Gigs and concerts

[Carbomb]

Not a gig, but my house is right next to Finsbury Park, and I just got to enjoy overhearing The Stereophonics' sound check.

[LaGoosh]

Saw Japanese Breakfast at Brixton Academy last night. The venue now don't let you bring any bags in with you (this might be an old rule, I haven't been there for years but when booking the ticket I wasn't made aware of this) and don't offer a bag check-in service either which was annoying. Though luckily a dodgy nail bar next to the venue have now started doing a bag service where they charge £10 a bag. For fuck's sake. So my options were a) go home with the bag, b) throw my bag in the bin and go to the gig or c) get fleeced.

I am £10 lighter.

The gig was excellent though.

[Tamura]

She Drew The Gun in Huddersfield tonight.

[I Bent My Wookie]

After more uncertainty than a weather forecast on a bank holiday my mates all organised my travel, drinks and food and ticket for Trees next week so I had no choice but to go along.

If any forumers are there try to say hi. I'll probably be mega burnt in a suit (non santa) crying to anyone that'll listen about unpeople.

[Monkee]

13 hours ago, Carbomb said:

Not a gig, but my house is right next to Finsbury Park, and I just got to enjoy overhearing The Stereophonics' sound check.

I was at the gig and it was fantastic - they’re always such a great live band. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen them since 1997 and they never disappoint. I don’t have much of a voice from singing along. I really enjoyed Blossoms too. Saw them do a short acoustic set years ago but this is the first time I’ve properly seen them and thought they did a top job.

I’ll be back on Sunday for Slayer too.

[Carbomb]

Need to listen to more Blossoms - I really like Charlemagne. 

[I Bent My Wookie]

1 hour ago, Carbomb said:

Need to listen to more Blossoms - I really like Charlemagne. 

Genuinely fantastic live.

Didn't have much hope for them a few years ago but really blew me away.

[squatswithducks]

Saw Billy Ocean on Saturday night, and boy has he still got a set of lungs on him! He's not really on my musical radar, but I soon realised I knew more of his stuff than I realised, and even the songs I wasn't really familiar with sounded good, and tight with the band. 

[Merzbow]

Sly & The Family Drone hit me up for a last minute gig this Sunday, didn't have time to book supports so I'm obviously playing it myself ? 

It's always great just to see them live, so many drummers when it's difficult to get just one.

Edited July 7, 2025 by Merzbow

[gmoney]

14 minutes ago, squatswithducks said:

Saw Billy Ocean on Saturday night, and boy has he still got a set of lungs on him! He's not really on my musical radar, but I soon realised I knew more of his stuff than I realised, and even the songs I wasn't really familiar with sounded good, and tight with the band. 

He really puts on a great show. 

[BomberPat]

I went to see Kiki & Herb on Thursday. They're a New York cabaret act - a drag queen and a pianist, playing the parts of aging lounge singers, telling stories about their past (which always involve namedropping long dead celebrities, and contradicting earlier stories as to where they were at any given time or how old they are), and then singing big lounge act and torch song arrangements of rock and alternative songs. They're fucking brilliant, I got into them off the back of their live album back in the mid-00s, and never thought I'd see them live - this was their first London show in 17 years, and they barely play at all any more.

They were brilliant. Their were some songs and bits I knew and expected from what I'd heard of them before - their amazing versions of Sex Bomb, Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Total Eclipse Of The Heart - but some of the best of it was the surprises and new additions; they did a phenomenal version of Pulp's "This Is Hardcore", a really gorgeous and genuinely heartfelt take on "Under The Milky Way" by The Church, and a spirited but ultimately shambolic attempt at doing "Whitey On The Moon", while Herb did a solo performance starting with the opening lines of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" before segueing "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie.

My words cannot do them justice, they are incredible and should be better known than they are.
 

Last week I was in Coventry for a couple of days, and fit in an Eliza Carthy gig; one of my all-time favourite artists. She was great as usual, but the real takeaway was the support act, Jennifer Reid. I already love her latest album, but live she was incredible - entirely unaccompanied folk songs in Lancashire dialect, from a woman who looks like she's stepped straight out of a '90s hardcore band, complete with Crass tattoo on her hand. I'm a little bit in love.

 

And then this Friday I'm seeing fucking GUITAR WOLF.

[Accident Prone]

I'm off to 2000 Trees today. It was originally meant to be a day trip for the Friday (Taking Back Sunday and Coheed & Cambria on the same day, how could I resist!). Then I thought about wanting to have a drink there, and with hotels a mile away but no guarantee of a taxi afterwards, I planned to camp for the night and then head home Saturday morning. Then I thought, "Well if I'm camping the night I might as well stick around for the Saturday line-up and drive home afterwards..." and then that blew up into me rearranging work to finish at 2pm today and then go for the Thursday night as well. So yeah, a big leap from the original plan of a single day trip as I'll now be camping out for the three days.

I'm going up by myself, I joined a solo camp group and they're a great bunch but the chances of me having a space reserved when I arrive this afternoon are slim as the festival is chocka, so it'll likely be a proper solo camping experience. Still looking forward to it, I'll be rocking a gawdy yellow shirt today covered in cheetahs so come say high if you see me around. Friday+Saturday are going to be scorchers so it'll be the baseball shirt+vest combo as I attempt to burn as much skin as possible whilst crying in the fetal position to 00's emo tunes.

[Merzbow]

I really liked the look of the lineup this year, try to catch Uncertainty if you can. Good people who've played a bunch for the local queer punk scene and they go hard.

[SuperBacon]

I demand an @Accident Prone and @I Bent My Wookie meet up and photo!

Have a great time lads. Jealous you'll get to see Mclusky and Million Dead, bands I both saw support others at the Garage over 20 years ago! Blimey.

[mim731]

Just now, SuperBacon said:

I demand an @Accident Prone and @I Bent My Wookie meet up and photo!

Have a great time lads. Jealous you'll get to see Mclusky and Million Dead, bands I both saw support others at the Garage over 20 years ago! Blimey.

Yeah I second this, photo definitely needed!

I also saw McClusky and Million Dead at various points around that time, excited to see MD in Brighton later this year, will be a nice full circle moment. 

Trees is a cracking festival, great line-up this year too, very envious. I know there's hype around them for a variety of other reasons, but Kneecap are genuinely a lot of fun live, so much energy. Unpeople, Sprints and Battlesnake are all bands I've seen live in the last couple of years who feel like they'll be a on a far bigger stage within the next year, so definitely worth seeing them at a smaller festival while you can! Enjoy lads!