I started off this blog mostly to wax lyrically on great songs of the past while giving the occasional nod to some of the good stuff of the present. As such, I was determined not to put together a piece that would look back over the past 12 months. Well, at least I’m sticking to that – there’s going to be two pieces.
First up are some thoughts on some live gigs.
Attractive as the bills are, I will not entertain going along to any of the big outdoor festivals such as Nedstock (aka T In The Park), and I’ll only go along to the arena gigs as a last resort. So I’ve missed out on a few things I might have enjoyed.
Despite this, 2006 did turn out to be one of the best in many a year for enjoyable live gigs.
My own Top 10, in strictly alphabetical order were:-
Albert Hammond : Glasgow ABC2 – 27 November
Arab Strap : Glasgow ABC – 4 December
Belle & Sebastian : Glasgow ABC – 15 January
*Gonzo On Tour : Glasgow Barfly – 22 October
Lloyd Cole : Edinburgh Queen’s Hall – 25 October
Morrissey : Stirling Albert Hall – 23 April
Nick Cave: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall – 5 February
**NME on Tour : Glasgow Carling Academy – 1 February
Scritti Politti : Edinburgh Liquid Rooms – 7 August
The Wedding Present : Glasgow ABC – 5 June
* (line-up was The Young Knives/The Grates/The View)
** (line-up was Maximo Park/Arctic Monkeys/We Are Scientists)
As I said , I don’t want to try and rank them – but there’s no question that the Nick Cave event was easily the best of 2006 – and at the risk of sounding a bit Hornby-esque – it’s up there in the Top 5 of all time.
I was most surprised at the Scritti Politti concert as I wasn’t expecting Green Gartside to be such a decent frontman, nor for the band that he’s gathered around him to be so tight.
Morrissey was magnificent at both of the gigs I got along to – Greenock as well as Stirling – but I’ve gone for Stirling solely as it was the first one and also as It was the one Mrs Villain came along to (she was working away from home at the time of the Greenock gig).
The Wedding Present were, as always, great fun – especially watching 35-45 year old men bouncing down the front as the opening notes of Kennedy blasted out – there would have been a few aches and sprains the following morning.
It was a treat to see The Arctic Monkeys play just as the world was going mad for them. They were far better than I thought they would be – so much so that I did pick up tickets for their own headlining tour at the same venue a couple of months later. I was tempted to put that particular gig on the list, but that would have been unfair on Maximo Park who came on as headliners with a great deal to lose but still put on a blistering set.
The most fun I had however was at the smallest venue – The Barfly – for the Gonzo On Tour event. I’ve already penned a lengthy review elsewhere on the blog, so I won’t go over old ground. I’ve seen some footage on MTV2 since, and yup, I’m down there at the front dancing like the village idiot.
Arab Strap will be sadly missed, and it was a privilege to be at their very last live show. Malcolm Middleton has already announced a tour for early 2007, and I’ve reserved my tickets.
A few words also about support bands. It’s been the usual hit-and-miss affair with them, but I want to make special mention of Sons & Daughters who were fantastic openers for Morrissey, and also The Pierces who were likewise for Albert Hammond. I also enjoyed some songs by De Rosa who were the support for Arab Strap, and while I’m told by a friend it wasn’t the best performance that he’d seen by My Favourite Novel, they did an OK job just prior to the Scritti Politti event.
Here’s a couple of songs that were particularly memorable:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Supernaturally
mp3 : The Wedding Present – Ringway to Seatac
Already looking forward to live music in 2007 – Idlewild on 23 January is the first scheduled gig.
Reviews will appear on these pages now and again.