these reviews form one of the most revealing portraits of Marc Bolan’s mid‑’70s stage presence — a performer still capable of magic, still adored, still contradictory, and still impossible to ignore.
🏷️ Hashtags (Archive Tags)
📰 Sources
• Sounds, February 28, 1976
• Record Mirror & Disc, February 28, 1976
• Setlist documentation
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