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The Big Gig Thread 2018

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    Me too. I'm v excited. This will save me a fortune now I don't have to go to Hawaii to see them.

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      Watched St. Vincent play an intimate gig at Cadogan Hall earlier in the week. Backed only by her 'best friend' playing piano. I've seen her 3 times over last year and each show has been different. At Brixton Academy last year, she was playing solo, very art-rock staged production and I recall people moaning about it due to the lack of band, and the backing track. Think The Times or some broadsheet said it was the worst gig of the year, fucking morons. Saw her support Nick Cave at Victoria Park earlier in the year (with full band) and this week it just lovely hearing her voice with piano backing. Odd not to see her play guitar, because she is fucking amazing. Anyhow, the two of them on stage were great, laughing at each other, fucking up the songs and forgetting words (I think they may have been drinking...). Yeah, so St. Vincent is still ace.

      Got Spiritualized in a couple of weeks, though I've seen him(them) enough times really, so I may consider flogging my ticket. Bought NO ticket this morning, which is nice.

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        Originally posted by EIM View Post
        Me too. I'm v excited. This will save me a fortune now I don't have to go to Hawaii to see them.
        When the end approaches, I'm fully expecting not going to Hawaii to see them to be the lasting regret of my life.

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          I still might...

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            Go for it. Do it for all of us but most of all for yourself.

            You could stay there and open a Grey Horse beach bar, like the mythical Celtic fans who never came back from Lisbon.

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              Not to suggest that this is a "big gig", but I'm promoting a show by epic45 at the OU's campus in Milton Keynes. The band are doing a few dates to promote a new album, Through Broken Summer - details and tickets via their website, here.

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                ^ Will have a look at their website. Ah, they play Dalston on 1 November.

                As mentioned on the Mundane Thread, I saw The Cavemen again last night, I really do think them one of the best bands on the live circuit at the moment.

                They’re doing mostly small London dates at the moment, which is how I’m getting to see them every five minutes, but they also did a festival in Denmark a few weeks ago.
                Last edited by MsD; 08-09-2018, 08:16.

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                  Friday 7 Sept

                  Gig: Honeyblood, The Horrors, Garbage

                  Venue: Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol (actually in the Concourse area under the massive new stand)

                  Crowd: mainly older folks who remember Garbage from the 90s, and hipster beardies

                  Merch: decent selection of t-shirts. I bought one. Also selling socks (at that price, possibly orthopaedic ones)

                  Drinks: lots of bars. I had a diet Coke.

                  Food: buddy had pulled pork in a bun.

                  Staff: friendly, efficient and lots of them!

                  Verdict
                  Honeyblood - female band from Glasgow. Liked them but they were very 90s in sound. I feel sorry for support bands as the stage isn't set up for them. Decent set though.

                  The Horrors - hahahaha. Clearly the front man has looked at every front man of the past 30 years and used it as a mix and match style buffet. Mrs Thistle said "He looks like a stereotype." Musically it was much the same. One song sounded really like INXS, one song sounded like a Smiths piss-take. I can't decide if the band are really deadly super-serious or are mocking the trope. I think it might be the former.

                  Garbage - Hmmm.

                  So I'm a fan, right. But halfway through I got bored and checked my phone and they were only 15 minutes into the set. Yes it was dragging.

                  Shirley was done up like a ginger version of Pris from Blade Runner. And they included lines from the film between songs, which was all a bit art school and juvenile.

                  This gig was part of the 'Version 2.0' 20 year celebratory tour which meant they played that album and all their b sides from that era. Shirley said at the end that it was self-indulgent and it felt it. Unlike when they did the 20 year tour of 'Garbage' they didn't play any of their other songs in the encore, choosing to bow out with a cover of Starman. That felt indulgent too. Just play 'Only Happy When it Rains' FFS.

                  'Push It' and 'When I Grow Up' were really good, both at the end of the set. They played 'Special' early on and mashed it up with 'Personal Jesus', which was a bit odd and unexpected. They also played their Bond theme which came out around that time too. I hadn't expected that so it was cool to hear it live.

                  About four songs into the set two tall twats pushed forward and ended up blocking my view. I don't know why venues don't put in height restriction areas or maybe we just need to find a way to educate tall people not to be dickheads. Gig etiquette overall was pretty good - older crowd and all that - but moving forward while the band is on is tut-worthy.

                  Or maybe I just don't enjoy gigs as much as I used to. Mrs Thistle says her gig going days aren't over but I think mine are heading that way. I just don't have the patience.

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                    Einstürzende Neubauten, Munich 8 Sep

                    Like seriously, fuck. Even though I medicated myself a little in advance, I think I saw a band at the top of their game in a venue that sounded absolutely fantastic. This band is occasionally ridiculous, but Christ, what a wonderful racket they make. One of the best performances I have ever heard.

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                      They're the dudes that tried to pull the Hacienda down with a pneumatic drill, aren't they?

                      Fairly quiet month on the gig front, not like October though. Avalanche Party, Canshaker PI, Twisterella Festival in Middlesbrough, Blinders, Gaz Coombes, Idles, and a whole host of quality 'local' gigs as well.

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                        I took a pass on Steve Earle last night, so Mrs WOM went with a friend. Tonight, Sturgill Simpson at the Willie Nelson Outlaw Festival. We're really only going for Sturgill.

                        Weather looking dodgy...

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                          Originally posted by Benjm View Post
                          Slightly disappointing set from Billy Childish at Koko last night. When the band were actually playing they were great but the gaps between songs were too protracted and it was hard to hear what he was saying. That kind of looseness definitely works better in a small venue where the interaction feels more personal. I started off downstairs but the best sound and view turned out to be had on the top balcony. Second on the bill, Johnny Moped were terrible. Some people really love them but I just don't get it at all.
                          Bit mean of me, but I'm glad it was a bit shit, I had terrible FOMO as so many mates were going. :-( I've seen JM many times since 1977 and am not that keen either.

                          Billy Childish I kind of love. But can wait till he plays the Lexington again (he called me "darlin" last time he was there, you know). I played his and Holly's album at home and it was just as good as being at Koko.

                          :-(

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                            Originally posted by Patrick Thistle View Post
                            Garbage - Hmmm.

                            So I'm a fan, right. But halfway through I got bored and checked my phone and they were only 15 minutes into the set. Yes it was dragging.

                            Shirley was done up like a ginger version of Pris from Blade Runner. And they included lines from the film between songs, which was all a bit art school and juvenile.

                            This gig was part of the 'Version 2.0' 20 year celebratory tour which meant they played that album and all their b sides from that era. Shirley said at the end that it was self-indulgent and it felt it. Unlike when they did the 20 year tour of 'Garbage' they didn't play any of their other songs in the encore, choosing to bow out with a cover of Starman. That felt indulgent too. Just play 'Only Happy When it Rains' FFS.

                            'Push It' and 'When I Grow Up' were really good, both at the end of the set. They played 'Special' early on and mashed it up with 'Personal Jesus', which was a bit odd and unexpected. They also played their Bond theme which came out around that time too. I hadn't expected that so it was cool to hear it live.

                            About four songs into the set two tall twats pushed forward and ended up blocking my view. I don't know why venues don't put in height restriction areas or maybe we just need to find a way to educate tall people not to be dickheads. Gig etiquette overall was pretty good - older crowd and all that - but moving forward while the band is on is tut-worthy.

                            Or maybe I just don't enjoy gigs as much as I used to. Mrs Thistle says her gig going days aren't over but I think mine are heading that way. I just don't have the patience.
                            I went to the Newcastle gig last night, out of curiosity and nostalgia rather than fandom, and enjoyed it for what it was. I'd read your review first so knew what to expect overall i.e. they were going to drop in other hits at random. At my count, they pulled the segue trick four times:
                            Wicked Ways into Personal Jesus
                            Special into Talk of the Town by the Pretenders
                            13x Forever into Tired of Waiting by the Kinks
                            You Look So Fine into Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

                            Added to them playing three other covers in full and you can look at it two ways - either they want to be seen to be nodding to their influences or lack confidence that their own material from that era can carry a full show. I'm not knocking them either way, as I think I've said upthread (or elsewhere) I went to see Weezer earlier in the summer and they did some similar padding of their set with covers and snippets.

                            As expected this week's venue was much better than last week - but I would say that anyway cos it was my university back in the day - with clearer sight lines and a much better stocked and staffed bar.

                            However to add to the thread's growing list of Gig Annoyances, the crowd did that thing that is increasingly commonplace, particularly (I've noticed) among older crowds, of massing at the back. This gets a bit tricky when the venue's only entrance is at the back (and in a corner at that) so it is difficult to tell that there is actually loads of space further forward, and you have to push through dozens of people to find some space.

                            I stood in two spots during the gig and both times got stuck next to small groups of (middle aged male) talkers, having banal conversations (e.g. about who was driving next Wednesday, probably to another gig that they were planning on talking all the way through) at top volume while the band were playing. I mentioned this to my carshare colleague, who is a regular gig-goer too, and he said that the day before he was buying tickets to see a fairly lo-fi band on an intimate venues tour, and faced with the choice of Manchester or Newcastle, chose to drive twice as far to the former, because of his lack of confidence in attendees at the latter to shut the fuck up for any period of time.

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                              Been to a fair number of gigs this year. I don't have too many left between now and Christmas. Highlights have probably been

                              Mandolin Orange, Molly Tuttle, Kathryn Williams and Colter Wall during Celtic Connections.
                              Caroline Spence
                              Damien Jurado
                              Rachel Baiman and Molly Tuttle dual headliner thing
                              Carter Sampson
                              Belly
                              I'm With Her (3x this year)
                              Courtney Marie Andrews full band show.

                              Still have Nathan Bell, Joan Shelley, Dawn Landes, Ian Felice, The Decemberists and 2x Courtney Marie Andrews solo shows before my end of year hockey trip to Germany.

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                                Went to Grandmaster Flash at the Sage, Gateshead last week. Great fun and some heartfelt tributes delivered/played but he was hamming it up at times.

                                Visiting acts often don’t know where they are so shout ‘having fun, Gateshead?’ etc (which TOTP presenters, who ought to have known better, did too when they broadcast from outside years ago, or maybe it was contractual)
                                which I normally find amusing but a drunk behind me, who also let drop some vile farts, screamed ‘Newcastle!’ plus increasingly long strings of expletives literally every time Flash did it, right in my ear, which was every other tune...

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                                  I’m sure the Johnny Moped nostalgia is entirely derived from people who couldn’t see punk bands where they lived memorising every line of his drunken intro on “Live at the Roxy” (we did, in RAF Germany) and imagining a punk John Otway live experience

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                                    Been to more small gigs this year than any other year of my life. Seen some crap but can thoroughly recommend:

                                    Yowl (loud lairy wordy white boy guitar music five piece from South London) seen em three times.
                                    When Young (Irish female bass/voc fronted three piece where Blondie meets siouxsie) seen em twice. Sexism in action there?
                                    Neon Waltz ( John o Groats based six piece from where Arthur Lee meets The Psychedelic Furs).
                                    The Night Cafe (Scouse five piece, La’s, Coral, Zutons etc with guaranteed top ten hit Addicted To You)
                                    Rolling Blackouts (Aussie five piece with three singers, The GoBetweens meet Television) seen em twice.
                                    Declan Welsh and The Decadent West. (Glasgow four piece, Lloyd Cole, Costello, Smiths etc, very very wordy).
                                    Last edited by White No Sugar; 10-10-2018, 19:59.

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                                      Got a few lined up this Autumn;

                                      We Are Scientists, The Globe, Cardiff
                                      Hinds, Tramshed, Cardiff
                                      Courtney Barnett, The Great Hall, Cardiff
                                      Kurt Vile, (now) Bristol SU, Bristol

                                      Looking forward to all of them but only going to Kurt Vile with somebody which is a shame but I have been unable to entice anyone to the others.

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                                        Another vicarious thrill for me. My two girls are down at the O2 tonight to see BTS. Tickets were astronomical, but they really wanted to go and are inside with their bluetooth lightsticks while Mrs. VT waits in a nearby bar with a glass of red. This Korean boyband phenomenon is fucking nuts.

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                                          Originally posted by Vicarious Thrillseeker View Post
                                          Another vicarious thrill for me. My two girls are down at the O2 tonight to see BTS. Tickets were astronomical, but they really wanted to go and are inside with their bluetooth lightsticks while Mrs. VT waits in a nearby bar with a glass of red. This Korean boyband phenomenon is fucking nuts.
                                          And I'm watching it live on a twitter feed. Bonkers.

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                                            Fucked Up tomorrow night. Milk Carton Kids on Sunday night. Passenger...(ugh)...on Tuesday night.

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                                              U2 tonight. John Carpenter on Sunday. The latter of which has me excited like a teenage girl off to see a boy band.

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                                                At the risk of my login suddenly not working and PMs mysteriously lost ... U2, snakey?

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                                                  Psychedelic Furs are coming here next week. Tickets are available but I’m not sure if I should go.

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                                                    Only concert I ever missed due to illness; P Furs with, I think, Black Grape.

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