Agreed. I stopped going to the Academy after seeing The National there yeeeears ago. They’d upped the capacity (making it impossible to move anywhere) and the sound was as shitty and bass-y as it’s always been.

Quite like the ABC though. Good sightlines from everywhere, easy access to the bar, never had trouble with the sound, plus the bonus of a giant fucking mirrorball!

Yeah the only venues I’m not a fan of are the academy and broadcast when its full, I’ve always liked the ABC.

Yeah I agree with this, no qualms with ABC (I’ve put on a couple of events there too and everyone always seems pretty happy).

You shut it ya pie

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Therapy? @ the brudenell. Wood and wire acoustic tour. Great craic. Played a shit load of stuff. Everyone was well into it and Andy Cairns seemed as always a really good bloke. Loads of good chat/stories.

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Agreed - ABC is a decent enough venue. Can’t really think of many Glasgow venues that I dislike apart from Sleazies (when it’s packed and you can’t see shit) and Academy which I actively try to avoid. Went to SWG3 to see Shellac recently for the first time and it’s a great venue!

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Yeah I love sleazys but if you’re caught at the back it’s hard to see as is broadcast.
Swg3 is great, loads of great spaces

The secret of the Academy is to get Balcony Booth Standing tickets. It’s those bits up at the side of the balcony, they don’t sell many of them so there’s always lots of space, and you’re overlooking the stage at the side so you feel nice and close.

The Breeders @ ABC

Aye, loved it. Start was really ropey, they sounded slack and the sound was awful, took about 4 or 5 songs for things to sort themselves out and after that it was just great. Shared a good story about Brit Walford going a bit mad in Edinburgh when they recorded Pod. Looked like they were having fun.

I was at that EMA gig too. A very good gig. I’ve seen her at that Cargo gig you mentioned as well as The Scala and The Garage. Surprised that it wasn’t more full as she must have picked up fans since her last album and the new one is great too.

She tends not to tour too often it seems and tours new albums. Hopefully, she’ll break that cycle and play The UK again soon. I was hoping for a Rough Trade East gig of hers as that would have been excellent with an always receptive and less/no “chattery” audience.

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Iguana Death Cult at the Monarch. Really good.

lanterns on the lake with chamber ensemble at st George’s in Bristol
lovely stuff, didn’t make the most of the orchestral guys in my opinion, but great setting & the current line up of the band clearly enjoy themselves onstage

couple of unusual things with person behind us feinting & a couple getting engaged on stage (could have done without either of those things happening tbh)

Saw Public Service Broadcasting the other night. Very slick show nowadays, but I can’t warm to the tracks off the new album, so was probably my least enjoyable time of seeing them.

Was Friday night, BUT:

Traams and Nervous Conditions at MOTH club

Nervous Conditions were great - never seen/heard of them before but they were brill - will be investigating further - love the bossy front man thing. Sax player looked like he might pass out by the end.

Traams were again, as ever, bloody great and how they haven’t got bigger I just dunno

I know what you mean. Really enjoyed their first album but it’s been a case of diminishing returns ever since.

Manchester Orchestra @ The Garage

Man, they’re just so, so good. Every other band should just give up.

Great set, best I’ve seen them. Obviously that new album is one of their best so didn’t mind that it was heavy on new material.

They played I Can Feel A Hot One as the encore. Was led to believe they’d said they’d never do it live. So I cried a bit.

10/10

Metallica @ the O2. surprisingly enjoyable. bit heavy on the new stuff, but when One, Puppets, Nothing Else Matters etc kicked in it was all worth it.

I saw them last night. Really enjoyed it, and James Dean Bradfield guested with them, which is always a bonus.

Motorpsycho at Islington Academy. Jammed out space/stoner rock with 60s/70s hard rock elements thrown in. Gig of the year!

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Godspeed at Brighton Dome. Quiet bits, droney bits, loud bits, new stuff and old stuff (East Hastings!). Surprisingly low number of the constant chattering type folk you often get at gigs in Brighton. Magical. Would go again.