I did see Julie Christmas with Cult of Luna performing Mariner in full in 2016. That was a bit special.
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Was looking at this recently with Wolf Alice playing arenaās now, saw them in 2013 for Ā£6 upstairs in a pub probably about 30 people there and most were for Jaws.
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wouldāve said Arcade Fireās second UK gig in the before times 
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- Arctic Monkeys at the Carling stage at Reading 2005
- The Killers at some small stage at Glastonbury (???) the same year. There was a powercut during Mr Brightside.
Feel they dont really count as both were on the cusp of getting huge and were in inadequate venues by the time the festivals rolled round
Like most of these kind of things (see also seeing John Martyn live), I would make a much bigger deal of it now than then as I didnāt appreciate at the time that these were artists Iād still adore twenty odd years later, and that there would develop this legendary mystique or be such a lack of other opportunities to see them again.
What I can remember is being at the back of a dark room with guys dressed in black hidden behind a load of equipment racks. I can remember enjoying it, but not much more than that unfortunately.
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Yeah, thatās the one. Funnily enough I was chatting with someone who I hadnāt seen in years about it at the weekend, as they went too. For better or worse, that tour was our generationās Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall!
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For all the hundreds of gigs Iāve been to, I donāt think many are bragworthy. 
Twilight Sad at Bannermanās in Edinburgh, maybe? They were so loud it was impossible to tell what song they were playing. The support, Popup, were good though.
I also saw Arab Strapās last gig. Then their next last gig. But then they reformed.
Saw Radiohead play on that tour of āsmallā (read: midsize) venues before HTTT came out.
Coldplay at Glastonbury 2000? They suggested theyād be headlining next time the played. We laughed and wandered off to the Pyramid Stage to watch Reef or somethingā¦
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I didnāt see this, but I did see the Killers at either HMV or Virgin on Oxford Street the day Hot Fuss was released. That was pretty decent tbf.
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No bragging rights that I can think of 
First ever Los Campesinos show in London. They were ok. They got a lot better.
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oh yeah, I guess seeing Four Tet around then is a brag in some company
saw the Mint Lounge @ Manchester leg of that co-headline; low stage meant I couldnāt see EitS bar the headstocks of their guitars rising and falling, and had to leave not long into Four Tetās set, tho, so the gig is just a footnote to me
v. incongruous pairing
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are you still friends with Sam?? 
Jeffrey Lewis @ Barfly, Camden, 2002 (not that heās become big now, but he pretty much performed with his original comic pictures to most/all songs back then)
Bright Eyes @ King Tutās, Glasgow, 2002
The National @ Barfly, Camden, 2005
13&God @ The Garage, 2011 (such an amazing show. play again, darnnit)
TuneYards @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, 2011
Calexico, Beirut, A Hawk and a Hacksaw @ Roundhouse, 2006 (Just for being a great line-up. Was due to see Beirut in the Luminaire (RIP) a week later, but he cancelled it on the day. Had a fun Hawk & A Hacksaw performance instead)
One that I regret not seeing is Postal Service at the Spitz (RIP) at the time of their album. I was a poor student, and I remember the pitiful Ā£10 or whatever price being too much for me to afford.
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Friendly, we werenāt super close and didnāt keep in touch after college apart from chatting when I showed up at his gigs around NY
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I saw AnaĆÆs Mitchell in I think 2011? at Nation of Shopkeepers in Leeds, which must be 50-100 people? Kind of crazy to now see posters for her hugely successful musical on the tube
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I saw her in a bigger venue that year (Fruitmarket in Glasgow) BUT it was a full band start to end Hadestown performance, complete with Ani DiFranco and Ben Knox Miller (sadly no Justin Vernon), with Martin Carthy doing the Hades part. Pretty amazing thing to have seen, given how huge the musical has gotten now
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Saw them in 02 also. Julianna Theory supported. Nottingham
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Kings Of Leon @ The Roadhouse Manchester
Arctic Monkeys @ Jabez Clegg Manchester
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Frank Black doing audience-request Pixies songs at the Social.
Bon Iver supporting Jens Lekman at the Scala.
St Vincent in the small room of the 229.
Black Country New Roadās first publicly announced gig.
Janelle Monae at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Janeās Addiction at Bush Hall
Ichiko Aoba in the basement of Babel Arts Cafe, Stoke Newington. (Now playing the Royal Albert Hall!)
Prince- Electric Ballroom
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Saw some of Laura Marlingās first ever performances. First time was at our school music competition when she was like 12 and then at Stripes bar a few years later in the old Brentford stadium which I think was her first proper gig. Fear of Flying aka White Lies were on the bill too.
LCD and !!! in the dance tent at Reading in the middle of the afternoon.
Biffy and Bloc Party at Reading Fez club.
Four Tet at 21 South Street in Reading. Pretty much everyone left after Explosions in the Sky leaving about 20 people standing still watching KH fiddle with his laptop.
M83 supporting Secret Machines at Oxford Zodiac. Hadnāt heard of them before and I donāt think Iāve been so blown away by an unknown support act since.
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