| Author | Message | ||
     peter ward Member Username: Peter_ward Post Number: 13 Registered: 06-2005 |
I was spoilt for choice this year and had to get very choosey over who to go see as ticket prices in Ireland are silly money. Saw some great sets from; M.Ward in Crawdaddy..an intimate show in a small venue, guitar,piano,harmonica and treble heavy mic..a brilliant player , Roxy Music in Vicar St..fantastic to see 11 on stage create such an amazing sound in such a small venue, the oldest songs still sounded the best, Midlake in The Village..the singer exclaimed "If only I could write another song like that" having just played the set highlight "Roscoe" refreshingly modest. They were blown away by the reception they got. Came So Far For Beauty - The Point. This Leonard Cohen Tribute show lasted almost four hours and though it had some tedious moments the good far outweighed the bad, highlights were Cave's Avelanche, Anthony's If it be Your Will and Lou Reeds Stranger Song. Whelan's is my favourite venue and hosted great shows from Okkervil River and My Latest Novel but my live highlight of the year was definitely Drive-by Truckers in the same venue, like a young trio of Westerberg, Earle and Richards on the stage they blew my head off, I couldn't hear right for a week, they were life affirmingly good, dirty sweaty rock'n'roll par excellence! | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 391 Registered: 04-2006 |
motorpsycho, live in berlin 1st of may. nearly three hours of mindblowing, overwhelming, brilliant music. | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 362 Registered: 07-2005 |
Sorry to disappoint alot of you but seeing Bruce Springsteen with the Seeger Session band back in May ( just after Grants death)was a great and uplifting event.It proved that music has great redemtive and therapeutic properties. For me the aftermath of New Orleans has had an affect on music the seeger sessions have alot of horns and quite jazzy at times and also thr Costello/Toussaint thing is all about NO | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 351 Registered: 01-2005 |
Despite seeing The Church for the first time, I would say seeing Robyn Hitchcock @ The Venus 3 in November was this years highlight. An unexpected great show by The Zombies was nice. In retrospect though it makes me ticked off that I never got to see Love before Aurther Lee passed. | ||
| Jonathan Evans Member Username: Jon Post Number: 74 Registered: 04-2005 |
Oh so many, let me think... The Killers (London Electic Ballroom), this was recorded for channel 4 in the UK, and was a 'secret gig' so seeing them in such a small venue was brilliant. The Flaming Lips (Manchester Apollo), its an event a flaming lips concert, and the Go! Team supported them - Always amazing. Sufjan Stevens (Manchester Academy 2), again an event, with Sufjan in 6ft Condor wings, and inflatable supermen & Santas!!! Jesse Malin (Manchester Night & Day), a semi-acoustic event playing some new stuff a few classic covers and a lot off the 1st/2nd albums. Sigur Ros (Manchester Apollo), brilliant sound, amazing visuals - suberb! I'm just going to pick the Belle & Sebastian tour as well (I went to 4 of this tour some I'm not listing venues). Plugging an album that's the real deal, and a back catalogue to die for! I'll leave it there....but I might have another go later on!! Cheers Jon | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1281 Registered: 05-2005 |
Drive By Truckers. The Arches, Glasgow. | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 84 Registered: 10-2006 |
Paul Weller open-air in June, two days of rain ended one hour before his show and the sun came out again. It was the first time I saw him and we got the full dose of The Jam/Style Council/Solo stuff. | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 86 Registered: 05-2005 |
My live highlights of 2007: Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 - The Basement, Sydney in October. Hitchcock quirky, charming - and a bit nuts, kinda like an English Jonathon Richmond. The band were great, particularly Peter Buck who was playing better than anytime since I first saw him with REM back in 1984 in London. Highlights were the title track off Ole Taratula and a wonderful encore version of Eight Miles High with Buck going mental on his 12 string Rickenbacker. Midlake - The Gaelic Club, Sydney in early December. An intriguing band in concert. A bit like their music - out of place and out of time. The 'Amish Fleetwood Mac' description I heard somewhere certainly rang true. Half the band looking like younger versions of Garth Hudson. Came on a bit earnest to start with but relaxed into it, helped no doubt by the enthusiastic reception from the audience who seemed to know every word. As with the album, the highlights were 'Roscoe' and 'Head Home' The Beat - The Gaelic Club, Sydney, October. Current line-up only features a couple of original members of the band including Ranking Roger and drummer Everett Morton - so went along with fairly low expectations, anticipating more of a Beat tribute band than anything else. But I was blown away. It was a joyous event. The band played all those great Beat songs with energy and commitment - and a sense of fun. The crowd lapped it up - one big moon-stomping dance party. Highlights: Mirror in the Bathroom, Ranking Full Stop, and Stand Down Margaret (changed to Stand Down Tony for the last few verses). Apparently Dave Wakeling currently has an alternative version of the band touring under the moniker 'The English Beat'. But I can't imagine they could be as good live as this Ranking Roger outfit. Last but not least - The Datsuns at The Gaelic Club, Sydney in November. Been one of my favorite live bands since I first saw them in a pub gig here back in '02- and they didn't disappoint. These guys put on the tightest, most dynamic shows you could imagine. Lots of cliched rock stuff including guitars held aloft, twin lead guitar solos, jumping from amp stacks, crowd surfing vocalist etc - but all done with a sense of commitment and fun that somehow avoids Spinal Tap parody. Do yourself a favour and check these guys out if you ever get a chance. | ||
| Matt Ellis Member Username: Matt_ellis Post Number: 134 Registered: 11-2004 |
Thanks for your post Jonathan - you make me feel more normal! (I may also have a second go at this) Definately the best out of many gigging highlights for me this year: Seeing The Church for the first time at The Borderline, London. About 2 weeks after Grants Death. Hearing them play Providence and segueing from their encore into a few verses and choruses of Bye Bye Pride; It brought a tear to the eye. Also, meeting Steve Kilbey and Marty Willson-Piper afterwards - lovely guys. The Frank & Walters (strangely also at The Borderline, London) Only their second recent gig in London after a six year absence. I managed to blag a prime position in a seat right in front of the stage. Managed to utter a few words to Paul Linehan and got a photo. The Young Knives at Scala, London - I was silly/enthusiastic/drunk enough to join a mini stage invasion during the encore. There was zero security! Watching the crowd from the stage was such a surreal experience. The band ended up falling into the stage invaders and created a crumpled delighted heap of fans! Monade at The Luminaire, London. - Laetitia Sadiers (singer from Stereolab) side project. Speaking to Laetitia at the end of the gig and talking about a Stereolab album from about 10 years ago. Then somehow her asking me about my own band! very charming. | ||
| julia motzko Member Username: Julia Post Number: 28 Registered: 05-2005 |
Going back in my calendar, I realize that I haven't been to many live shows at all in 2006. Becoming more selective, I guess, not running to every new hype band. so there's been The Wrens as by far the greatest live band ever. They were mindblowing! (And I got to meet Jonathan Turner, unknowingly at least! ;) then art brut, erlangen. eddie argos is a great frontman. and his lyrics are so uniquely funny and quite something else. the next highlight was calexico and iron&wine together. and at the end of the year, Ira, Georgia and James of Yo La Tengo showed the audience how good their new album is, and what a sound a band can create as a three-piece. and of course they are the best cover band I've ever seen.  and last but first in all other aspects, the music god himself, MORRISSEY! I was really surprised, I hadn't thought that he'd be overly good live (too distanced and haughty perhaps as to reach the crowd), but he really took his fans with him on an emotional joyride, through "William, it was really nothing" to "How soon is now". | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1143 Registered: 05-2005 |
Firstly, Mark, totally agree with you re: The Beat. They are absolutely fantastic live. Ranking Roger is a major hero of mine! It is one of the least sad reunion's I have witnessed in ages. I caught Rankin rollerblading in Cannon Hill park Birmingham and he did a "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaahhh! for my daughters whilst in their pushchair! Lovely man. Gig wise. I must admit, hardly went to any but... The Wolfhounds - ICA London Oct 06. They were a great band in 86-89, really powerful and captivating. Blue Aeroplanes - Janice Long Radio 2 session Birmingham Mar 06. I went along to play percussion and photograph them, it was real highlight for me, I have known Gerard the singer for nearly 20 years having toured with them on the Sagger tour, his poetry is fascinating. Read Swagger lyrics for proof. Barry Adamson - London Oct 06. His ability on the bass with magazine and Bad Seeds was always awesome so I had to check him out. He was really good. Malcolm Ross was on guitar. Lounge jazz with lots of fuc*ed up bits. I can't really dercribe what he makes you feel like after watching him. Quite unique. | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 87 Registered: 05-2005 |
Cheers Spence. Couldn't believe what good shape Ranking Roger was in. All that skanking obviously good for the body and soul. The band also featured his son ('Junior Ranking' of course)on vocals. Watching dad and son singing and dancing in sync to 'Hands off She's Mine' with huge grins on their faces was kind of a transcendent moment for me... | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 150 Registered: 01-2006 |
Jeff Tweedy solo acoustic in Vicar St, Dublin. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1087 Registered: 05-2005 |
The last ever Go-Betweens show. January, in Sydney. Happy new year everyone, from not-so-sunny Dublin. I'll be in Neary's tonight at 8.30, wearing a Waratahs shirt by the way! | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 54 Registered: 10-2006 |
My dear Padraig - I'm gonna get half weepy having seen your post above. (I was finally able to get my DVD player fixed last night, and see 'The Acoustic Stories' from That Striped Sunlight Sound and I got that way watching Grant talk about the future....) | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1123 Registered: 04-2005 |
I just hope I have a live highlight in '07 to report. I didn't see many shows in '06 and none of them stood out as great--that after a superb '05 topped by the Go-Betweens and Gang of Four in the period of a few weeks. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 890 Registered: 03-2005 |
I wish I could remember who I saw in 2006. I know I saw Sweet & Hoffs. They were ok but nothing to write home about. I saw Neko Case, unhappily wedged into the opening slot for a show with Ryan Adams (a firm thumbs down) and Willie Nelson (obviously a thumbs up). I saw Belle & Sebastian and they were ok but Stuart Murdoch had clearly drifted over into Boy George territory. Maybe Royalchord was in 2006, but if so it was early in the year. I was the only person in the tiny crowd of about 15 people who actually went there to see them and I bought a copy of everything they had. Maybe that was the winner for the year. But there was nothing so glamorous as travelling to Paris (2003) or London (2004) to see the Go Betweens or travelling a mile and a half down the boulevard from my house (a vanishingly small distance in Los Angeles) to see the Go Betweens (2005) in a tiny but historic venue (Troubadour--where the Byrds got their start). Maybe in 2007 I can see somebody in Oz. Ed Kuepper maybe? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1089 Registered: 05-2005 |
Come to Australia Randy! I'll go to a gig with you in Sydney. I'm sure we can get a possee together. I'm still in Dublin right now, finally almost over a v bad cold (what some people call a flu, but it isn't really) that has fairly floored me for days now. The amount of alcohol I put away on Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday morning didn't help of course. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 256 Registered: 08-2006 |
I guess my highlight would have to be the Pitchfork Music Festival here in Chicago, two sun-baked days of indie music overload. Hard to pick highlights: Spoon, Mission of Burma, Yo La Tengo, Os Mutantes, the Mountain Goats, Jens Lekman, too much beer, riding my bike home after said beer. It's also fun to watch thousands of youngsters in their natural habitat. One kid - maybe 19 years old - was walking around with a piece of paper pinned to his shirt that read "Please give us some pot." Ah, youth. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 257 Registered: 08-2006 |
By the way, Kurt, I had an indentical GBs/GoF experience in '05, with the addition of a remarkable show by Sleater-Kinney just days before. I think that might be the best two weeks of live music I've ever seen. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 369 Registered: 01-2005 |
Rob, Count me in as well with GBs/GoF experience in '05. I didn't see Sleater-Kinney though. After seeing the G-B's though in Chicago in June of 2005, the next month or so wasn't nearly as good. The Pernice Brothers were a big disapointment live, and Teenagre Fanclub got hung up at the Canadian border and cancelled their show. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1124 Registered: 04-2005 |
Rob and Michael, that GBs/GoF period was something else, wasn't it? I did see Sleater-Kinney in Vancouver three or four months earlier that year, but it was kind of a disappointing show. That may be because I was sick that night and sat in the back, not well enough to deal with crowds (after having bought tickets way in advance and making the three-plus hour drive to Vancouver and getting a hotel for the night). Also, it was before "The Woods" came out, but they played almost nothing but the new material, and I was puzzled by the long jams. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 893 Registered: 03-2005 |
That sounds great Padraig (going to Oz, not getting the flu). I think I remember Hardin and some others making noises about going there as well. Maybe it really is time for a pilgrimage. Anyway I want to get there before I get sacked or something and can't afford the travel any longer. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 192 Registered: 04-2005 |
Randy > But there was nothing so glamorous as travelling to Paris (2003) or London (2004) to see the Go Betweens I hope that it wasn't you that I told to shut up at the Paris gig (Café de la Danse?) RF had just dedicated 'Too Much of One Thing' to June Carter (who had died the day before) and there were 2 guys next to me that kept talking. I eventually snapped, told him (in very bad) French to go outside if he wanted to keep talking. A brief argument followed and then he actually did quieten down. After the gig my partner (French) laughed as she asked me 'Did you not realise that he was an native English speaker too?'. I still can't argue in French. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 894 Registered: 03-2005 |
I don't think so Andrew! That's a very funny story. I would imagine that French is one of the best languages to argue in but I am sadly monolingual. Yes, I was at Cafe de la Danse. Nice space. That's where I was turned onto Tim Keegan whose set was really charming. I was seated in a sub-ideal spot near the front to the audience's right (near the aisleway into the room). I admit that I don't remember Robert dedicating something to June Carter Cash but there's no way I was talking. I was rapt. I bought three sets of tickets to that show. The first set was to be sent to a friend's place in Amsterdam but there was no one to sign for them so they were returned to the ticket agents and then disappeared. The second set was to be sent to another friend's favorite hotel in Paris but the concierge to whom he directed them was off for the weekend and nobody in the hotel could find them. Frantic at the possibility that my raison d'etre for coming to Paris at that time was evaporating before my eyes I made a beeline to a local ticket agent (I think it was a FNAC outlet) and was overjoyed to find that my beloved obscure band still had tickets available even after some American rufus had bought and lost four. Of course Paris gave me many reasons to be there even after the GoBees' show. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 71 Registered: 05-2005 |
The article over the concert at the Café de la Danse is here (in french...) : http://www.lesinrocks.com/DetailArticle. cfm?iditem=161001 | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 371 Registered: 01-2005 |
Seeing the G-B's in Paris, wow! How cool is that! Anybody ever see that jazz movie "'Round Midnight" that came out in the late 80's? It stared Dexter Gordon playing a character mostly based on the late, great jazz pianist Bud Powell, with a little bit of Lester Young tossed in. They filmed most of the music portions at the right bank Paris jazz club, The Blue Note, where Bud actually played back in the late 50's early 60's. I would have loved to be living in Paris back then with the cool jazz clubs and the French new wave movies playing. Sadly, the Blue Note in Paris is no longer a going concern. At lease the film was made though, to capure it forever. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1158 Registered: 05-2005 |
Randy tim keegan, when you saw him did he have a guitarist/multiinstrumentalist and a a mandolin player? I saw him with these guys present in london in october 06. he was great. the multi guy though was awesome, someone who had a real beaten up jaguar and played like, verlaine, ross, young et al, a REAL gutarist, played with passion. he stuck out for me. the mandolinist looked liked he's been stoned for 50 years! | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 195 Registered: 04-2005 |
Michael, "Round Midnight" is one of my favourite films; the scene where the young French fan (that has tried to rescue the Dexter Gordon character) watches his b + w home movies (with his daughter at his side) will always reduce me to tears. There are a lot of excellent Tavernier films and I like the way he always seems to sneak in some reference to his home city of Lyon: in that film the fan takes Dexter to meet his parents in Lyon. Had the honour at a local cinema of seeing Tavernier in person a couple of years ago: a great speaker and a fine man I think. Re: Tim Keegan - I enjoyed his set too, but don't think that he had other musicians with him. Could be wrong though! | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 196 Registered: 04-2005 |
And my musical highlight of 2006 was the jazz group 'Third World Love' playing in a village hall, here in rural SW France. 3 of the group are New York based, with the pianist resident in the Dordogne. Get your tickets Michael for a Paris gig on the 7th of February at the Sunset club. I'll be hopefully spoilt as they are playing 2 nights in different venues, both of which are only 20 mins from us. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 896 Registered: 03-2005 |
Andrew, Keegan had two musicians with him. He had stand-up bass which I thought was really cool and I believe a drummer with a small kit (maybe playing with brushes but that might just be my memory filling in blanks). I was so impressed with his choice of combo and I hadn't heard Departure Lounge yet. Spence, the show you saw sounds great. I don't know how folks like Keegan survive but I'm glad they do. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 375 Registered: 01-2005 |
I saw Tim "Captain" Keegan and Departure Lounge open up for Robyn Hitchcock as well as them being his band in November of 1999. I almost got tossed during Tim and DL's set, as we tried to hush up two women who were talking loudly and wouldn't shut up despite repeated attempts from our table. Finally Eddie from my table told them to "Shut the F**K Up", and the bouncer thought I was the one making all the nosie and he tried to toss me! Numerous folk around me came to my defense, but it was close! Anyway they put on a great show, but it was in very hushed tones, which is why those yackers stood out. Tim signed my UK copy of Out Of Here, which was the last one left at the merch booth. The title of the album bearing much significance to my situation earlier in the evening! Austin McLean who posts here can testify to my story, as he was a couple of tables away and witnessed the whole thing! | ||
| Austin McLean Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 34 Registered: 09-2004 |
Yes Michael is right about what went on! It was quite a night! I thought we might have to go down to the Police station to bail Michael out! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 897 Registered: 03-2005 |
In L.A., it's typical for the audience to arrive late so that they miss the opening act. I've always thought that rude and narrow-minded but it sounds better than what you had to deal with. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1381 Registered: 03-2006 |
I guess it's all in your points of comparison...after getting used to New Orleans and Baton Rouge audiences where it's common to drink to excess, brawl, fart and vomit through concerts (and that was just for the folk acts!), I've found the audiences at things I've attended in L.A. and OC quite respectful and courteous... | ||
| Wolfgang Steinhardt Member Username: Berbatov Post Number: 45 Registered: 09-2006 |
Before this thread is going to be banned into the archived posts section I should mention the wonderful Monks reunion concert in Zürich, october 2006 with 3 original members in the line-up and still kickin' after 40 years. And they showed a new docfilm about the band called "The Transatlantic Feedback" after the gig which I hope will soon be available on dvd and is just a must have for everyone who is into 60s garage and krrrrcchhhh... | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 414 Registered: 04-2006 |
wolfgang, that event was in berlin, too. mark e.smith was there, but it was within the week in the 'volksbühne' and the gigs there starting around 23:00h so i decided not to go. that's too late for old people like me :-) |