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The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

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    The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

    A veritable flurry of gigs in the last week, for different reasons.

    First up was chauffeuring/chaperoning Thing One to The Pretty Reckless - he plays them in the car occasionally but I don't know many songs, and the fact that he first saw them supporting Fall Out Boy lead me to think it would be all beanie hats and why's everybody gotta hate me, but there was more to it than that and they did rock somewhat, even though there was clearly more Pretty than there was Reckless.

    Two nights later and it was Thing Two's turn to be escorted, this time to Lady Gaga. It was all very showy and the two hours rattled by quickly enough despite the various costume changes and speeches between songs. Like probably most of the audience we knew little of the new album and sensed that like us most people were waiting for the hits. We agreed that Katy Perry was clearly better.

    After that I was flying (well, driving) solo to my own choices which brings me to:

    pishtico pishtico wrote: Also just booked to see JAMC playing Psychocandy although i am beginning to regret it after seeing them playing recently on you tube.
    Which I saw at Barrowland(s), a suitably retro venue for a 30th (or er 29th) anniversary event like this - Bible John would find that little had changed inside since his day, except perhaps the bar prices and even then they were displayed on one of those little boards you tend not to see anymore - it all seems to be laminated A4 or smiley faces on chalkboards these days ...

    I digress, it was a joy, and paradoxically the Psychocandy element was note/squeal perfect while the songs from their later, (comparatively) slicker albums were less rehearsed and somewhat shakier. The crowd took a while to get into it, Upside Down in the first section being the spark. Alan McGee was stood nearby and (in between taking photos to put on Twitter, and checking his Facebook or texts) was nodding and tapping away like the fan he clearly is.

    Finally, and the highlight of the week, Sharon van Etten on Tuesday, great range from the ethereal (Our Love) to unbridled noise (Serpents). Much facial hair and headgear in the audience, including one wacky soul wearing a newspaper folded into a mitre. Much muttering in the audience when it looked like she'd left 'breakthrough hit' Every Time the Sun Comes Up to last, but then didn't play it. I didn't mind, I wouldn't have swapped Serpents for it.

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      The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

      Briefly...

      Heaven 17 & Blancmange a couple of weeks back. Blancmange were excellent, even if their set was truncated from when they headline. Heaven 17 are still good, but are becoming a bit 'wedding disco'. And *6* cover versions??? Come on! :-/

      Next up is Wrangler on Saturday. I saw them a few weeks back also, but I'm still enjoying them enough to go again.

      Mid-December there's Metamono. They're superb live, so I'm happy to have got a ticket to see them in a tiny venue.

      Near the end of December, there's Soft Riot - a friend's band, so that's a social as much as anything.

      Mid-January, there's Mesh, who have another pair of friends' band, Vile Electrodes, in support. They're actually superb live, so that's less of a social and more me just loving their music. Not so sure about Mesh, though.

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        The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

        evilC wrote: Briefly...

        Heaven 17 & Blancmange a couple of weeks back. Blancmange were excellent, even if their set was truncated from when they headline.
        Did they do Waves?

        Did you cry when they did Waves?

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          The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

          Kryvbas Gripper Rih wrote:
          Originally posted by evilC
          Briefly...

          Heaven 17 & Blancmange a couple of weeks back. Blancmange were excellent, even if their set was truncated from when they headline.
          Did they do Waves?

          Did you cry when they did Waves?
          Heh! They did do 'Waves', yes, but no - I didn't cry! :-) They announced before playing it that they don't usually do so, anymore - not sure why that is. I know someone who probably cried when he heard that they played it and he wasn't there, though! :-)

          Heaven 17 played 'Sunset Now' for the very first time during their performance. However - as I mentioned - they also played about 6 cover versions: 4 old Human League songs (I suppose Martyn ware *does* have shared rights) but also 'Boys Keep Swinging' and an acapella version of 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' (which I think The Human League / The Future also covered). But the thing is, I went to see Heaven 17, not The Human League, Bowie or The Righteous Brothers. So I'd much rather they stuck to their core songs, rather than kept trying to 'please the crowd'.

          Also, Glenn Gregory seemed to have packed his entire sock collection down his jeans! It was horrifying! Everyone was commenting on it and laughing - both during the gig and in the shared photos on Facebook, afterwards. Honestly - if you'd had children there, you'd have covered their eyes and escorted them out of the building! I've never seen anything like it!

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            The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

            Nizlopi at the Globe in Cardiff, 16 Nov. They were OK. Bit rusty. Decent turn out considering they were never huge and it was a Sunday night.

            Darius Rucker at the Wulfrun Hall on 19 Nov. Excellent show with a few Hootie & the Blowfish tunes in the setlist. I surprised myself by knowing all the words to them. Also lots of cowboy hats and boots worn by the people who seem a bit more into country than I am and may well have been disappointed at how rocky the show was.

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              The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

              We got the Fall on excellent form last night at the Garage. I didn't cry once, not even when someone dripped beer down my back.

              I can't tell you what they played, I only have a handful of their records.

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                The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                Given that it's The Fall, they only played stuff from their last album and their next one. You weren't going to hear Living Too Late, no-how.

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                  The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                  You mean he's stopped doing Bingo Master's Breakout?

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                    The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                    Saw Gaz Coombes (ex-Supergrass singer) the other week, he's got a solo record out next year. A tiny crowd and the show was a bit 'meh'. He only played for an hour and no encore - thought he'd have thrown in one Supergrass song at least. Didn't think much to the songs.

                    More excitingly my tickets to see Manics in 2 weeks have been dispatched today.

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                      The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                      I'm finishing the year with a bang with one of the Manics' Holy Bible shows at the Roundhouse next week, twenty years and two months since seeing them touring it in Wolverhampton. Tempus bleedin' fugit.

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                        The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                        Vicarious Thrillseeker wrote: I'm off to see Papa Wemba at the Freebox, Kinshasa tonight. It's my last work trip to the Congo and I'm almost insanely excited about this, as he's never been playing during my previous visits.
                        I missed this post when it was made - I would love to hear what this was like.

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                          The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                          And I've really enjoyed re-reading this thread. As it's that time of year when we all get List, here are my top 10 live music experiences of 2014:

                          10. Mark Lanegan Band @ U Street Music Hall, DC
                          9. Throwing Muses/Tanya Donnelly @ 9.30 Club, DC
                          8. Bob Mould @ Women's Club of Minneapolis
                          7. The Magic Flute @ The Kennedy Center, DC
                          6. Musee Mecanique @ Black Cat, DC
                          5. Ane Brun @ Jammin' Java, Vienna, Va.
                          4. Damien Jurado @ DC9
                          3. Mary Gauthier @ Jammin' Java, Vienna, Va.
                          2. Tinariwen @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, DC
                          1. Cate le Bon @ DC9

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                            The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                            The Manics Holy Bible show was great last night. James was struggling a bit with his voice but it was still wonderful. A cracking gig to finish the year with.

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                              The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                              I've been reviewing the schedule of what gigs are coming to my area and which bands are on tour and it occurs to me that I may never see a live gig again for the rest of my life.

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                                The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                                Never say never, Reed - I've gone through phases where my enduring interests have waned, but they usually come back in time. Ageing has also brought a more relaxed attitude to dipping in and out of things as well, rather than feeling obliged to try and keep up with everything new that is going on.

                                Anyhow, top shows of 2014:

                                1. Manic Street Preachers, Roundhouse.

                                In with a bullet at number 1. Heroic performance from James Dean Bradfield, even by his own high standards.

                                2. Sleaford Mods, 12 Bar Club
                                3. Gruff Rhys, Soho Theatre
                                4. Evil Blizzard, The Lexington
                                5. The Damned, The Forum

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                                  The Big Gig Thread: 2014 edition

                                  Last gig of the year for me last night, Chameleonsvox (i.e. Mark Burgess without the rest of the original Chameleons line up, but with a new backing band), playing 'Strange Times' in full (he did toured 'Script of the Bridge' in full earlier this year, and What Does Anything Mean Basically in full on Friday).

                                  Not the most festive of albums to be performing at this time of year but lots of smiling fortysomething faces throughout - ever the Bowie obsessive he attempted his own Ziggy Stardust moment by announcing his next tour would be his last, then quickly backtracked by saying he'd still do one-off shows occasionally.

                                  Niche stuff, but in my top three of the year along with Lanterns on the Lake in Durham Cathedral, and Arcade Fire in a basketball arena.

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