Even when they were one of the biggest bands in the world, R.E.M. still loved the odd surprise show in an intimate London venue. There was the occasion just days after the release of Out Of Time in 1991 when they played a pair of shows at the Borderline billed as Bingo Hand Job, or the moment when they performed in front of 200 lucky fans at St James’s Church in Piccadilly in 2004. But Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry never did make it back to Dingwalls.
The Camden venue was the scene of their first ever UK show back on November 19, 1983 and a couple of years ago, bassist Mills shared his memories of the show with this writer. “Lemmy was there,” he began. “I’d like to say he had come to see us but I think he had other interests on his mind. Phil Lynott was there as well. We had a good crowd, we had a lot of fun. We were thrilled to be in England. I was discovering the joy of a pint of bitter. It was a super time.”
