What's Your Top 3?: Live performances you've been present for

Music
1

No over-thinking, no spreadsheets, no calculations, just hit me with a top 3 for each topic on instinct alone.

Radiohead, Glastonbury 2003

Arcade Fire (sorry), Cardiff International Arena, November 2007

Rage Against The Machine, Wembley Arena, January 2000

2

Deerhoof - one of the early ATPs, maybe Mars Volta '05?
Battles supporting Prefuse 73 in maybe 2004
Charlottefield at Cambridge Barfly in 2006

4 Likes
3

Mogwai - Supersonic, Custard Factory, Birmingham - July 2007
Napalm Death - Roxy, Prague - February 2020
Sunn O))) - Kentish Town Forum, London - December 2007

5 Likes
4

Refused- Manchester Academy 2012
Joanna Newsom - Manchester Albert 2016
Drug Church - Outbreak 2022

1 Like
5

Deerhunter - Button Factory, Dublin - March 2011
David Byrne & St. Vincent - Electric Picnic - September 2013
STINK! - The Sextant, Cork - August 2014

The last one was a local collective of seven or eight jazz musicians playing the heaviest funk going. At one stage I remember a saxophone player blowing cigarette smoke back out of his sax as he hadn’t time to smoke it properly. Entire venue was fucking heaving, no-one could stand still. Think it was the last gig they ever played too.

This post paid for by PROF$.

8 Likes
6

Willis Earl Beal - Trof
WU LYF - An Outlet
Hookworms (even more sorry than funky for Arcade Fire) - MIF

I suppose of the ones that are in someway famous, mentioned before, have been streamed, been on tele or something

Pulp - Glastonbury 2011
Arctic Monkeys - In The City, Manchester
Kendrick Lamar - Primavera Sound 2014

2 Likes
7

Radiohead - Victoria Park in the big top 2000
Antlers - Bristol Louisiana cant remember when
Black Country New Road - Green Man 2022

1 Like
8

I was at this. Thought it was fine.

9

Radiohead @ Nîmes Amphitheatre, 2003
Sufjan Stevens @ Royal Festival Hall, 2011
Prince @ Koko, 2014

Hon. mention to:
Bjork @ Glastonbury 2007
Leonard Cohen @ Glastonbury 2008
“yer man” Bon Iver @ La Maroquinerie 2008

2 Likes
10

Rage Against The Machine – Oxford Zodiac 1999
The Replacements – Roundhouse 2015
Isis – Oxford Zodiac 2008

1 Like
11

My favourite gig of all time

1 Like
12

Spiritualized @ Barrowlands, Glasgow 2001 (first proper gig I went to)
Radiohead/Belle & Sebastian @ TRNSMT, Glasgow 2017 (last gig C. and I saw together)
Pulp @ Utilita Arena, Sheffield 2023 (most recent gig)

1 Like
13

Kendrick Lamar, Glastonbury 2022

I mean. This is going to go down as one of the all time great sets anywhere, ever. Seek it out. Fucking absurd.

Portishead, Glastonbury 2013

Everything fell into place - a beautiful evening with a bit of chill in the air, a mindful and engaged crowd (alternatives were Arctic Monkeys, Chic, The Horrors and Crystal Castles - cor), plus my first headline set at Glastonbury beginning a 10+ year love affair. And a fucking blistering set: amazing sound, amazing visuals, unparalleled cool oozing off Beth Gibbons.

Sufjan Stevens, Royal Festival Hall 2015

Oh how I wish I was at the Adz shows, but this was one of those you-could-hear-a-pin-drop-silent shows where the whole crowd was just in constant awe and appreciation.

honourable mentions

Radiohead, Roundhouse 2016

First gig I took my darling partner to, the day of our final exams at University. Never going to see the lads in a more intimate setting with a more buzzing crowd.

Neutral Milk Hotel, Roundhouse 2014

I LOOOOVE YOU JESUS CHRIIIIIIST

Deerhunter, ATP 2013 (night two): Microcastle in full then Rainwater Casette Exchange, Famous Last Words and Calvary Scars II (candidate for favourite live song ever)

Sugababes, Glastonbury 2022

Tiny tent, utterly heaving, no nonsense. Properly relaunched their career. No video footage but seared into my brain. Unparalleled euphoria.

4 Likes
14

Sigur Ros - Alexandra Palace 2008
Prince - Round House 2014
Radiohead - Hammersmith Apollo 2006 (mainly for the full band live debut of Videotape)

4 Likes
15

two formative gigs and finally getting to see an all-time fav

Idlewild - Barrowlands, Glasgow - December 2005

  • First ever real gig, double length acoustic-then-electric set, opening and closing with You Held the World in Your Arms. In some ways it was all downhill from here

Bon Iver (supported by Anais Mitchell) - Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh - September 2008

  • Perfect performance on the first album tour in a little old church, supported by Anais - who was one of those support acts good enough to justify running out and buying their CD ASAP (and then going on to win loads of Tony’s lol). I think he cried after he finished playing Re: Stacks

Guided By Voices - Village Underground, London - June 2019

  • Just finally getting to see the best band ever with a passionate crowd and cool guy @Icarus-Smicarus. Have some very blurry videos of me bellowing along to Smothered in Hugs from the throng. Don’t remember much tbh, but it was pure bliss

if we count festival sets then Young Fathers - Bilbao BBK Live - July 2023

  • Took ages to get into them, totally clicked over the last year, and this was my third (and best) time seeing them in 2023. Righteous late night performance while I was flying high, transcendent. Not sure I’ve ever smiled so much
4 Likes
16

Daft Punk - Rockness Festival 2007
Robyn - Alexandra Palace, London 2019
LCD Soundsystem - SWG3, Glasgow 2018

David Byrne - Hydro, Glasgow 2018
Radiohead - Glasgow Green, 2008

2 Likes
17

David Byrne - American Utopia on Broadway, 2019
Underworld - Alexandra Palace, 2017
Justice - Brixton Academy, 2017

18

Oasis - Knebworth
Death Grips - Sound control Manchester
MIA warehouse project 2010

19

Battles - ATP vs The Fans 2007
Les Savy Fav - Old Blue Last 2007
Oxes - London ULU 2004?

1 Like
20

Sufjan Stevens - Brighton Dome 2011

Carly Rae Jepsen - Victoria Warehouse 2020

Very tempted to double dip with Sufjan at festival hall on the Carrie and Lowell tour, but instead will go

Joanna Newsom - Green Man 2010

1 Like