When I first started this little exercise we were a month into lockdown on the 24th April. Like most of you I expected this to last a month or two. The reality now is clear and sadly it will be a full twelve months and probably a lot more between my last gig and the next one. We go again and hopefully this brings back memories for my gig going chums who have joined me on this great musical journey down the years.
Busy day today for my look back down memory lane.
2013, Marsha Ambrosius, Islington Assembly Hall, London
Brit born but massive over in the US she’s back for a home land show. Not exactly prolific Marsha produces some of the finest female R&B. It does have the feel of a friends and family show which we seem to have gate-crashed. It was also the first time I had ever seen someone taking pictures with an iPad. WTAF. It’s bad enough with those gig goers who insist on videoing whole songs but an iPad!. (Before my mates mention it yes I do take some snaps for the blog but I try to be discreet and have the camera in the air for the absolute minimum amount of time.)
A good show and a lovely Sunday night soul train.
2010, Mamas Gun, Jazz Café, London
London based Mamas Gun specialise in sunny poppy soul music. They seem to operate under the radar and don’t seem to have moved up the pyramid and are still playing the small to mid-sized venues. I’m not complaining as it’s still nice to see them at these rooms.
It’s a fun night with plenty of good songs for us to boogie to and boogie we did.
2009, Fleet Foxes, Roundhouse, London
Oooo it’s the Fleet Foxes or should I say, Ooooooooo, Ahhhhhh, Eeeeeee. Dreadfully dull look at me aren’t I brilliant gig. Yes of course the harmonies are great but my view is that there are not enough good songs and it all get a bit samey. I saw them twice that year to make sure and that I was not having a bad night but both times were the same, impressive, beautiful and also just a bit boring. The positive for me though they did play all of the Sun Giant Ep which I love.
I will say that the album from last year is good and a lot more consistent but I won’t be venturing to see them live again I would imagine. Still I’m getting desperate now for live music so who knows.
2003, Mark Olson and the Creek dippers, The Borderline
Sadly, this one will go down in my all-time bottom five gigs. I am a massive Jayhawks fan from that first album, that first show supporting Dwight Yoakham, right up to their last very good album in 2020.
Accompanied by some fine musicians and his then wife Victoria Williams sharing vocals the show starts badly and goes downhill from there. Williams has a curious voice somewhere between a strangled cat strung out on helium and fingers down a blackboard. She just over powers the whole night and it’s through some inner strength that we manage to last the whole night. I have tried to block any more detail out so I will leave it there.
That’s it for today so don’t forget, support your small local venues and smaller artists in these difficult times, stay safe and keep on rockin y’all.