I haven’t been here before. Only for the Komedia for Dean Wareham many years ago (maybe over decade) and the Concorde 2 for Belly a few years back.
This place is great. Reminds me of a mini Royal Albert Hall with seating upstairs and at the back and sides with a decent sized standing area.
The only negative that worked in my favour was their rubbish pilsner. Usually I would have had another drink during the gig but finished it and just hung around the venue area and didn’t get another or something else in case that was shit too.
I saw him barely a year ago and he’s back again already at the end of the month. I’ve seen him twice so not sure if I can be bothered to go again, but he is great fun.
I think of the D4 occasionally, usually when browsing through second hand CDs and having a moment of excitement when you see Flying Nun Records on the spine and then the disappointing realisation that it’s a D4 album.
Off to see him for the first time this coming Saturday in Glasgow. Dont know his stuff or his shtick and trying to avoid hearing/seeing anything before the gig. Read an article recently somewhere saying what an unadulterated joy the show is so consider my interest piqued.
the corpse of JUNE OF 44 washed ashore my town which was great. But if you’re a promoter, don’t schedule 3 supporting bands, and don’t put the headliner on at 11 fucking p.m. on a weeknight as some of us have jobs.
Band played well, I had to leg it to get the last bus home which was well after 12:15 but I assume they noodled on for a wee while after that
yes I am. Whammy is a different story, it used to be something to do with the noise license. It wasn’t uncommon for gigs to start around midnight (I missed High on Fire because I had work the next day and left the gig at 1am). It’s better there now though.
Caught Suede at St David’s Hall in Cardiff last night too and despite only really the big singles, I had an absolute blast! The sheer amount of energy that Brett was giving alone was simply jaw dropping - he just didn’t stop for the entire set. Whether he was singing directly into people faces or roaming about the crowd, he and the band were just giving it everything. Both the band and the crowd were clearly loving every minute! The encore of Beautiful Ones was just the icing on the cake too and a great end to a terrific gig.
Also thankfully no sound issues for Desperate Journalist last night, they were very tight and completely owned that big stage. Shame that most people stayed in their seats for their set though.
Let’s be honest, the main reason I was there was CMAT. 7-song set and she didn’t play some of her stone cold classics but it was technically a support set, so fair enough. We got 2 new songs which I was bloody delighted about - on first listen they didn’t sound like immediate smash hits like the likes of Mayday or I Don’t Really Care For You, but they still sounded great and I reckon they’ll be growers. I think she’s in the middle of recording her next album so this bodes well.
I love Wet Leg and I’m not ashamed. With Rhian being a trained opera singer, I’m loving that Obvious is a regular in their set as it showcases her amazing voice and is just something a bit different. Ended up in the pit for Chaise Longue (of course there was a pit). Might be the warmest gig I’ve ever been to. From seeing them at a 100-capacity pub in Oct 2021 to the RAH last night is an absolutely mad jump and I’m absolutely here for it.
This was my first time at the RAH as well. Yeah, what a place.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Alexandra Palace, London
Month of gigs continues! Been excited for this one for a while; caught them at Green Man back in 2018 when I only knew like two records of theirs, and now I’ve been fully sucked into the Gizzverse. Their run of albums last year was wild, definitely the most consistent they’ve ever been, so have been hyped to see how they’re progressed live. Also was surprisingly excited for seeing a show at Ally Pally again. I know it gets a bad rep, but have some very fond memories of a bunch of gigs there that were pretty pivotal for me growing up (Arcade Fire on their Neon Bible Tour, The National with my mum, LCD Soundsystem when they reunited) so was actually pretty happy about the gigs from Brixton being moved here.
Los Bitchos were a great support - noodly and fun, and evidently having a great time. Cracked up at the lead singer shouting “You look SIIIIIIIIIIIIICKKKKK” like Ilana from Broad City. Also finished with a cover of Tequila which was hilarious.
King Gizz themselves were absolutely stellar. For those unaware they’ve become a bit Grateful Dead-esque as a live band, and never play the same setlist twice, so it’s always a bit of a gamble what you’ll get. Very happy to say we got treated to a really great mix of their stuff, and was surprised to find I actually recognised the majority of it (I know a good bunch of their stuff, but haven’t really sunk into their more metal-y albums). I was stunned by how tight they were; they were great at Green Man, but they just made the night look absolutely effortless, despite the fact that pretty much every song was extended into some kind of jam, or had another teaser of a song thrown in. Shanghai was a particular highlight in that regard, got extended out to about 10 minutes. Also got a killer run of tracks from Nonagoninfinity which the crowd went absolutely wild for - I’d left my partner to go for a quick pee (a rookie mistake, but had had one too many £7.50 pints of neck oil) and when I came back she was fully going for it in an enormous pit, was dead impressed. Other highlights included the guitar solo during Work This Time and them pulling out the Beastie Boys-esque Grim Reaper complete with flute solo. Should also mention the crowd was great too, was fascinating to see different sections going wild during the evening as different albums were highlighted. Had a great moment at the end of the set - we got The Dripping Tap as the closer, which is the track that got my partner into them so we were going wild, and were joined by two lads who were obviously having the time of their lives. Once of those lovely gigs moments of pure shared joy. Left very sweaty and very happy, with a very silly tie dye t shirt.
Enjoyed seeing King Gizz in 2018 and had hoped to see them again, but they haven’t been back to Ireland other than for festivals and I’ve fallen incredibly behind with their releases now
Did both King Gizz gigs, have to say the 2nd possibly edged it though both brilliant in their own ways - Ally Pally had just a ridiculously huge moshpit, felt like most of the 10k people there were absolutely going crazy for it, all super friendly and felt like a huge party, Nonagon Infinity part was giant amounts of fun, was drenched in sweat within about 15 mins
Troxy the sound was a lot better, much clearer than the muddiness of Ally Pally and the setlist was so good, stayed a bit back from the pit and took it all in
Did both solo and met so many lovely people, everyone very chatty and super excited to be there, it’s so clear they’re the sort of band who inspire total dedication. Totally agree how easy they make it look, 4hrs between the two nights with no song repeats and in full control of really complex heavy proggy material. Just amazing, already I’m looking at maybe catching a couple of Europe shows in the summer!
Yeah, my buddy was at both shows and just had a whale of a time, and said how much he enjoyed the crowds, everyone just super into it. Super positive vibes.
