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 couple of real gems for my trip down memory lane for you down the years and it’s a quickie as all have been reviewed before.
2001, Stone Temple Pilots, Brixton Academy, London
Wow nearly twenty years ago. I remember had gone probably to HMV in oxford Street to meet the band and get the Cd signed at lunchtime before we joined a massive queue at Brixton Academy that went round the block a couple of times.
They are over here to promote the not bad ‘Shangri-La Dee Da’ album. It doesn’t dominate the set though with most of the show taken from the classics ‘Core’ and ‘Purple’.
Suffice to say you never know what you are going to get from Scott Weiland and how refreshed and unpredictable he might be. Well if he was worse for wear it didn’t show tonight and I thought it was a great rock and roll show with room for a cover of obscure Zeppelin track ‘Dancing Days’. Sadly his ‘lifestyle’ caught up with him and died in 2012 of an accidental drug overdose. A big loss in the rock world.
2007, Loomer, Windmill, Brixton, London
Rack this great band up there with other short lived bands who deserved to go on to bigger and better things like Buttercup, Patty Hurst Shifter to name a couple. From Canada they had a very short career, released two albums and I would be amazed if they came over here more than once. It’s a first tonight for a new venue in Brixton, The Windmill. Off the beaten track in a residential street, it’s a small place with a long bar and tiny stage to the left. Perfect. Case Hardin was one of the support acts tonight and he was really good although I don’t think I have seen him live again since.
If you don’t know Loomer check out their two fine Americana albums. Given the cosiness of the venue it’s quite low key but when they need to rock they do as they rattle through most of new album ‘Songs of the wild west island’. A fine night’s music in a quirky little venue that actually sold real beer too.
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.