Hi raz thanks for heads up re banquet kingston launches. I go there a bit so will look out. Are the events still listed in the window, last visit I saw Bacchus was still trading, haven’t been for 25 years.

I think so, though I tend to follow them on Insta as the popular shows tend to sell very quickly.

Banquet events (some are sold out though)

Actually, I’ve just seen there are still a handful of Blossoms tickets too, so that’s now booked 🙂

Never been to Bacchus. Most of the gigs are in Przym on Thursdays (they used to be at the Works but that’s closed now). They also do some in the church (acoustic) and the smaller one at the Fighting Cocks (not been there, but the sort of bands mean that it would be minus the Mrs). Stormzy was at the Rose Theatre, but think that was a one off.

Blue Rose Code last night in the Fruitmarket in Glasgow. It was a xmas present for the wife who is a fan, we’ve saw him 3 times before but this was for the Celtic Connections events, quite enjoyed the format but definitely an older crowd.

Only a week to go until the mighty Sabaton at Wembley, with Apocalyptica suporting.

No usually one for big gigs but Sabaton’s brand of overblown silliess seems to call for the biggest venue they can get, you can’t get a tank on stage in a pub basement!

It’s my birthday weekend so I have a pile of mates coming and then crashing at mine, properly looking forward to it.

Sunday morning I shall be manufacturing a fry-up that shall go down in legend!

Ooh !
Just booked a ticket to see The Flaming Lips at Leeds University Stylus in July
Looks like 1 of only 5 UK dates so I’m well pleased as I usually only see details after they sell out

http://flaminglips.com/tour

Just booked IAMX at the Union Chapel in April. Have seen them loads of times but can’t wait to see them again. Mr Corner is a bit of a legend in my eyes (and ears). Have also never been to the Union Chapel before so that’ll be something to look forward to.

Interrupters at Kentish Town Forum on Saturday was superb.

At the end the lead singer walked along the front of the crowd handing out souvenirs and stopping for selfies. As she went to head straight past me I yelled ‘You **** rock!’, rather than looking terrified or repulsed, she grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye and thanked me.

Never washing that hand again, or telling MrsV how much I enjoyed it 😁

Pretty pleased with this shot I got too (yeah, yeah, **** with cameras at gigs…)

View this post on Instagram

Fantastic gig by @interrupstagram at @o2forumktown last night #livemusic #kentishtownforum #theinterrupters

A post shared by Ian France (@ecnarfi) on Feb 9, 2020 at 8:13am PST

You do realise there are a couple of big heads obscuring the left side of your great gig photo.

(yeah, yeah, **** with cameras at gigs…)
I’ll never let it lie!

Got tickets for Black Midi tonight. will have to go on my own if I go, not sure if I can be arsed. First gig of the year though, so maybe I should brave it.

I’ll never let it lie!

Nor should you!

I don’t have a problem with grabbing a quick snap (evidently!), but people videoing whole songs or taking enough photos to make a flick book can piss right off.

Interrupters at The Barras was immense, the wife even had her first crowd surf 😆

Oh dear. I braved Black Midi. What an unusual experience.. stood there in the throng of people all cheering and loving it and me thinking “what the **** is this crap?!” Certainly didn’t help that I already had a headache!
It’s like the worst of jazz and math rock and christ knows what all combined into a mess of guitar wankery with a squwaking joke of a saxophone over the top for good measure. Ooh, how many notes can we play in 30 seconds?!
Proper

This year’s gigs can only get better!

Blossoms tonight, was really good. The band +2 on the stage and even the guitar tech playing at times.

Small gig tonight in Reading:

Eat Daddy Eat – local guys and talented

Wolfs – two rock chicks with a good future, I reckon.

Just back from seeing Yacht at the marvellous Green Door Store in Brighton. Great little gig. All the way from California to play to about 50 people, thanks Yacht! Blood6 excellent.

Interestingly, chatted to a few people who saw Black Midi in Brighton, the night after I saw them. Said they were shit. So not just me 😊

taking enough photos to make a flick book can piss right off.

Well, I took 95 photos at the Smoke Fairies gig at Rough Trade Bristol the other evening, and I doubt very much anyone else even noticed.
They were outstanding, their songwriting has really matured, and as a band they’ve become much more focused.

Saw last date of Angel Olsen tour (sold out Barrowlands).

I’m getting old. Apart from the fact the last time I was there is was for REM on the Green tour in, oh, ’89?, standing for that length of time having walked into town…

Her chat didn’t translate well to the back fringe of the crowd I suspect she’s more used to more intimate settings and , god, all the chat, on the phone and constant taking photos & videos…

Angel was good though, the new album translates well into the grittier live environment.

Somebody decided to hand up a bottle of buckfast to the stage and it went round the band a couple of times! Fair play!

and , god, all the chat, on the phone and constant taking photos & videos…

I think it’s a reason I more often find myself choosing louder gigs where people can’t talk over the music. That said, people were trying to hold a conversation over Meshuggah last year…

Just got me some Ulver tickets for May.

I took 95 photos at the Smoke Fairies gig

Nice collection for the **** bank there.
(I mean why the **** else?)

Off to see the Rumjacks at York…

I know but i like em

Wow!! just back from the murder capital at nottingham. nearly didnt go, wasnt expecting tooooo much and the weather was crap, plus i didnt have anyone to go with.
pushed myself out of the door, drove for an hour and so pleased i did. i can honestly say it was one of the best gigs ive seen. truly captivating, so many layers of sound, chaotic then gentle, brilliant vocals and guitars/drums, james a real front man, enthralled the crowd and was in it some of the time 😀
topped off with a frantic finale and one of the best leaps into a crowd ive seen!

If you can get to see them, then go. like i said, wow!

Nice! I’m seeing them tonight, haven’t heard from my globetrotting mate who’s supposed to be coming with me, so may be a loner. Sometimes hard to motivate, but you’ve helped there sadex 🙂

ah lovely, im jealous, youll have to report back.

i was straight on the internet when i got home to look for their other gigs this tour, but sheffields the only viable option on saturday and we’ve got a family outing booked, itd piss them off if i dropped out grrrrr. i casually mentioned it this morning and errrr it wasnt well received 😀

Well, so, The Murder Capital done. Must say the clientele was a good site older than my normal gigs,, some were even older than me! Flat caps and beards everywhere. Maybe thats just Portsmouth though, it’s become a weird place for gigs. Everyone seems to be at their first ever gig (despite their age)!
Support, Blue Egyptian (or something) were really derivative, early 80s indie, very boring, but the crowd enjoyed them. Big build up to the Murder Capital, (again, this ol geezer seen it all before) and yeah, bloke’s a great front man, proper charisma. They started ok, but then slowed it down and I got rather bored, especially a song where he breathes loudly into the mic, music was dull and I nearly left. Glad I didn’t though as followed that up with Green & Blue (only song I’d heard previously) and a few other noisy epicky things which were really good and by the end I was enjoying them a lot. They’re nothing very original, a lot of Joy Division in there, but glad I went (and stayed) in the end. Would see again.
Demdike Stare on Friday. Will be rather different 🙂

Support, Blue Egyptian (or something) were really derivative, early 80s indie, very boring, but the crowd enjoyed them.

yep, same experience, bloke next to me said he thought they were excellent, i was bored stiff watching them.

but then slowed it down and I got rather bored, especially a song where he breathes loudly into the mic,

see, i thought those slow songs were stunning, as mary anne hobbs might say, real aural landscapes 😀

and a few other noisy epicky things which were really good and by the end I was enjoying them a lot. They’re nothing very original, a lot of Joy Division in there, but glad I went (and stayed) in the end. Would see again.

yeah i hear joy division in there too, also a fair bit of mogwai?

sounds like i enjoyed them more than you tho dez 😀 were you on yer tod or did your mate go in the end?

On my own… and stood to the side of the stage, which didn’t help.
It was the one where the bassist plays the melody with lots of chords I didn’t like, it was just dull. I did like the bassist though, also he reminded me of Dale from Amazing Snakeheads.

Also Portsmouth right, the security are like chained guard dogs – as soon as someone crowd surfs, or attempts to stage dive, they go absolutely mental! It does kill the atmosphere a bit. I think they would’ve thrown one fella out (and probably given him a kicking) if the band’s security bloke hadn’t stepped in and calmed them down.

So let me try to regain some left-field credibility, after the Billie Eyelish thread, with tonight’s gig which is a fairly big expensive one: t’Opera North doing Marriage of Figaro. Which I call Magic Flute to wind up my wife, though my magic flute is probably wind-up enough on its own. Expecting big tunes or my (wife’s) money back.

Concert rather than gig though eh 😉

A friend used to dep on fiddle for opera north and he called ’em gigs. And I call gigs concerts, gigs also being spectacles:

https://www.tatler.com/article/posh-words-2017

(posh and yorks also)

He has a gig. You go to his concert.

i was straight on the internet when i got home to look for their other gigs this tour, but sheffields the only viable option on saturday and we’ve got a family outing booked, itd piss them off if i dropped out grrrrr. i casually mentioned it this morning and errrr it wasnt well received

aaaaaand whats family anyway? 😀 carpe diem. i wouldnt do this for any old band but i think these are going to be a lot bigger soon and id only regret not going later on (see the ‘which band do you wish youd seen’ thread) sooooo……. got meself a ticket 😀

Cool, nice to see a sad, ex-punk getting enthused about a new band 😀

Sepultura in Southampton in june for me and a mate, too loud for mrs ti_pin
Shawn james at the 100 club in march.
Cant wait for these, contrasting style but still rawkin.

Cool, nice to see a sad, ex-punk getting enthused about a new band

doesnt happen often. Since punk (in fact probably even including punk), you could count on one hand the number of bands that’ve actually bowled me over when ive seen them. always when ive seen them for the first time and in most cases havent actually known what they looked like, just heard the odd song on the radio.
Six by Seven, ….And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, the Music, Idles, and now Murder Capital.

soooo…..murder capital again last night in sheffield. i thought they were stunning again, a bit slower than i remembered from last week but the sounds of those guitars and tribal drumming throughout sends shivers down my spine….

wasnt the same experience this time as i knew what to expect, you only get that wow feeling once i expect, but i really enjoyed it again. my mate was like you dez, a bit bored throughout the slower songs but i love those just as much as the more ‘upbeat’ ones, i think theyre beautiful and haunting.

on a frustrating note, i have tickets for trail of dead at nottingham next week and just noticed im on a course for work down south grrrr….

Saw Demdike Stare in London, one of those weird gigs, mostly full of pretentious Londoners, but also folk who are really into the weirder stuff. Big **** off to the jazz from Andy Votel at the start, hideous. Then a strange cellist, very atmospheric. Then Demdike, quiet start building to a cacophony of noise, was great. Few takeaways- people who talk all the way through gigs are either too ignorant or too coked up to comprehend how **** annoying they are.. I know this cos I asked one and he didn’t get my point. And why do people have to take photos? even when its a Dj leaning over a laptop or 2 blokes sat at their electronic gear.. must get a photo! Beyond me! Enjoy the music you utter dweebs.

Whitesnake/Foreigner/Europe triple in June. 20th Wedding anniversary washed down with a few beers or two.

Good times.

OMG! Excited! My absolute fave band/act are playing Brighton in April. I’m all a quiver.
Will report back Friday if I get tickets!! 😀

Just booked Mogwai for… wait, 2021?

OMG! Excited! My absolute fave band/act are playing Brighton in April. I’m all a quiver.
Will report back Friday if I get tickets!!

who am dat?

Secret, til I have tickets secured!

Got a few lined up

Big Thief this Sunday in Manchester
Lovely Eggs in Manchester in April
Black Midi in Manchester in June
Green Man Festival again (11th time) in August
Stereolab at Manchester Psych Fest in September (if I don’t get to do Torino to Nice, nice consolation)