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.
A busy day back down the years including a poignant night with Gary Clark for today’s trip down memory lane for you down the years.
2018, Teenage Fanclub, Electric Ballroom, London
Its night two of the Fanclub three night stand and it’s the one for me with Grand Prix and Songs from a Northern Britain played in full. It was close to perfection but maybe just needed the crowd to be a bit more energetic which isn’t the right word but I thought the atmosphere a little flat, apart from our group. That grumble aside it was faultless and I reviewed it here at the time.
2016, Billy Bragg, Joe Henry, G Live, Guildford
A lovely night of originals and old classics with these two legends. All reviewed here at the time.
2015, Gary Clark Jr., Electric Ballroom, London
With the fifth anniversary of the terrible Bataclan terror incident yesterday, we came out to see Gary Clark the night after that attack. It’s a poignant moment and initially a sombre night that gives us all gig goers some time to reflect and obviously think that this could have been me. We go to gigs to escape to a degree what the world is doing outside of the venue and let loose for those two hours. Those fans were doing just that in April five years ago, minding their own business out to be entertained but sadly ninety of them didn’t come home.
The night is even more poignant as Clark was scheduled to play that very venue the night after this show. But life does go on and what we are treated to is a modern day blues masterclass that I reviewed here at the time. It’s a six star review if I could give it and maybe the emotion of the night influences that but Clark is superb both vocally and on guitar and is so much better than his recorded output. It’s live where he thrives. He has now become a must see whenever he tours.
2011, Cake, the Roundhouse, London
It’s definitely a greatest hits set from these American power popsters as there are tracks evenly spread across their albums. I’m surprised that they are playing such a large venue as apart from their hit ‘Short Skirt, Long jacket’ I don’t think that they have had much commercial success over these shores. Clearly though they have a hard core following for their blend of intelligent, witty catchy tunes.
It’s a good show with plenty of singalong moments that continue long after the shows ends on the way home. All we have are those memories as I don’t think that they have toured here since.
2010, Drive by Truckers w Danny & the Champ, Shepherds Bush Empire, London
We have seen DBT many times through the early days, the Isbell years and I think this was the last time we saw Shona Tucker in the band who left the following year.
First up is Danny George Wilson who again we have seen in his many guises and as always delivers a faultless set with his fellow champions.
This was the ‘Big to Do’ tour. DBT have been fairly consistent in terms of quality through their career but I must be honest I don’t go back to this one very often. The set though does include a large chunk of arguably their finest hour ‘Southern Rock Opera’. Despite the quality of the songs the gig itself was a little flat, the sound was muddy and Shona clearly had a heavy cold and her vocals were shot. It was also loud, very loud which I don’t mind but it was uncomfortably so and in way may have been over compensating the flatness of the show. A three out of five for me I think.
That’s it for today’s trip down memory lane. Here’s hoping we can get to some form of normality soon but with the new lockdown my last chance of a gig disappeared this month and I have now had my first gig of 2021 cancelled so that will take it to a full twelve months at least between gigs.
Support your small local venues and smaller artists in these difficult times, stay safe and keep on rockin y’all.