With the country still in the midst of lockdown and no sign of any live music in the foreseeable future if at all this year I thought I would take the opportunity to look back in the archives, sounds posh I know but it’s just an spreadsheet, and revisit gigs I attended on this day down the years. I will keep this going until I can attend my first gig again in person so hopefully this also brings back memories for my gig going chums who have joined me on this great musical journey down the years.
Three today and a couple of gems for my trip down memory lane for you down the years and it’s a quickie.
2010, Kasabian, Brixton Academy, London
Me and my son and heir tonight for this ‘small’ show for Kasabian who were massive at the time. This was a warm up for their headline show at V Festival and to promote their third album. The set draws heavily from that but there is plenty of room for the ‘hits’ from the first two albums like ‘Club Foot’, ‘Shoot the Runner’ and ‘Processed Beats’. It’s a classic rock n roll show. Yes they are a little pretentious but what rock band isn’t but they certainly get the crowd going with the mosh pit extending the whole way to the back of the floor at the Academy.
Of course it’s interesting now looking back at this gig reviewing work of artists in the prism of recent events with what has happened with front man Tom Meighan. This of course applies to a number of musicians, entertainers, etc. whose past has caught up with them. Do you discount their creative output completely in light of their indiscretions (and that is not meant to trivialise or belittle what they may have done) or can you compartmentalise their professional and personal lives and still enjoy the music, the films, the comedy, etc. It’s a tricky one. For example, do I think Ryan Adams has produced some of the best music in the past twenty years, yes I do but I obviously can’t support some of his alleged behaviour during that time? I guess we are looking for admission, contrition and the legal system to do its job if things have got to that stage.
2017, Fruit Bats, Oslo Club, London
I reviewed this gig at the time on the blog here. Nothing much to add but I love the Fruit Bats and hopefully it won’t be so long until they grace these shores again.
2019, Big Thief, Bush Hall, London
I reviewed this gig at the time on the blog here. Again little to add and while the stop start nature of the gig did detract I am sure that their next gigs will be a lot slicker with the new songs bedded in.
That’s it for today’s trip down memory lane. Here’s hoping we can get to some form of normality soon. Support your small local venues and smaller artists in these difficult times, stay safe and keep on rockin y’all.