U2 - do a good show.
Airbourne are hilarious.
Saw We are Scientists recently and they were excellent.
The Charlatans are always good.
clutch
Showing my age but Thin Lizzy at Southampton Gaumont ( now the Mayflower) in 1979 - the Live and Dangerous Tour I think - was the best gig I ever went to, closely followed by Jethro Tull at the same venue in 1977
for sheer showmanship Phil Lynott took some beating in my opinion
Mackem - MemberSaw We are Scientists recently and they were excellent.
I like We Are Scientists but live they do seem to be a comedy act that happens to play songs. (Closing Time works great in VAST...)
Surprised the flaming lips haven't popped up yet
jimw - Member
Showing my age but Thin Lizzy at Southampton Gaumont ( now the Mayflower) in 1979 - the Live and Dangerous Tour I think - was the best gig I ever went to, closely followed by Jethro Tull at the same venue in 1977
Saw them on that tour too, and the Black Rose and Johnny The Fox tours. Saw Tull, too, somewhen around that time, Thick As A Brick Tour.
Lizzy were always an incredible live outfit, and Lynott one of the very best front men.
I saw him with Grand Slam, in Chippenham, shortly before he died, a matter of months, and I still have tinnitus as a result. Thanks, Phil!
skinnysteel - Member
Ian Dury & the Blockheads
A sad loss, he was a proper showman, you couldn't take your eyes off him. The records are classics, but live, Dury brought that extra... [i]spark[/i] to the show, really lifted it.
He could be a real arse'ole off stage, apparently.
edlong - MemberPearl Jam? (Not seen em myself, but it seems to be received wisdom that they are awesome live).
I saw them in 2010. I thought they were incredibly good live, but in some perverse way too good. There has to be an edge of uncertainty to a live show, it has to feel like you're watching a one of a kind performance. Pearl Jam are so practised and so capable that even when something unique happens it feels like they could replicate it again as many times as necessary if they wanted to.
The Hives (who were on the same bill as Pearl Jam in 2010) however are an almost definitive example of a band that are decent enough in the studio, but are truly great live.
Mogwai - seen them many times - always amazing
Townes Van Zandt (RIP) - sadly only got to see him once.
+1 for Orbital - saw them live for the first time about 4 years ago and was totally blown away.
More recently, I saw Drenge and they were amazing live. Pure energy on stage.
I also saw The Subways a few years back and was really impressed with their live show.
-1 for BMRC. I've liked their albums for a while but thought their live show was a bit dull tbh.
Ian Dury & the Blockheads
+1. Saw them a few years before he died. Very, very good indeed.
Another vote for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. What a line-up - so talented.
[i]Dury brought that extra... spark to the show, really lifted it.
He could be a real arse'ole off stage, apparently.[/i]
The bio-film with Andy Serkis is worth a watch.
sillyoldman - MemberMogwai - seen them many times - always amazing
Big +1, incredible live. I love that they can take songs that I don't really rate, like Cody frinstance which bores me on record, and work it into a perfect setlist, the lulls just make the sonic beatings more beatey.
The Temperance Movement are brilliant live. Also The Union, and I was dragged along to an Airbourne concert that was unexpectedly really good.
james jones revue and alabama shakes. Records are ok, but live both are amazing.
Definitely looking forward to Carter at Brixton.
Can I also chip in with EMF?
Saw them supporting Carter a few years ago and they were awesome. Like they'd never been away.
Shame that the only song that anyone's ever heard is 'Unbelievable'.
Ben Howard. Truly amazing live, and on record.
Good call on the Prodigy too! They are a incredible band to watch and hear live! Saw them at Creamfields last year. Never been a fan at all, but seeing them live changed my opinion.
A few that I have seen that fit the OP:
Queen - just unbelievable
Alice In Chains
Pearl Jam
AC/DC
The Charlatans
Soundgarden
Too many others that have now become 'stadium bands' and are almost too good live now
Seen James 4 or 5 times in the past 25 years, still truly wonderful.
Saw Springsteen in 87 and I regularly tell my kids that the concert was considerably better than witnessing their births (almost as long at 5 hours as well)
+1 for Richard Thompson preferably just him & his acoustic guitar, just mind-blowing.
Also, have been very pleasantly surprised by The Proclaimers & Slade
Moderat
Not sure how Radiohead make this list - dreariest and most uninvolved band I've ever seen. The audience may as well not have been there.
Good ones...
The Black Crowes
Peter Gabriel
and I had great fun at an Embrace gig!
Killing Joke
Prodigy
Foo Fighters
Green Day
Kiss
peterfile - Member
Moderat
Ooh, you lucky git! Where'd you see them?
[i]and I had great fun at an Embrace gig![/i]
I did too, apart from the singing (read: football chants) along, which got on my nerves after about 10 seconds! (I went cos the ex-wife liked em ok!)
Leftfield, however this might be partly due to the fact i don't have a HiFi that does them justice at home.
Bizarely KT Tunstall who is pretty bland on record was very very good live, loads of interesting improvisation.
Ooh, you lucky git! Where'd you see them?
Glasgow! An xmas gift from mrs file.
They were incredible, better than I could have hoped (and I had my expectations set high!).
There's just something special about hearing them play their music in a big venue. For me, it's always been quite a private enjoyment, not very often you'd hear it out.
Ah, I'd love to see them. Not big tourers though eh?!
Sisters of mercy. Up there with nin.
I saw the blockheads last year and even without Ian they are still an awesome band 🙂
The Saw Doctors..
Love the albums, live they are even better.
A real fun gig
We went to see the Eagles History Tour last night. They certainly can play and still sing. A very enjoyable entertaining evening.
The Police were much better live.
Old Crow Medicine Show were great the 2 times I saw them in Manc, proper good time old timey hoe-down.
Records are just ok apart from OCMS.
Alabama 3
Violent Femmes played a stonking gig a few nights ago. Set pretty much made up from the first two albums. Wonderful stuff.
Sisters Of Mercy are brilliant.
NIN are off this planet when playing live.
All very good in no particular order skunk anansie, NIN, placebo, marylin manson, offspring, everlast, afro celt sound system, arid and strangely bryan adams
Just remembered Judy Tzuke. She was always better live.
The Ramones were brilliant live. Even better than the records if that was possible. Saw the Oysterband at the local festival. they were good.
Here and Now + 1
Fantasy Shift in the car cd player
Its 30 years ago though...
Skindred, really not my kind if music but saw them live and a fantastic performance.
Orbital, seen them live loads over the last 20 years, never a bad show but the albums always slightly disappoint
Fun-Da-Mental (the original band - before they replaced the singer and became just-another-nineties-indie-rap-band) - a few interesting singles. Live...well it was 20+ years ago ...I've seen hundreds of bands ...and I still get goose bumps remembering that gig.
Fishbone. One very good album, the rest mediocre(IMHO). Live - brilliant.
Reverend Horton Heat ....with a psychobilly rendition of 'Paranoid'.
Bellowhead - far better live.
Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave, Public Enemy, SLF, Motorhead, Iggy Pop - There's something that a few have live, that others just....don't.
The Ramones - say no more.
Slightly off topic, but I didn't really "get" the Animal Collective till I saw them.
