Gigs.

Went to see Squarepusher in Nottingham week before last… bloody awesome! mini-rave rather than a gig i guess, and home by midnight, which was nice 🙂

Not seriously upwards of £150 to see Pavement!??

Hell no! $39 a piece (in US). They seem to have been bought up by touts and resold back to ticketmaster, or through. It seems the prices are wildly high now.

On a good run with gigs again now.
Saw Laura Marling a few weeks ago and she was just amazing. Her and a guitar nothing else. Mesmerising.
Then snapped ankles at crookes social club. Such a fab venue.
Last week a mate reminded me that he had bought tickets to see sprints. Not a band I’ve heard of or listened to. Part of the Dublin invasion hot on the heels of Fontaines and murder capital. Tiny venue. They were fun. Finished with a cover of chaise longue…
Last night was porridge radio, rescheduled from March 2020. In the small room at the leadmill. A nice place to see a band. It was the lead singer’s birthday and they were on good form despite a guitar malfunction midway through one of the songs.
Tonight it’s Paul Heaton again this time without Jackie who is poorly. A small intimate gig at the winding wheel in chesterfield.
Tomorrow we have tickets for easy life. My daughter bought them but has decided not to travel back from Newcastle to Sheff for it so looks like me and her mum are going to get down with the millennials. Seen them a few times at festivals and I’m sure it will be average.

Best news though is working mens club again next Thursday at the leadmill. My new fave band. Can’t wait.

I think I’ll need a rest after that.

Saw Snapped Ankles last night. Don’t mind the album, but live it was like watching Black Lace – weak novelty act. Didn’t get it at all. Left after half an hour of trying to force myself to enjoy it. Shame really, cos it was an over 2 hour round trip!

Haha fair enough. The mystery was punctured for us as well as when the blokes were wandering around without the headpieces afterwards. Just normal looking hipsters.

Had a thoroughly enjoyable evening of well crafted songs containing more pop-culture references than it’s possible to shake a stick at, interspersed with a bunch of gentlemen of a certain age who really ought to know better slam-dancing directly behind us in the front row. One of them will have to pay a visit to his optician tomorrow, having left one lens of his glasses on the floor.

About normal for a Half Man Half Biscuit gig, really. 😁

’kin ‘ell, it’s Fred Titmus!

Had a thoroughly enjoyable evening of well crafted songs containing more social commentary references about austerity-era Britain than it’s possible to shake a stick at.

Sleaford Mods for me.

Wedding Present / Such Small Hands / Yvonne MK for me tonight. TWP are my ravens, I’ve seen them every year since 1987 (side projects / band hiatus aside) and the day they no longer exist my tower will crumble.

They were also the last band I saw before lockdown.

I’m kids at Christmas levels of excitement.

@theotherjohv saw them last week in Chester at the Live Rooms (great little venue) and they were great. I like the new songs and they played really loud, I took a metalhead friend with me and he loved it and Slayer is his usual thing.

Choose Chester as Manchester gig was the day after seeing the Jesus and Mary Chain and I’m too old for drive up to two gigs in a row. I went more out of curiosity than every been a big fan. I enjoyed it but I would go see them again.

Glad you enjoyed it. Did you get a Wedding Present fact of the day? How was the encore?

There was no fact of the day and definitely no encore they played Seamonsters straight through rather than mix it up. The second half was a mixture of crowd pleasers and two new songs which sounded very Bizzaro era but were very loud, you’ll see.

Charlatans last night. Greatest hits set in a note for note copy of the record way. So obviously it was really good if you like them, which I do. Very full and very merry crowd, excellent fun. Middle aged man demographic naturally.

Working Men’s Club, Oxford Brook on Weds. 2nd time in a few weeks. Same set, but Brook had much better sound than last venue. (Although we didn’t have such a good position.) Awesome performance though. Young singer’s gurning was something to behold 🤪
Was supposed to be Black Country, New Road next, but they’ve postponed for the second time 🙁

Broken Witt Rebels on 11th December at Bodega, Nottingham

Y-Not next summer after the last 2 years cancelled

Might get tickets for Bearded Theory Spring Gathering too…

Saw Nick Cave and Warren Ellis in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Absolutely fantastic gigs, intense but brilliant. And so good to be at live music and in a crowd again.

James warm-up gig in Wolverhampton Tuesday gone, Tez Illyas In Brum the day after, James in Brum last night, Charlatans in Brum tonight. Next week, Bernard Butler in Worthing on Thursday, Saturday, James in London. Final gig of the year, Thursday 16th December – Charlatans Rock City. Not a lot of variety this year – but have to say that James have been brilliant and Tez Illyas was very good indeed.

Ha ha another James fan, the only gig I went to this year was James…love his gigs, non festival gigs he does a couple of hours with, pre covid, loads of interaction.

Nick cave is the only 2020 gig that hasn’t been rescheduled or refunded. Now that would be fine if he wasn’t doing another tour with this warren Ellis album. Still got our money for Birmingham may 2020. A bit peeved about that to say the least.
We’ve bought tickets for end of the road next year. Pixies. Yeah!
Love a bit of James and the charlatans. Saw them so many times from uni days to recently. Not sure what my next gig is. Better get something booked…

First gig was in September, but it was so poorly promoted that other than the bands only about eight folks turned up.

Did my first crowded gigs last week as I was out as a photographer with my mates in upcoming band Skarlett Riot for their short tour. Started with a sell out show to start and another a few days later. Felt bloody odd initially but soon forgot about that… the music… that atmosphere… and the photos 😀

Now I’ve got post tour blues and I’m pretty much housebound with the (not covid) lurgy. Expected really.

I bought tickets for Tom Jones and the Stereophonics in Cardiff Principality stadium on the 18th of December but they have yet to appear on the phone app, just wondering if anyone else is going and had theirs tickets or do I need to start making enquiries?

Idlewild last night- they did a first album in full show as a warmup for tonight’s birthday show, which usually I don’t like but Captain was an absolute belter of a (mini) album, and I’ve missed the old “flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs” Idlewild massively since they went “happy REM”.

Felt a bit odd to go from masks and social distancing, to hugging random sweaty strangers mind. But chatting to randoms and discovering we were all at the same gigs at Cas Rock Cafe 25 years ago was kinda awesome too “Were you there that night Roddy stagedived and the bouncers didn’t realise he was in the band and threw him out?”

Aussie Pink Floyd last week, Pigs, Pigs, Pugs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs next week.

Looking forward to Peat And Diesel in Corby next weekend.

Saw Peat and Diesel supporting The Levellers last night, they were really good

I however have knackered my ankle trying to bounce up and down like a 18 year old!

Saw The Offspring at the Hydro last night, absolutely chuffing fantastic!! 😁

Yesterday I impulse purchases a ticket to see Electric Six at the Liquid Room on Thursday.

I’m still buzzing after Amyl and the Sniffers in Camden on Wednesday night. So much fun. In the mosh pit for the whole set. Brixton tickets for June already booked.

Saw Pete Tong & Orchestra at the Manchester Arena on Saturday (wife’s kind of music) but was genuinely blown away. Everyone up dancing and having a good time and even a cameo appearance from Rick Astley!
So good to see the place rocking again after recent history – still buzzing today

I was at the Happy Monday’s and James gig in Birmingham on Friday night, Happy Monday’s were a bit better than I was expecting, Bez and Roweta still have it even if Shaun has seen better days!

James were excellent as usual, great performance.

I’m looking forward to Patti Smith next year, Echo & The Bunnymen too. Have a few others in the pipeline but I’m not really planning that far ahead with the current situation.

I bought tickets for Tom Jones and the Stereophonics in Cardiff Principality stadium on the 18th of December

I know a load of people going to this, with a load more telling me that it’ll be brilliant, it’s Tom Jones and the ‘phonics*!! I’ve spent many of hours of my life standing in rugby stadia in the depths of winter – I know exactly how cold this will feel, or alternatively, how many layers of clothing I’d need to stay vaguely warm. Why on earth would they think it a good idea to put it on in December?

*The same people wouldn’t be able to give me the name of a Stereophonics album, or Tom Jones song other than the obvious three, I think. I’m obviously missing something here. 😀

I saw Tom Jones play with the Stereophonics years back, maybe at Reading festival? Not a fan of either and it was bloody freezing too, but somehow it instantly became a totally magical thing once they were mixed together.

I saw Tom Jones play with the Stereophonics years back….

Oh, yeah, don’t get me wrong, I saw Stereophonics years ago and they were excellent, and I can’t imagine that Tom Jones would be poor, but December, in a huge stadium? (Even with the roof on it’s cold..)

got two tickets for LIFE at bodega nottingham tomorrow but me and wife both burning up with bad colds.

free to anyone that fancies them, but theyve got my name on and the bumph says they cant be exchanged, so i dont know how easy thatd be, whether they check names etc….

It’s all been a bit ‘Cluny’ centric for me the last couple of weeks. Saw Holy Moly & the Crackers there on the 13th, then This is the Kit on the 18th and I’m back on Thurs to see Peat & Diesel. HM & the C were wild, T i t K were as good as I’ve seen them – hoping that Peat & Diesel are even better than when I saw them at Lindisfarne back in Sept. A pal saw them at Fat Sams in Dundee at the start of their tour and said they were pish… Hopefully as they’ve done plenty of dates between times they’ve had a bit of practice. The Cluny’s a good little venue, about a 300 capacity so I’m sure the crowd’ll be awesome.

We saw Damon Albarn playing his new album in a church with a string quartet a couple of weeks ago. Amazing atmosphere, he had his friends and family in the front row. Everyone got a copy of the new album, plus he went through some classic Blur tracks.

Broken Witt Rebels at Nottingham Bodega tonight. Can’t wait

Booked for 2 big shows this week, Biffy in a tent in Edinburgh and the one that’s making me scream like a teenage girl, My Chemical Romance in Glasgow. Now hear me out here… I know they’re supposed to be a kid’s band, but the first 3 albums are absolutely killer (and the 4th absolute bobbins). Saw these guys first at the Barras and it was all kids down the front and all dads in AC/DC tshirts up the back and by the end of about the 4th song half the dads were down the front showing the kids how to rock the **** out. Brilliant shows…

If they were British they’d have been out touring with the Wildhearts and Hundred Reasons…slow down Thank You For The Venom and it turns into a Therapy? song, you can totally imagine Andy Cairns shouting out I wouldn’t front this scene if you paid me.

So screeeeeeeeeeam! Gerard you’re so hot! Shit, I mean, Frank Iero is a really accomplished guitarist.

Saw Eagles of Death Metal in Leeds on Tuesday – were excellent – great fun.
The support (Bones UK) were very good too, had never heard of them previously.

Ticket arrived this week for St Paul & Broken Bones in February at the Brudenell but nothing till then 😕

Managed to get tickets yesterday for The Cure, in exactly a years time