Rockpile were the true definition of a rock ‘n’ roll band. Each member brought a power and flexibility to the group that made them greater than the sum of their parts. As the chief songwriters, Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe ensured the band never lacked for a song. (They began as Edmunds’ backing group.) Their only studio album Seconds of Pleasure is a classic and this live performance in August of 1980 at the Montreux Jazz Festival is tight and alive, with Edmunds often taking the spotlight and Lowe falling back into support mode, though Lowe’s “Switchboard Susan,” “I Knew The Bride” and “So It Goes” are great additions. Elvis Costello’s “Girls Talk” and the group’s stellar single “Teacher Teacher” are the pop highlights. Billy Bremmer sings “Trouble Boys” and “You Ain’t Nothin’ But Fine,” while the band come together for a version of Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock” that sends you back to the band’s pub-rock days. Hard to believe, considering how tight they sound here, that the band were on the verge of breaking up.