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.
Another busy day of festive shows for my look back trip down memory lane for you down the years.
2010, Fish, the Peel, Kingston upon Thames
After the two Marillion gigs reviewed yesterday we had a chance to see the main man himself at a local boozer in Kingston. I am not sure his links to the area but he played there a few times down the years before it shut down. Clearly at home here he is seen serving behind the bar before manning his own merch table.
First things first, he’s a great story teller and has the crowd rapt in attention as he rattles off anecdotes. He covers tracks from across his catalogue armed with his songbook on stage to act as a lyric prompt as required.
Then there are the inevitable shouts for ‘Grendel’, that elusive Marillion song that was rarely performed live and these are given short shrift usually involving a lot of Anglo Saxon too.
A super night to see him again and hear some of those classic tracks stripped right down in this intimate setting.
2009, Florence and the Machine, Brixton Academy, London
This was the first headline tour for Florence I think in support of her debut album. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with her. I think the debut album is great but her voice can be a bit grating over a longer period with its permanently set to 10 on the volume knob. I also think the quality of her songs is a bit patchy and ironically the highlight for me is her version of Candi Statons ‘You got the love’.
I’m glad I have seen her but I probably won’t again and indeed swerved her Glasto set when she got bumped up to headliner a few years back.
2008, the Hold Steady, Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
This was the Stay Positive tour and was the second time we ventured down to the south coast to see The Hold Steady at this venue. Sadly for Graham who was driving, this gig won’t live long in the memory as he doesn’t see any of it. Just as we got into Southsea he hit a large pothole and punctured his tyre. Like a lot of modern sports car he didn’t have a spare wheel but some puncture repair gunk. This didn’t work at all as the tyre had essentially been shredded. This meant recovery services. As Graham called the AA John and I went in to see the band and waited for Grahams call. We managed to see most of the show but had to leave early once the AA had arrived and we were transported back home on the back of a low loader.
What we did see was of course excellent. I am trying to remember if Franz Nicolay had left the band at this point but the set did seem to be a lot more guitar heavy. A fine show and this band continue to deliver and were my last gig of this year in mid-March and I’m pleased to say with Nicolay back in the band.
1985, Magnum, Hammersmith Odeon, London
One of our favourites for Graham and I and we saw them a few times around this period. This was the second show of 85 seeing them touring in support of their metal masterpiece
‘On a Story Tellers Night’. I’ve got nothing more to add that I didn’t already say in the look back on the 21st May. A great British rock band.
That’s it for today’s trip down memory lane. Here’s hoping we can get to some form of normality soon but I have had several gigs slated for early 2021 already being moved to the back end 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.