Gigs.

Saw Mark Morriss (of The Bluetones) last night. Absolutely superb.. great chat, more laughs than seeing a comedian and his stuff was excellent. Well worth catching him.

Looks like I have a busy last weekend in June. Bedford for Ms Lavigne on the Saturday then Beth Hart in Munich on the Monday.

Sepultura farewell concerts: November.

Judas Priest: march.

Big Country on Friday night, with the Icicle Works supporting. It seems that a big chunk of my year group from school in the 80s were in the crowd, but I didn’t see them and couldn’t recognise them on Facebook! I did bump into several other more recent friends, which was nice. The band were excellent, but I guess it depends on whether you liked BC or not. Ian McNabb (Icicle Works) – obviously a good musician but he was just a bit boring.

Saturday night, vintage folk band Fairport Convention. All brilliant musicians, all ancient and the music reflects that. Dave Pegg*, bass, shuffled on looking as if he was about to throw off this mortal coil at any moment. There weren’t many in the audience younger than me, and most were my parents’ age and older. It took forever to get out of the venue because of all the aged legs, bad backs, walking frames and walking sticks, and ooh aren’t these steps steep. I pointed out that it was a good job that there wasn’t a fire because hundreds would have burnt to death. 😀

*Dave Pegg – interesting bloke. Iirc he was asked to be in Led Zeppelin, jammed with Hendrix and Joplin… Lots of stories.

I’m personally getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of Glastonbury line-up announcements!

Anyone in Perth, there’s a Pink Floyd / DSOTM show on at Sci-tech planetarium.
https://www.scitech.org.au/event/pink-floyds-dark-side-of-the-moon/

I’d go, but I’m seeing the Streets the night before and can’t do two school nights in a week.

Craig Finn on Saturday was as depressing as I’d hoped, felt like a short set but really bloody good. Next is Grace Petrie, haven’t really listened to her newer stuff but I love that first album

greatbeardedone
Free Member

Sepultura farewell concerts: November.

Still swithering on this one, I haven’t paid them any attention for a long time now, not because of the whole Cavalera circus but just that the music went in a direction I wasn’t so into. But then I remembered last time I saw Machine Head, they covered Territory and it was the best song of the night. Sepultura were my first really heavy band I guess back in 94 so it just feels kind of right to get along

For all of you sludge fans,

High on fire: June

Managed to get one of the last tickets for Steve Hackett at Bristol Beacon in October, he’s touring stuff from Genesis’ “Lamb Lies Down On Broadway“, along with other Genesis and his own solo work, including his latest solo album. I’ve heard quite a lot of his Genesis live performances and his band are bloody good, the singer gets Collins and Gabriel’s voices pretty much spot-on. Bob Fripp and Toyah are touring their ‘Sunday Lunch’ covers thing, and they’re playing Bath Komedia, that might be worth a punt.

Got Hotel Lux at the lovely Joiners tonight.. my new lady’s first down’n’dirty proper gig (with me anyway) Should be fun 😀

Hoping to get Death From Above 1979 tickets in about half an hour 🤞

just bought tickets for Goat at rock city in november, a band ive wanted to see for some time.

*STILL* no Glastonbury line-up announcement FFS – I am beginning to wonder if something is going on behind the scenes – it’s been widely rumoured that the Madonna deal fell through and now there is murmuring that the Stevie Wonder (who was to be her replacement headliner) deal is off too. If that’s the case, it sounds like they may end up with a less-than-impressive headline line-up.

just bought tickets for Goat at rock city in november

I’m tempted by that as well, also Tindersticks in Sheffield are a band I’ve always wanted to see.

Forwards festival in Bristol have announced their headliners (LCD Soundsystem, Loyle Carner, Yard Act, Greentea Peng, Hak Baker plus loads of others) – so I’m chuffed I took a punt on presale tickets

Going to see crazy 8 bit eco space hippies Henge next week at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. I noticed that the age is 14+ so I asked my daughter if she’d like to come. Now her and her mate are coming and have planned alien-themed costumes complete with tinfoil hats!

@StuF I am very tempted by Saturday at Forwards for Yusef Dayes and Maribou State.  LCD Soundsystem on Sunday will be great but no-one else that day tickles my fancy.

Opened Dice app to get my DFA1979 ticket and saw I’d bought tickets for a gig in Brighton tonight! 3 bands for a fiver 🙂 Man/Woman/Chainsaw headlining. Shame to miss it, but I’ve got the Joiners to go to. Anyone in Brighton fancy some ahem “art-punk” fun tonight can have em for free 🙂
Everything seems to clash – DFA1979 is the same weekend as my son’s graduation – Exeter to Brighton, so annoying!

Grace Petrie last night at Summerhall in Edinburgh, ridiculously packed show- we arrived just at the start of the first support act and the place was already crammed. 3 really good sets, though I have my doubts about accordian instrumentals that have a deep message about solidarity, maybe I just don’t speak accordian. Bit of poetry? Why not.

Pretty heavy on the new (unreleased) album which is always brave but the songs are bloody good, so it worked out, from this first impression I think it’s going to be a lot stronger than the last one. I’d have liked to hear more old stuff personally, Departures or Iago, but that’s OK when the new stuff is this good.

Next stop, London for the Hold Steady, the best bar band in the world.

Bug Club (again – 5th time I think) at the Bullingdon Oxford on Tuesday. Brilliant, again – can’t say it often enough, if you get a chance to see them GO!

Also good because daughter and boyfriend came down from Warwick to see it and we had an excellent bit of food at Kesh beforehand – and then my mate has a sideline in gig photography so he was on the camera for the gig as well.

First gig in ages for me on Sunday. New Dad at Trinity in Bristol.

@Northwind, one of the best gigs I’ve been to was The Hold Steady a few years ago at the academy in Bristol. Enjoy! They’re so great live.

Field trip down to Manchester to see Fever Ray at the Albert hall tonight, not disappointed!

That was immense. As soon as I saw their Glastonbury set last year I was so keen to see them. No show in Scotland so a wee hotel weekend down in the north of England. A total edge to their music, I love it.

Great venue too, keen to come back. Got to love a sloping parquet floor and vaulted roof.

Saw bug club on Thursday.

Next Thursday is BC Camplight at esquires.

Then maybe the Subhumans in April.

Hotel Lux at the Joiners last night was perfect. 3 bands, all decent, Hotel Lux even better than I expected from seeing them as a support in a café years ago. My partner enjoyed her first down n dirty gig too. Smaller crowd than there shouldve been, but that was good, no annoying twonks with phones held up. Great night!

Sorry gig photo fans, only took this one 😁

Got tickets for Baxter Dury in Edinburgh in May – really looking forward to that.

Gig-related-ish…I saw Standing At The Sky’s Edge at the theatre in London last week, featuring Richard Hawley’s music. All about three families on the Park Hill estate at three different times. Can’t recommend it enough – poignant, moving, funny, and Hawley’s music is front and centre and just works brilliantly. Go see it while you can!

Off to see the Streets next week. Never seen him/them live before. Still rate “Blinded by the lights” as a top tune.

I’ve a busy week at the end of May.

Honeyblood,

dot2dot festival (Jockstrap/Anthony Szmierek/The bug club/ panic shack)

English teacher

Lovely Eggs

Can’t wait 😁

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/01/the-whole-ecosystem-is-collapsing-inside-the-crisis-in-britains-live-music-scene

I saw radiohead at Gloucester Cathedral on the weekend, left halfway through – yes it was impressive musically, and a fitting setting, but the music just didn’t speak to me at all, and it was chuffing freezing so we went to the pub instead.

Just heard that Electric Six are playing at The Crescent in York (a fantastic little venue a couple of minutes from the train station). Just waiting on confirmed numbers then I’ll be getting tickets.

And STILL no Glastonbury line-up announcement FFS.

OMD at Manc O2 Apollo last Saturday.

Really good show, newer stuff is great. I saw them three times in the eighties, then a gap of 37 years. Time flies.  I won’t be rushing back to the Apollo though, it seems stuck in the eighties too.

Had a few beers on Saturday and booked tickets for the Libertines in October. Also got some tickets to the new Rising Festival (only £54 – Bob Vylan, Death of Guitar Pop and Dub Pistols plus a load of quality DJs – it’s being put on by the Magical Sounds crew who curated the dance tent at Bearded for a few years).

Got the Boss in July at Wembley as well, always make an effort to see him and this could be his last tour.

I’m off to see the Gaslight Anthem in a few weeks, first gig in about a decade!

Saw Ultramagnetic MCs in Bristol on Sat night. 34 years after I last saw them. Still not sure I like rap much, but DJ Too Tuff was spectacular. Lantern Room at the new Beacon is a cracking venue for samll gigs.

Pixies were in good form last night at Manchester Albert Hall – they have a new bassist, Emma Richardson who was in Band of Skulls. Played Bossanova / Trompe le Monde plus a few others at the end.

I bumped into an old school friend at the gig – we saw Pixies on the original TLM tour at Manchester GMEX, around 200 yards away from the Albert Hall. A shocking 33 years ago. Swear down Frank Black looks like he stepped out of a time capsule – looks and sounds the same as then.

Northwind and I were in London this weekend past for The Hold Steady’s Weekender. Two nights at the Electric Ballroom and then Sunday night at the much smaller Omeara. 25 songs per night, lots of singalongs from the crowd, lots of positive energy and blizzards of confetti for when Your Little Hoodrat Friend and Killer Parties happen. There was a decent amount of variety in the sets including a few rarities, though they did make me rather nervous by not playing Multitude of Casualties until the encore of Sunday night.

The support act on Friday night was Haiver, a band started by the former guitarist for Frightened Rabbit. To be honest it felt a bit like they weren’t quite ready for a spot like that, but as Northwind reminded me Scott Hutchison played a support slot on the first Weekender back in 2018 so there’s a nice circularity there. Support on Saturday was Slady, an all-woman Slade tribute act, who were pretty good and certainly had the right sort of energy for a The Hold Steady show. On Sunday there was a “DJ set” rather than a support act, which didn’t seem that much different to the PA tape you normally get between bands, so eh.

I saw Echo and the Bunnymen on Tuesday at Rock City, they were as good as ever. As the night went on you could see that Ian’s usual tantrums were beginning to confuse the band. During the encores he was clearly upset about something as he stormed off leaving the band looking at each other shrugging their shoulders. They eventually waved and left the stage, then a minute later came back on to close the show with Ocean Rain.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Pixies at the Kentish Town Forum on Saturday night. I’m a life long fan of the Pixies having first seen them at the Leicester DeMonfort Hall towards the end of 1990

Trip to Rock City tonight for Yard Act – they should be good – they were on fine form last week at an in store record signing.

At the weekend saw Radiohead (letmeinpresents) at Bristol Cathedral – they were excellent – the lead guitarist is a very talented musician and definitely worth seeing.

Tricky at Camden Roundhouse this evening.  I am muttering to myself about e-tickets though.  They won’t be released until 5pm this afternoon.  I like a printed ticket in my hand hours before the gig.  I am a worrier and e-tickets send me into a tizz.

I’ve had my ticket for the Jesus and Mary Chain in Manchester for a while, then they announced Leeds the night before so I got a ticket for that, too. If anyone needs the Manchester ticket please let me know

So I’ve got tickets for SZA in June. I didn’t even know who she was two days ago but, TBF (after playing it today), I quite like her stuff even though I am not really into RnB. The Last Dinner Party will be good (they sound like Florence + the Machine when they bumped into Siouxsie and the Banshees in their Enya period experimenting with a bit of Martha and the Muffins.

And Idles and Cyndi Lauper and Paul Heaton.

#Glastonbury

I am muttering to myself about e-tickets though.  They won’t be released until 5pm this afternoon.  I like a printed ticket in my hand hours before the gig.  I am a worrier and e-tickets send me into a tizz.

Yeah, me too. There’s no reason to not release tickets when you book them, it’s an entirely electronic process. When I booked my Steve Hackett ticket the reply had the ticket pdf included, to hold onto it for weeks or months, only releasing it hours before the gig is unacceptable, when there might be connection issues for people arriving at the venue. It happened to me at The Roundhouse for a Pixies gig a year or so ago, I ended up getting it printed off by a very helpful member of staff before the doors opened.