Matthew's Gig Blog

American Anthems Featuring John Parr - Tuesday 7th February - New Wimbledon Theatre

2012-02-12T16:43:00.001Z

Purely by chance I noticed an advert for this online. Having enjoyed Mr Parr's support slots at the Borderline and Hammersmith over the last couple of years, it looked a good oportunity to see him, albeit in the confines of a stage production.

That production basically involved a particularly thin plot used as an excuse to perform classic American rock songs. The performances ranged from OK to actually pretty good - the guy playing the preacher (Rob Castell) was particularly entertaining and Rebecca Kelly was probably the pick of the female vocalists. A more than competent live band ensures that the numerous tunes played (Bon Jovi, Springsteen, Eagles, Journey, Guns 'N' Roses, Elvis etc) were well received. The blokes in the audience were also rewarded with an attractive quartet of dancers/backing singers who as well as performing well, seemed to appear in skimpier and skimpier outfits as the night went on.

So, good music, thin plot - where does Mr Parr fit in? Errr, well he didn't really. They basically stopped the play so that he could appear in some sort of "guest spot". He then churned through "Naughty Naughty" with the band and "Coming to Wimbledon" & "Oh Well" acoustically before a predictable (but excellent) "St. Elmo's Fire" back with the band. He did appear later in the encore, but it was clear that his name is only on the show to sell a few more tickets (and sell a few copies of his new CD afterwards). So, if you'd come only expecting to hear a lot of John Parr material you'd have left disapointed. Let's hope for a solo tour soon and regard this show for what it was - a bit of fun and a vehicle for some classic songs.

We retired to Wetherspoons Pub afterwards and were joined by pretty much the entire cast (minus Mr Parr). Regrettably the dancers were more appropriately dressed by then!

Official American Anthems Site
Picture above taken from publicity photos on Real Radio XS

An Evening with Danny And Ben From Thunder - Friday 20th January - Bush Hall, Shepherd's Bush

2012-01-22T15:51:00.002Z

So, my last show of 2011 was Thunder, the first of 2012 is two members of the same band - singer Danny Bowes and guitarist (and occasional keyboardist) Ben Matthews. At an intimate Bush Hall, the emphasis was as much on storytelling as music. Indeed only 10 songs in 2 and a half hours showed that it wasn't even a 50-50 split.

The stories were entertaining - covering Thunder's life on the road and trips to Japan, Germany and a number of festivals. The music was pretty much acoustic and featured only 3 Thunder songs including a pleasant piano-based "A Better Man". The other covers were a little hit and miss ("hit" for the Who's Squeeze Box, "miss" for Chuck Berry's Nadine). For the final song of the evening - Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love", the boys were joined by Danny's daughter Lucy on vocals and despite looking nervous, she performed very well.

So all in all a good fun evening, but not a show which you would choose to go to more than once on a tour.

Setlist
Seagull
Nadine
A Better Man
See My Baby Walking
+
Squeeze Box
She's Not You
Interlude / I'm One (Acoustic Guitar only)
Blackbird
Like a Satellite
+
Make You feel My Love

Thunder - Tuesday 20th December - Rock City, Nottingham

2011-12-22T15:50:00.004Z

Thunder , for those that could see them!

So, Thunder are back. Or are they? Time will tell if this was a one-off return for the traditional Christmas shows in Nottingham, or the rebirth of a fantastic band. I for one, hope the latter.

The downside is that they continue to play at the dreadful Rock City. The venue holds 1900 people. It was full, very full. You can only see the whole stage if you are either a) directly in front of it or b) in the front row of the balcony. Everyone else can see either nothing or very little. This leads to pushing, arguing and general unpleasantness. It take ages to get in and an age to filter out. It's a real shame as the admin side of things (website, ticket sales, staff etc) are all excellent, but it makes for the worst gig experiences I have anywhere.

OK rant over - awful venue, great band. The usual mix of covers and Thunder Classics. The band played a bit safe with the selection of their own material and the covers were a bit hit and miss (blank stare all round at a couple of them), but it was still a good night. Indeed, the finale of "Merry Christmas Everybody" seemed slightly more authentic than Slade's a few nights earlier!!

With hotel booked and a lie in the next morning, we upped the average age by joining the students in the "Rescue Rooms" nightlcub (after a fun go at the "Countdown" board game in the pub!). £1.90 a pint of San Miguel possibly contributed to the hangover the next day!

I have subsequntly found out the the 1st World Darts Final was played at the venue now known as Rock City! As Richard asked, how did they see a thing?

Setlist
Everybody Wants Her
Living for Today
We Can Work It Out
Everybody's Laughing
Breakdown
Come & Get It
The Thrill of It All
You Wear It Well
You're My Best Friend
Once in a Lifetime
Just Another Suicide (You Wanna Know)
+
Loser
The Devil Made Me Do It
Higher Ground
Castles In The Sand
Living For The City
Gimme Some Lovin'
Like A Satellite
You Can't Keep A Good Man Down
Live and Let Die
Love Walked In
I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll
+
A Better Man
Dirty Love
Merry Xmas Everybody

Slade - Sunday 19th December - Koko, Camden

2011-12-20T15:53:00.001Z

Dave Hill

A Koko debut this year for Slade. Well, that's the name they used, but it's not Slade for me without Noddy (Holder) and Jim (Lea).

So, let's say, an evening with Slade II. Original members Don Powell and Dave Hill were greated like returning hero's by a pleasingly large turnout. The whole event was for the Lord's Taverners charity, so let's hope they made some cash, DJ (and fan) Mike Read did the introductions and then followed a run through of basically "The Best of Slade".

Two things stood out for me. One, Dave Hill is an excellent guitarist. The riffs were spot on and he clearly enjoys playing to the crowds. Two, the vocals. Ouch! Now nobody can replace Noddy, so maybe they shouldn't try. The vocals for the first few songs were shouted and just a bit off-key. As the show warmed up and the songs were actually "sung" - it all started to sound a bit better and I especially enjoyed "Lock Up Your Daughters". All filmed for DVD release if you want to check it out for yourself.

The very early start meant the closing song (no prizes for guessing the obvious) was all done and dusted before 9pm. An early night all round!

Def Leppard - Wednesday 14th December - Wembley Arena

2011-12-18T15:52:00.002Z

Off to North London to the "hangar" for a rock "double-header". Skipping support "Steel Panther", we arrived to find Motley Crue in full swing. Taking a safe view from miles away, we were "treated" to an expletive filled set of actually quite fun material.

Regular readers will know how much I detest drum solos, but even I will admit that Tommy Lee's rollercoaster "wheel" was entertaining. I enjoyed a snippet of the "Leader's" Rock And Roll Part 2 before "Smoking in The Boys Room" and of course, "Girls Girls Girls" was a masive singalong. Quite whether I wanted to be called a "MotherF****r" so often I'm not so sure. It didn't really add much and we stopped counting at around 100 profanities.

Excellent timing of Beer runs and Gents visits meant we moved forward about 80 yards for Def Leppard. They were solid and in good touch with the audience. As it was the last night of the tour, I'd expected a guest or 2 (Brian May, Ian Hunter?), but no such luck.

Richard was only half believing when I pointed out that the version of "Bringing On The Heartache" was not as heavy as the other rendition I'd heard in the same venue - by Mariah Carey !!

Setlist
Undefeated
Rocket
Action
Let It Go
C'mon C'mon
When Love and Hate Collide
Women
Two Steps Behind (Acoustic)
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Animal
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar on Me
+
Love Bites
Let's Get Rocked

Status Quo - Sunday 11th December - O2 Arena, London

2011-12-11T15:45:00.002Z

All on stage for the "grand" finale!

The Home - Brighton - Home - Greenwich O2 cycle continues with a return the the O2. Pretty much the same as Brighton except we skipped Kim Wilde's set. Some very drunk people around us made me think it was going to get unpleasant but as it turned out everyone behaved (even if the bloke in front was blatantly smoking weed whilst standing next to a steward!).

I actually quite enjoyed Francis completely messing up the last verse of Paper Plane with a random selection of words from other verses and it was nice to see the venue fairly packed (notwithstanding the top level was curtained off). Some of the people near us had not read up on the encore and their faces were a picture when Winter Wonderland started. A mixture of bemusement and horror!

See Brighton for the setlist - you didn't think it would change did you?

Status Quo - Friday 9th December - Brighton Centre

2011-12-10T15:37:00.003Z

Back down to Brighton for the Quo. Or more precisely the "Quofestive" as it is billed. A mini "festival", which includes Kim Wilde and Roy Wood. Not an obvious bill I think you'd agree, but artists I certainly don't mind, although a different setting may work better.

Kim Wilde delivered her greatest hits, although the sound guy appeared reluctant to give her vocals any sort of amplification for much of the set. She appeared quite giggly - some of our party were suggesting a bit of over indulgance on Xmas cheer - but it might well have been nerves. All pleasant enough though and with her neice Scarlett helping out on backing vocals adding to the experience, it was an enjoyable set.

Roy Wood was OK - I really enjoyed him a couple of years back (he was my muscial hero aged 5 !!), but there was something a bit lacking this time around. Maybe a couple of favourites missing from the set? I couldn't quite figure out hat wasn't quite so good.

Quo were on last as you'd expect - with an unfortunately shorter set than previous years (well they are getting on a bit - maybe hence the multi-act lineup). They were good up until the encore, albeit without much imagination for setlist changes.

Then we got the changes. Let's just say I was glad I'd been forwarned - Kim and Roy came out to join in a Medley of "Winter Wonderland" & "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". No, No, No !!

Most seemed to have songsheets on stage and it was a little shambolic - save Francis's quite cool guitar solo on Winter Womderland. I'm reluctant to be too critical as I'd much rather they changed the set and sometimes get it wrong rather than keep playing the same old stuff, but I trust this will be a one off medley for this tour....... please!

Setlist
Caroline
Something 'bout You Baby I Like
The Wanderer
Rock 'n' Roll 'n' You
Rain
Mean Girl
Beginning Of The End
Proposin' Medley
Big Fat Mama
Two Way Traffic
The Oriental
Let's Rock
Paper Plane
Living On An Island
In The Army Now
Drum Solo / The Killer
Roll Over Lay Down
Down Down
Whatever You Want
Rockin' All Over The World
+
Burning Bridges
Walking In A Winter Wonderland / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Bryan Adams - Thursday 8th December - O2 Arena, London

2011-12-10T15:36:00.002Z

More BA - this time at the O2. And I was right, the screens work in an arena this size - and when you're miles away as we were (see picture) are vry useful.

Shame Bryan no longer mixes up the setlist from night to night - we got the same show as Brighton, but I actually enjoyed tonight a little more than last. Billed as celbrating "20 Years since the release of Waking Up The Neighbours", there was a resonable amount of material from Bryan's 2nd best album after Reckless (argue amongst yourselves!).

See last night for setlist.

Bryan Adams - Wednesday 7th December - Brighton Centre

2011-12-10T15:34:00.003Z

I remember seeing Bryan at the Brighton Centre in 1987 on the "Into The Fire" tour. After opening with a blistering "Only The Strong Survive" he seemed in a particularly bad mood - he told the audience that he'd had some negative comments about the bare stage set (it was drums, keyboards and speakers - no backdrops, flashy lights etc) before telling us that "If we'd come to see a lightshow, we'd come to the wrong ****** show!" and that they were just a no-nonsense rock band.

24 years later and a few things have changed. The band are still a great rock band. Bryan is trading licks with long term guitar partner, Keith Scott. (having thankfully abandoned a few years ago what Richard acurately describes as "the bass debacle"!). But I wasn't anticipating the massive LCD screen at the back of the screen which dominated proceedings. The mainly black and white graphics were stunning from a technology point of view, but from our view near the front were quite a distraction. I would imagine it will work better in larger venues.

The set was solid - slightly less reliant on ballads than some of his shows of recent years and the performance good. There was just a part of me harking back to 1987 when an angry younger man had delivered a pulsating 2 hrs plus of rock and roll in one of the best performances of what must be close to the 100 odd times I've seen him. Times have changed and we all get older...

Setlist
House Arrest
Somebody
Here I Am
All I Want Is You
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
I'm Ready
Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven
Hearts On Fire
Do I Have to Say the Words
18 'til I Die
Back to You
Summer of '69
If You Wanna Leave Me (Can I Come Too?) / Touch The Hand
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
Cuts Like a Knife
It's Only Love
Depend On Me
When You're Gone
Heaven
The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You
Run to You
There Will Never Be Another Tonight
+
Cloud #9
+
The Way You Make Me Feel
Straight from the Heart
All for Love

Dan Baird & Homemade Sin - Friday 2nd December - Borderline

2011-12-03T15:10:00.001Z

Dan and the boys at the Borderline - becoming a nice annual event. You know it'll be packed (it was!), you know it'll be loud (it was!) and you know it'll be good (it was!).

We managed to get our normal nice spot in front of the stage, which is great until you need the gents! That is not a trip for the faint hearted due to the density of the crowd and the blind steps you encounter. Previously unheard highlight for me was the exellent cover of Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough" - whether Dan's story about Mick Ralphs meaning to be there to play it was true, well who knows? "Proud Mary" in "Two For Tuesday" was pretty good too!

Only downside is that Dan does attract a couple of regular strange people to his shows and they get a little errr.. overexcited. Limb control people, limb control....

Good evening, followed off by a beverage or 2 in the "Intrepid Fox". I could swear those "Rock Chicks" are getting younger...

Magnum - Cambridge Junction - Thursday 1st December

2011-12-03T15:00:00.004Z

Into December and the start of a run of gigs. New venue for me - The Junction in Cambridge meant a trip by train from Kings Cross - in my view London's worst railway terminus by some distance.Time for a couple of pubs in Cambridge - not great apart from the spot of a circular pool table. Unfortunately, I lost Richard and I's "Cambridgeshire Open" on a regular pool table - very poor indeed.

Venue itself was pretty good. Small to allow a decent view and with the bonus of Lowenbrau on draught... hapy days!

The start time meant that we would have to miss the encore in order to get the train home (and avoid 3 night buses), but what we saw was really good - including one new song from the new "Evolution" CD.

Our change for the final Tube at Severn Sisters was nearly scuppered by travelling very slowly through White Hart Lane (Unpleasant enough in daylight, let alone after midnight!) and a Usain Bolt type effort to run through the interchange and down the escalator. The train was there a minute later. Phew!

Setlist
Back to Earth
When We Were Younger
Wild Angels
Brand New Morning
How Far Jerusalem
Spin Like A Wheel
The Fall
Freedom Day
Les Morts Dansant
Black Skies
All My Bridges
All England's Eyes
Vigilante
+
Kingdom Of Madness
On A Storytellers Night

Mick Ralphs Blues Band - Saturday 26th November - Jazz Cafe, Camden

2011-11-27T14:48:00.004Z

Having seen Mr Ralphs on numerous occassions in various guise, this is the first time I'd seen him as a headline act in his own right. The fact that he'd be playing no Bad Company or Mott The Hoople Material in his own set was offset by the choice of support band - "Free & Co" - guess what they played !!! -;)

I got my first "2 pointer" of the evening by recognising drummer Phil Martini in their lineup - last seen (by us) in The Quireboys and The Union.

Mick and his excellent blues band then played a competant set. In fact that's doing a dis-service. For a set where we basically knew nothing but 1 or 2 snippets of songs, it was actually really good. I was also surprised that no songs appeared to feature the words "I Woke Up This Monring" !!). Later, I gained further "spotting points" by seeing Photographer Ross Halfin (working), Tracy Hunter (at the bar), Kurt Brandon (also at the bar) and rumours of a sighting of Jimmy Page (upstairs). Well worth the trip.

Setlist
Rock Me Baby
Hi-Heel Sneakers
Just a Little Bit
Next Time You See Me
Blow Blues
Mr. Charlie
Hide Away
It Hurts Me Too
Help Me
Further On Up the Road
Got My Mojo Working
Mamma Talk To Your Daughter

SAS Band - Friday 25th November - Clapham Grand

2011-11-26T14:30:00.013Z

Brian May addresses the Clapham crowd

This was officially billed as the "Freedie Mercury Tribute", marking 20 years since the sad death of the legendary Queen frontman. That makes it 10 years since an excellent tribute show at the Hackney Ocean which featured Messrs May and Taylor plus guests like Bruce Dickinson with the SAS band.

Internet Forums were awash with comment that May and Taylor "couldn't be bothered" to turn up for this one, so it was a pleasant surprise when Brian May strolled onstage during Kerry Ellis's take on "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)". This was followed by "Somebody To Love" and an impressive "Tie Your Mother Down" before he departed (turns out he was off to guest at The Darkness's show up the road in Hammersmith - where he also played "Tie Your Mother Down" amongst others!).

Still, as always, the band was held together by the SAS band Spike Edney and Friends. A string of fairly low key guests - Madeline Bell, Chris Thompson, The Fabba Girls, Patti Russo & Tony Vincent - injected mch fun into the evening. In fairness, it didn't compete with the event 10 years ago, but that didn't prevent it from being a fun night out with the chance to hear sme great songs.

Setlist
No One But You (Only The Good Die Young) (Kerry Ellis and Brian May)
Somebody To Love (Kerry Ellis and Brian May)
Tie Your Mother Down (Kerry Ellis and Brian May)
Davy's On The Road Again (Chris Thompson)
Blinded By The Light (Chris Thompson)
We Got The Fire (Chris Thompson)
Don't Stop Me Now (Patti Russo)
Chain Of Fools (PattiI Russo)
Another One Bites The Dust (Patti Russo)
Mamma Mia (Fabba Girls)
Fat Bottomed Girls (Fabba Girls)
Dancing Queen (Fabba Girls)
+
Now I'm Here (Tony Vincent)
I Want It All (Tony Vincent and Chris Thompson)
Hammer To Fall (Tony Vincent)
I Want To Break Free (Madeline Bell)
Natural Woman (Madeline Bell)
Heard It Through the Grapevine (Madelin Bell)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Chris Thompson)
These Are The Days Of Our Lives (Chris Thompson)
The Show Must Go On (Chris Thompson)
Under Pressure (Tony Vincent and Kerry Ellis)
+
We Will Rock You (All)
We Are The Champions (All)
+
You're The Voice (Chris Thompson and All)
With A Little Help From My Friends (Patti Russo and All)
All The Way (All, Acappella)

Who's Who - Friday 18th November - Half Moon, Putney

2011-11-20T14:25:00.003Z

A nice Friday evening trip to Putney to see the UK's premier Who tribute band (alongside "The Mods" of course!). The Half Moon is being refurbished, so it looked a bit strange with the bar closed, but the venue open. A mid sized, enthusiastic crowd were treated to nearly a couple of hours of Who classics with the band returning for an unexpected encore after it looked like they were done and dusted. The Half Moon appears to be the only London venue they play these days which is a bit of a shame, but if you are a fan of the Who and get the chance to see these guys then I suggest you do.

Roxette - Tuesday 15th November - Wembley Arena

2011-11-17T14:55:00.007Z

So, 17 years after their last Wembley appearance, the promoter books Swedish stars Roxette at Wembley Arena for the same evening as England v Sweden at Wembley Stadium. Genius! Thankfully, the smallish football crowd didn't hamper our journey to a pretty much sold-out gig too much.

Support was provided by Darren Hayes from Savage Garden - not my cup of tea, so after a cursory glance to acknowledge another "Chart Act", it was off to the bar!

Taking our seats about 18 rows back from the front, it was apparent that many people had travelled long distances to be at the show. If was also clear that Roxette attract a very diverse audience. At least everyone had grown up from the "teeny-bop" crowd from 2004 !!

The show itself was excellent - the set not wildly different from the Per Gessle solo shows also detailed on this blog. As expected, most of the backing band were the same as from that show, although obviously Marie Fredrikson adds a great deal vocally and with a striking iconic image.

One of the highlights for me was a heavy electric version of the National Anthem as the guitarist was introduced - last heard in this form by me at the same venue by a certain Mr P Townshend in 1989 !

Rumours are for another London show next year - venue and cost permitting, that would be fine by me.

Setlist
Dressed For Success
Sleeping In My Car
The Big L.
Wish I Could Fly
Only When I Dream
She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
Perfect Day
Things Will Never Be The Same
It Must Have Been Love
Opportunity Nox
7twenty7
Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave)
Crash! Boom! Bang!
How Do You Do!
Dangerous
Band presentation + God Save The Queen
Joyride
+
Watercolours in the rain
Spending My Time
The Look
+
Listen To Your Heart
Church Of Your Heart

The Union - Friday 21st October - O2 Academy, Islington

2011-10-22T13:19:00.013+01:00

The Union soundcheck to an empty O2 Academy

A rare treat indeed. As a result of a previous purchase, I was invited to the soundcheck and a meet & greet for the 3rd night of the Union's tour in support of their excellent new album "Siren's Song".

An early start (4.45pm!) and I was ushered with around 10 other lucky guests into the empty O2 Academy where the band had just gone on stage.

They then ripped through 3 new songs from the new album, at full volume - a private gig for the handful of us! I was surprised how "full on" the soundcheck was - no holding back vocally from Pete Shoulder for example.

Following that, the band came to the floor for a chat and were very friendly and hospitable. I had a chance of a few minutes with Pete and Luke (Morley) and then a few seconds with Chris (Childs) before the support band started sound-checking and it was time to go.

A brief solo pub-crawl of Islington followed and then it was time to pick up my ticket from the guest list - yay!

Although not quite full, the atmosphere was good and the band were on stunning form. Easily the best show I've seen from them and both music and especially voals were fantastic. It was all over quite quickly (the Academy has an early curfew on Fridays), so I'd be hoping for a longer set next time around.

On the way out I bumped into Dave Ling ("Ling alert!") and had a brief chat - he seemed to enjoy the show too. Hope it isn't too long until the next one!

Setlist
Watch The River Flow
Burning Daylight
Black Gold
Saviour
Easy Street
Blame It On Tupelo
Lillies
Obsession
The Remedy
Cut The Line
Black Monday
Siren's Song
+
Come Rain, Come Shine
Step Up To The Plate

Wheatus - Thursday 22nd September - Kingston Hippodrome

2011-09-24T16:06:00.019+01:00

A late decision - based on a bargain price (£4), nearby location and the fact that I'd never been to the venue - even when I was appropriately young enough to mix with the crowd it attracted. As it was, I was expectedly in the top percentile - age and height wise! And it's not every show I go to where full airport-style metals detectors are in play - tapers eat your heart's out!
So I was only ever going to know 2 songs (the cover of "A Little Respect" and their chart-topper "Teenage Dirtbag"), but I was really impressed by the musicianship, audience interaction and quality of all the songs in their hour or so long set (it may have been longer - we missed the start). The place was packed and even allowing for the fact that people were necking shots by the half-dozen there was a friendly atmosphere.

Brendan B Brown / Karlie Bruce

On our way out, the band were helping pack their gear into a transit, so I took the oportunity to offer my congratulations on a good show. Richard wanted to know why I chose to have this short conversation with backing vocalist Karlie Bruce as opposed to main man Brendan B Brown. You decide!

Setlist (probable)
Leroy Lemonade
Hey, Mr. Brown
Fair Weather Friend
Truffles
Something Good
Hump 'em n' Dump 'em
My Name is Jonas
BMX Bandits
A Little Respect
Anyway
Whole Amoeba
Teenage Dirtbag

Ludacris - Saturday 6th August - Angels Stadium, Los Angeles

2011-08-31T10:00:00.008+01:00

Ludacris and band in the middle of the "Angels Stadium".
Those keen enough could queue to get on the diamond.

Errr...an unexpected
"treat". Whilst on hols in the US, it transpires that some of the basball teams do what the racecourses in the UK do and put musical acts on after the sporting entertainment. So after seeing the Angels well and truely thrashed 5-1 we had the delight of seeing the "multi-award and multi-grammy winning hip-hop artist and actor". Now I must be honest and feared the worst - this isn't likely to be my cup of tea at all, but as my son was keen to stay - and within reason I'll try any music once - we decided to give it a go. Now I'm not wanting to offend anyone who likes this style of hip-hop or thinks that Ludacris is the best thing since sliced bread, but at the end of the first song, my son says "Can we go now please?" whilst covering his ears. So we did, as the 2nd and 3rd songs played whilst we made our way out of the stadium (with several thousand others!), I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the tracks. Lots of bass and shouting is a fair description.

Roger Daltrey - Wednesday 13th July - Southend Cliffs Pavillion

2011-07-14T15:30:00.003+01:00

A trip to the "far east" to see the Who frontman. Following on from the performance at the RAH earlier this year, we basically got the full version of Tommy and selected other solo and Who highlights. With a largely American band plus Simon Townshend (who's limited edition EP I purchased from the merchandise stall), the band had obviously rehearsed a stack of material as the setlist appeared to change on each night of the tour. This meant we got treated to an impromptu "Bargain" when one of the musicians was having problems with his instrument. We also got a Taj Mahal blues number & Johnny Cash Medley as per the "Killing Cancer" charity show.

The only downside was having to put up with "Tattoo" - in my opinion up (or down) there with the few poor songs the Who ever recorded! Otherwise a great night out, even if it meant getting home in the early hours

Setlist
Overture
It's a Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight to the Blind
Christmas
Cousin Kevin
The Acid Queen
Do You Think It's Alright?
Fiddle About
Pinball Wizard
There's a Doctor
Go to the Mirror
Tommy, Can You Hear Me?
Smash the Mirror
Sensation
I'm Free
Miracle Cure
Sally Simpson
Welcome
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Gonna Take It
+
I Can See for Miles
Behind Blue Eyes
Days Of Light
Freedom Ride
Going Mobile
Real Good Looking Boy
Johnny Cash Medley
Going Mobile
The Kids Are Alright
Tattoo
Young Man Blues
Bargain
Baba O'Riley
Without Your Love
+
Red Blue And Gray

Scouting For Girls - Thursday 14th July - Epsom Racecourse

2011-07-08T15:30:00.007+01:00

An evening of racing on Epsom Downs, followed by one of their music nights. Having won precisely nothing on the gee gee's it was good to be cheered up by some good time rock and pop. With family & friends in tow, we all had a good evening out as the band ripped through the best of their 2 albums. No covers of any James Bond themes this time around, but we did get "Michaela Strachan" and a really good version of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You". Hope their third album is as good as the first 2.

Jimmy Barnes - Saturday 6th July - Shepherd's Bush Empire

2011-07-07T15:07:00.003+01:00

After 6 weeks without a gig, I was looking forward to this one. Aussie legend Mr Barnes belting out his hits in front of lively - mainly Australian - crowd. Added bonus for us was the support being provided by "The Union" - hopefully warming up for some headline shows of their own later in the year. Luke, Peter and the boys played a solid 40 minutes or so and I'm hoping that those in the crowd who hadn't see them before were impressed. They wisely stuck to the heavier end of their material and it seemed popular.

After a short break, Jimmy and his band appeared. The normal selection of family members included (daughters on backing vocals, son on drums etc) and the band were on good form. Pleased to say he played pretty much everything I was hoping to here and a good time was had by all. I'm guessing the SBE's bar takings do well when the aussies are in!

Texted an Australian friend to find out which is the "Unofficial Aussie National Anthem" - "Working Class Man" or "Khe Sanh"? I am told it is the latter - just!

Tried to go and watch the David Haye fight afterwards, but not prepared to pay ten or 20 quid to get to a packed pub to watch the last few rounds. Ended up watching the final round through the window of the Larrick in Putney whilst an alternative brawl took place around us involving one bloke who was so drunk, he couldn't stand up. Sounds like we didn't miss much anyway.

The Answer - Wednesday 18th May - Borderline

2011-05-22T18:19:00.023+01:00

It's been a while since I saw the Answer, having given their last few London shows a miss after being a bit disapointed by recent performances. The lure of one of my favourite venues and a decent ticket price tempted me once again.

I'm delighted to report that it was well worth the effort. The band were on top form in a packed & loud venue, playing songs old and new. Indeed this show was nominally to support the release of their new DVD and was meant to be a "Media Event". By the moshing at the front and singing elsewhere, it looked more like a fans show to me. The volume was particularly loud and I was pleased they included their recent Record Shop Day 7" "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw" which went down very well.

Unfortunately I upset a member of the audience - by tapping his lower leg with my foot (to get past carrying beer). He seemed to think I was kicking him! Had to explain that I thought a light tap was better than spilling the beer all over him and offered appropriate apologies. Not sure he agreed, or indeed could hear due to the volume. That didn't spoil the evening though. Based on this performance, I won't be leaving it so long before seeing them again.

As a footnote we went for a "quick half" in Molly Mogg's afterwards. Were a bit suprised to find a bloke in drag hit the stage shortly after we arrived. Feared the worst, but a medley of East End classics (think "Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner", "Roll Out The Barrel" etc) was actually really good cheesey fun - so much so we even stayed for another. I'm guessing we were the only straight blokes in the place!

John Waite - Sunday 8th May - Borderline

2011-05-09T13:12:00.006+01:00

A genuine "double bill" here with the excellent John Parr opening with a brilliant short acoustic set.

I don't know too much John Waite material, but so good was he that I bought his new CD (autographed!) from the merchandise stand. Great music in one of my favourite small venues!

Oh and a "Ling Alert" number 3!

John Parr Setlist
Coming To The Borderline
The Best A Man Can Get
Naughty Naughty
At The Cathedral
Oh Well
Guitar solo
St. Elmo's Fire

John Waite Setlist
Change
Back On My Feet Again
Evil
Mr. Wonderful
Better Off Gone
In Dreams
Best Of What I Got
Whenever You Come Around
Downtown
Suicide Life
If You Ever Get Lonely
Love's Goin' Out of Style
Drum solo
Missing You
Rough &Tumble
Sweet Rhode Island Red
+
Head First

Magnum - Saturday 30th April - Shepherd’s Bush Empire

2011-04-30T23:59:00.003+01:00

It's fair to say I wasn't sure about this in advance. In my opinion the latest Magnum album is their weakest for ages. Luckilly for me, the set featured only the best couple of songs, plus some old favourites and some newer "goodies". Good to see the floor fairly full and the band enjoying themselves. I still believe the future is bright for Magnum.. They are too good for it not to be!

PS "Ling Alert" number 2, as expected!

Setlist
Back to Earth
When We Were Younger
Wild Angels
Brand New Morning
How Far Jerusalem
Spin Like A Wheel
Les Morts Dansant
The Moonking
Freedom Day
Black Skies
All My Bridges
All England's Eyes
Kingdom Of Madness
+
Vigilante
On A Storyteller's Night

Paul Rodgers - Monday 25th April - Southend Cliffs Pavilion

2011-04-26T13:09:00.006+01:00

Richard and I spent the afternoon watching Sutton United claim the Ryman League trophy. Then it was a multi-train trip to Westcliff for a great night of music. First up were Joe Elliot's Down 'n' Outs playing their selection of Ian Hunter / Mott The Hoople related stuff. Despite Joe's sore throat, this was good.

The interval bought the first of an expected 3 "Ling Alerts" in succession (that's the spotting of journalist Dave Ling, who seems to be at nearly every gig I go to!)

Now Paul Rodgers solo shows can be a bit "hit and miss" depending on the setlist and how long he fancies playing. Here we were treated to a long set and great material. Oh, and it almost goes unsaying - the vocals were fabulous. A great show!

Setlist:
Walk In My Shadow
Wishing Well
Mr Big
Feel Like Makin' Love
Mr Midnight
Be My Friend
Fire And Water
Running with the Pack
Bad Company
The Stealer
Seagull
My Brother Jake
Little Wing / Angel
Shooting Star
Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy
Can't Get Enough
+
Ride On A Pony
All Right Now
The Hunter

Scouting For Girls - Friday 8th April - Wembley Arena

2011-04-09T13:09:00.004+01:00

A trip to North London for the "hometown gig" from Ray Stride and the boys. As predicted, we were amongst the oldest in the crowd, although to be fair they attract a very varied audience.

Playing highlights from both albums, this was a solid show and the confidence the band has gained since their debut was evident. Good pop fun! Off to see them again in the summer.

Setlist
Little Miss Naughty
It's Not About You
?
I Wish I Was James Bond
The Airplane Song
Silly Song
Heartbeat
It Only Rains In LA
Take a Chance On Us
Elvis Ain't Dead
The Mountains Of Navaho
Keep on Walking
+
1+1
Michaela Strachan
She's So Lovely

The Mods - Saturday 2nd April - All Saints Hall, Whetstone

2011-04-03T13:08:00.004+01:00

Off to the All Saints Church Hall in Whetstone - a fair old trek, but it is for the Mods, one of our favorite local bands. Tonight they are doing a "full Who show" in a venue played by the Who in 1964.

Richard was right to query that last statement when we arrived as this was like so many Church Halls up and down the country and it's amazing to think that superstar bands of the past played venues like this when they were up and coming. It was quite a wierd setup, with tables and chairs at the fron and standing near the mixing desk at the back. The "bar" was even stranger - a counter in the cafe where the server had to rush out to a fridge in the back to get beer priced at a uniform £2 a bottle.

Still, the show was good although the audience were very unenthusiastic at the start. The band took a midway break - partly I suspect to the lack of reaction they were getting (through no fault of their own). The second half bought a livlier reaction from the crowd (alcohol induced?) and gradually people stood up and danced.

I enjoyed it, but whether the band will return to this neck of the woods I'm not sure. We had a lengthy trip home for the full length of the Northern Line and a I slept well afterwards!

Roger Daltrey - Thursday 24th March - Royal Albert Hall

2011-03-25T13:07:00.005Z

So, Roger Daltrey plays Tommy in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Not quite as good as if The Who were playing, but a fair substitute.

Good performance - easy money on the "bet" front (Pete Townshend shows up for Acid Queen and Baba O'Riley) and a worthy cause.

Setlist
Overture
It's a Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight to the Blind
Christmas
Cousin Kevin
Acid Queen (with Pete Townshend)
Do You Think It's Allright
Fiddle About
Pinball Wizard
Doctor Jimmy
Go to The Mirror
Tommy Can You Hear Me
Smash The Mirror
It's a Boy
I'm Free
Miracle Cure
Sensation
Sally Simpson
Welcome
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Going to Take It
+
Days Of Light
Pictures of Lily
My Generation
I Can See for Miles
Young Man Blues
Baba O'Riley (with Pete Townshend)
Without Your Love

Elton John & Ray Cooper - Friday 28th January - Royal Opera House

2011-01-29T13:01:00.004Z

Elton has done a few of these "smaller" shows recently - Obviously the one I went to at the Roundhouse last year, but also the Union Chapel in Islington. This one at the Royal Opera House was a benefit for the Royal Society of Music (Elton is a patron) and featured percussionist Ray Cooper who I hadn't seen for years. Not being able to afford the 4 figure stalls seats (!) we were really "up in the gods". And - huge mistake - picked the wrong side of the venue, meaning we couldn't actually see Elton as he played the Piano!

I'm not going to go into too much depth, but it was pleasant enough, but some of the lesser known numbers weren't up-tempo enough for my liking. Ray Cooper was his normal excellent self (and from our distance still looked the same as 20 years ago) - and he provided the most amusing moment when he "forgot" to bang the massive gong which had taken hours to set up!).

Note quite enought to hold my full attention for the 2 hr show though. Mental note to self - "Go to see Elton when he has the full band"

Apart From Rod - Wednesday 26th January - Half Moon, Putney

2011-01-27T16:51:00.000Z

Another trip to Putney and an enjoyable evening of Rod Stewart's early hits played by the original touring band from the era. Had a nice chat with Jim Cregan afterwards who seemed a very pleasant chap. Also spotted Queen backing vocalist Zoe Nicolas enjoying the show at the front, although she turned down Robert Hart's offer of a duet for "Stay With Me".

Killing Cancer Concert - Thursday 13th January - Hammersmith Apollo

2011-01-14T17:02:00.012Z

When tickets went on sale for this, my immediate thoughts were:

Got to go to that. 2 of my all-time favourite artists (The Who & Bryan Adams) plus 2 others I like (Debbie Harry and Jeff Beck).
It's at the best venue in London - yippie
It's on a Thursday night and I'm free
It's for a good cause
And .... it's how much !!!?

The last issue was likely to cause concern as Richard and I thought we couldn't justify £132 for a ticket. This was luckily resolved by Rich managing to acquire a pair of "bargain" £49.50 standing tickets (back of the stalls) the nano-second they went on sale.

So we got in quite early to nab a standing sopt and were quite please with the view, standing about 4 feet from people who had paid considerably more for the luxury of a seat. The early entry to the venue managed to confuse me enough that I knocked a substantial amount of beer out of the hand of a fellow punter as I swung 'round to talk to someone. Cue a trip to the bar to buy him a replacement!

Anyway - the show. Due to start at 7:30, it kicks off at 7:45 with an intro from Harvey Goldsmith. After that and a few videos it's time for some music. I've never been a fan of Richard Ashcroft and the 4 acoustic numbers he performed here were never likely to change my mind. Competent, but forgettable.

Roger Daltrey and band then appeared for a couple of obscure Blues numbers. Now I would happily watch Roger perform any stuff he wanted, but a full set of this style would be a bit challenging. Still, 2 songs worth was fine and a bit different.

We'd speculated on the acoustic numbers Bryan Adams would play on the back of his recent "Bare Bones" tour and he opted for a few old favourites like Cuts Like A Knife and Straight From The Heart as opposed to maybe more obvious hits. Still, after a quiet start, the audience seemed to like him. He also invited a beneficiary of the charity (who's name he mixed up with the Teenage Cancer Trust (!)) to come and duet on "When You're Gone" which was a nice touch.

Then an interval followed by Jeff Beck. Mr Beck was on fine form. Backed by the rest of the Who's band (ie no Daltry or Townshend), the highlight for me was an excellent "A Day In The Life". Then Debbie Harry pops up for Heart of Glass and Call Me which I bet Mr Beck has never played before. Still, this was excellent and Debbie was in good voice. After another Blondie number it was time for the main event - The Who.

This is who nearly everyone had come to see and a storming trio of numbers kicked things off - Townshend on great form and Daltrey's voice strong.

Sadly as Won't Get Fooled again ended, off went Townshend and we got some more blues from Daltrey and Beck.

The Ensemble all re-appeared (minus Ashcroft) for a lengthy "Join Together" with Daltrey and Adams swapping lead vocals. And then off they went. H'mm wait a minute - it's only 10:25 (ticket said 11pm curfew). As the crowd yelled for more, Harvey came back, said goodnight and the house lights came up. Now don't get me wrong, the show was really good, but if you are paying £130 as many did, is it not reasonable to expect more than 21 songs over 2.5 hrs? Or at least more than 4 from the Headliners?

If I'm being unfair there and Townshend's hearing problems were shortening things, then 1 or 2 more songs from each of Ashcroft, Adams, Harry & Beck would have spun things out to an acceptable degree. So, despite a feeling of being sold slightly short, the excellence of what we did see outweighed the negatives.

Let's hope for a full Who show sometime soon.

Setlist
Richard Ashcroft
Sonnet
Space And Time
Lucky Man
History

Roger Daltrey
Freedom Ride
Gimme A Stone

Bryan Adams
Run To You
Cuts Like A Knife
When You’re Gone (Duet)
Straight From The Heart

Jeff Beck
Beck's Bolero
Hammerhead
A Day In The Life

Jeff Beck & Debbie Harry
Heart of Glass
Call Me

Debbie Harry
One Way Or Another

Who
Baba O’Riley
Who Are You
Won’t Get Fooled Again

Roger Daltrey & Jeff Beck
I’m A Man (Mannish Boy)

Ensemble
Join Together

Best & Worst 2010

2011-01-02T09:10:00.061Z

Happy New Year to all.

Here's my annual look back over the year from a "best of" and "worst of" perspective of the 31 gigs seen during 2010 (ironically - exactly the same number as last year!)

Best Gigs 2010

1: Belinda Carlisle - Jazz Cafe
Forget the fact that this was "acoustic", this was Ms Carlisle at her most enchanting.

2: Francis Rossi - Her Majesty's Theatre
Unexpectedly good!

3=: Bachman & Turner - Relentless Garage
3=: Cheap Trick - Shepherd's Bush Empire
Always good when acts who you don't know that well put on a great show!

Most Disappointing Gigs 2010

1: Band of Skulls - Electric Ballroom
I wasn't expecting much and I didn't get it!

2: Leon Russell - Jazz Cafe
Sound problems on the vocals made this much anticipated show a bit of a let down.

3: Sheryl Crow - Borderline
Could have been so much better!

"honourable mention" to "Plan B" for the worst performance of this year (or pretty much any other) when guesting with Elton John. I still can't quite deascribe how painful it was!

Best Venue 2010

1: Forum, Kentish Town.
2: Borderline

No gigs at the Hammersmith Apollo robs it of its normal top spot!

Worst Venue 2010

1: Roundhouse
(I know it's iconic, but a few more toilets and a chance of getting to an outside bar surely isn't too much to ask!)

Interesting that I have managed to avoid the O2, Wembley and Hammersmith for the whole of 2010. Can't remember the last time that would have happened. Must be the cost of the shows there!

Good in 2010

1: Less and and less drunks at gigs. Mind you with the bar prices as they are that's no surprise.
2: Local Bands. Great shows (and good value) from the likes of "The Mods", "Apart from Rod" etc.

Bad In 2010

1: Prices. Surely there will be a point where more people say "no thanks".
2: Merchandise quality just isn't tempting enough still for most artists.

Have a great 2011!

The Quireboys - Saturday 11th December - Forum, Kentish Town

2010-12-20T16:29:00.015Z

Spike in typical pose

The last show of 2010 for me. Feeling a little bit under the weather after the previous days' pub crawl - so it was quite useful that I wasn't meeting Richard until later on Saturday evening. We went into the venue early to catch "The Dan Reed Network" who were OK, but I think Dan himself seemed to be enjoying their performance more than most of the audience! I'm certainly not tempted to pay money to see them at their own show. Whilst waiting between the acts I remembered that I'd seen the Quireboys here (when it was known as the "Town And Country Club") around 1990 - scary!

The venue was only half full, giving easy access to an excellent view a few rows back in our normal "front-left" position. Last time we saw the Quireboys they were doing an acoustic set and I was pleased to be able to grab a copy of the limted edition of 1000 signed double CDs from that mini-tour. Tonight was plugged in and, as normal, was a belter of a show. Starting with ""Hoochie Coochie Man" / "Mayfair", the band rocked through nearly all of their favourites in a 2 hr set. The 11:20 finish meant a late return home, but the show was well worth that. Perhaps not suprisingly I felt a lot better by the end than I had at the start. A great gig to finish the year!

Setlist (need confirmation please!)
Hoochie Coochie Man
Mayfair
C'mon
Man on the Loose
There She Goes Again
Tramps And Thieves
Mona Lisa Smiled
Roses And Rings
I Love This Dirty Town
Ode to You (Baby Just Walk)
The Finer Stuff
Lorraine Lorraine
Searching
This Is Rock 'N' Roll
Hey You
Whippin' Boy
Sweet Mary Ann
Misled
7 O'Clock
+
I Don't Love You Anymore
Sex Party

The Mods - Saturday 4th December - Half Moon, Putney

2010-12-07T11:44:00.001Z

The snow and ice meant a late cancellation of what I had planned for Saturday, so I took the opportunity to pop down to Putney for the Mods, who were billed as performing The Who's Quadrophenia. Unfortunately, due to the drummer (Johnny Marter?) being indisposed, the short notice replacement didn't know all the material, so that didn't happen.

No matter - he knew a sufficient selection of other Who material to more than make up for that. Starting with A Legal Matter and moving through all sorts - Pictures of Lily, 5:15, The Kids Are Alright, Can't Explain, Substitute, The Seeker, I'm A Boy, Summertime Blues and many more - the band were on excellent form. An interesting version of Young Man Blues segued the Jazzy style of Mose Alison's original with the Who's powerhouse version. I particularly enjoyed Pinball Wizard with the guitar intro played at the start and the "Elton John" piano solo played midway through by the excellent Mickey Simmonds.

There were a couple of non-Who tracks - Argent's Hold Your Head Up and Led Zeps Kashmir plus the Kingsmen's Louie Louie (from Quadrophenia) as an encore. Surprised it wasn't busier - blame the weather I guess, but a good night in the company of fantastic musicians.

Jackie Lynton - Saturday 28th November - The Wheatsheaf, Parsons Green

2010-11-29T14:43:00.004Z

Back to back gigs and off to Fulham for a couple of beers and a gig. Some nice German Pilsner in the Octoberfest Pub was followed by and outrageous £4.60 for a pint of Pilsner Urquell in the "Fulham Mitre" - that cannot be justified!

The Wheatsheaf had Estrella on draft - very nice and a comparative bargain (yeah, right) at £4. Luckily, the gig was free and Jackie and his band romped through 3 sets over a 2.5 hour period, playing their normal mix of rock and roll covers, blues, originals (Rock and Roll Whiskey Blues) and some old favourites (Rockin All Over The World / Caroline / Again and Again). Loved Jackie's comment during the Again and Again snippet - "I wrote this one.....").

Still not too sure why they were so far from "home turf" in Mid-Surrey, but a nice evening in a decent pub with good music. Rather scary that it's nearly 24 years since I first saw him in the Kings Head in Putney!

Apart From Rod - Saturday 27th November - Sutton United Boom Boom Club

2010-11-28T14:42:00.002Z

Many years ago, long before inflicting his 5 "Great American Songbook" albums on the World, Mr Rod Stewart was one of the foremost Rock and Pop vocalists in the World. Post Faces, his 70's albums are rightfully noted for containing some classic material. Amongst the people who helped write and played on this material in both studio and on stage were Jim Cregan and Gary Grainger.

Jim and Gary have formed "Apart From Rod" to showcase much of this classic material, joined by another couple of recognisable names - Robert Hart on Vocals (Ex Bad Company), Harry James on Drums (ex Thunder and currently Magnum), Pat Davey on Bass(ex Tom Robinson Band) and Keyboard wizard, Sam Tanner.

So lots of people we've seen before seprately and know are good. Unfortuately Gary Grainger wasn't available, but we were treated to another member of the Rod Stewart Band, Robin Le Mesurier stepping in at the last minute who was an excellent substitute.
There's no doubting the bands ability and in Robert Hart, they are lucky to have one of rock's finest vocalists (amazing that Bad Company ended up with 2 so good - with Paul Rodgers obviously the other). A great evening of 70's classics followed - with a few anocdotes thrown in, highlights being Cregan's solo in "I Was Only Joking", the Piano on Twisting The Night Away, You're In My Heart and a stomping "Stay With Me" (with Val from Bad Influence on additional vocals). I'll even forgive (just!) the inclusion of a drum solo (as it was Harry) and the amazing fact that Robert Hart didn't know the words to "Sailing".
A really good night out - will certainly look to see them again.

Status Quo - Monday 15th November - Croydon Fairfield Halls

2010-11-22T13:46:00.001Z

More Quo - this time in Croydon. Excellent seats (4th row, central) and another good show. A couple of changes from Southend, most noticably replacing "Junior's Wailing" with the excellent "Don't Waste My Time" for the encore. Much, much better than last year at the same venue!

Cheap Trick - Friday 12th November - Shepherds Bush Empire

2010-11-22T13:42:00.005Z

After a short wander around Shepherds Bush, it was off to the Empire for my first show there for quite a while. Whilst not too busy when we arrived, come showtime the standing area was absolutely packed! Now I don't know much stuff by Cheap Trick - being here only by virtue of enjoying their support slot with Def leppard a few years back, but this was a really good show. In fact, probably the best headline show I've seen by an act whose material I don't really know!

Setlist below is from setlist.fm and I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't notice at the time the presence of a Wizzard cover in the encore!

Setlist
Oh, Candy
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
Stiff Competition
Best Friend
Lookout
Tonight It's You
I Want You To Want Me
I Know What I Want
These Days
Wrong All Along
Smile
Anytime
Magical Mystery Tour
Cold Turkey
Sick Man of Europe
Closer, The Ballad of Burt and Linda
Surrender
+
Ain't That A Shame
Rock 'n' Roll Tonight
Dream Police

Status Quo - Tuesday 9th November - Southend Cliffs Pavillion

2010-11-10T14:27:00.006Z

The first night of the new "Quid Pro Quo" tour and it's off to "Sauffffend" in Essex. Past experience has shown it's better to go to the first show of the tour as you're more likely to hear some new material. Often the band will then decide it "doesn't fit" or "doesn't flow right" and go back to the same old set a night or 2 later.

A fastish train to Southend Central gave us a bit of time to explore a couple of hostelries - most were pretty much dead until we got the "Alex" who were IDing people on the door. I managed to blag my way in (maybe I look over 21?) and we found out why it was so popular - £1 for a bottle of Becks, £1.50 a pint of Stella - should have got their earlier! We also had a quick game of pool on possibily the worst table I can remember in the pub outside Westcliff station.

Onto the gig and in just in time for the opener - predictably "Caroline". Third song in was a nice surprise - the return of "Break The Rules". Best bits of the evening were the 2 previously unplayed songs - "Spinning Wheel Blues" in a medley and a full version of "For You" - 2 songs I never thought I'd hear live. Ricks vocals were better than I've heared for a while and Francis was on good form with his playing and banter. Even though in an ideal world there would have been a few more set changes, all in all a very enjoyable show.

Setlist
Caroline
Something 'Bout You Baby I Like
Break The Rules
Mean Girl
Softer Ride
4500 Times
Rain
Beginning Of The End
Medley: Mystery Song / Railroad / Spinning Wheel Blues / Wild Side Of Life / Rollin' Home / Again & Again / Slow Train
The Oriental
Creepin' Up On You
For You
In The Army Now
"Killer" - Drum Solo
Paper Plane
Roll Over Lay Down
Down Down
Whatever You Want
Rockin' All Over The World
+
Junior's Wailing
Rock & Roll Music / Bye Bye Johnny

The 80's Rocked! - Friday 5th November - Epsom Playhouse Theatre

2010-11-06T13:21:00.026Z

I wasn't sure whether to include this in the Blog - after all it's a theatre show rather than a gig as such. That said, it's all music and when we booked up we were expecting Harry from Thunder to be on drums. A shame then that some sort of contractual dispute meant all the band members were changed without explanation at the last minute!

We started in the Wetherspoons in Epsom (and were the oldest people there by some margin). We were then pleasantly surprised to find a nice bar in the theatre - and drinks were allowed in the venue. Just as well!

So, the show? H'mmm. Well it was certainly "entertaining" - if not always for the right reasons. The band was acceptable, the 3 vocalists (sharing mic duties) were OK - in fact "Wardi" (from Oliver/Dawson Saxon) was good - and I saw him years ago in Shy! However, what made us keep laughing out loud was how the other 2 clearly didn't know the words for most of the rock classics they were singing. Despite referring to song sheets on the stage and cries like "Everybody knows this one...", they clearly didn't! If they can't get the right words to "Summer of '69" or "Hammer To Fall" or even standard Bon Jovi stuff, then why play them?

If you were being picky (I am!), then there were a good 4 or 5 songs from the 70's too! All in all, the smallish (100?) crowd were entertained, but the band need to invest in a "Rock Classics of the 80's" songbook for Christmas!

Elton John – Thursday 28th October - Roundhouse, Chalk Farm

2010-10-22T12:58:00.008+01:00

There are pros and cons to the BBC Electric Proms shows. The obvious pros are to see superstar artists in a relative intimate venue and an affordable price. The cons are getting the tickets (although I've been quite lucky there) and the phaff of having to go and collect a wristband earlier in the day and then turn up for the show later (at least that does hinder the touting trade a bit). There's also the fact that the artists are encouraged to branch out and do something different from their normal show - that's sometimes good and sometimes bad.
In this case Elton started with a selection of lesser played hits in which "Burn Down The Mission" and "Tiny Dancer" were highlights. Special guest was Leon Russell (who was on much better form - make that sound quality - than a few months ago) and he played a few solo numbers before Elton mentioned the dreaded words "He's the hard part for the audience - the new album in it's entirety". Now to be fair, the album isn't bad - but 3-4 highlights was surely the way to go!

Alongside, we got 2 other guests:- "Plan B" to duet on "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" - and absolutely murdered it. I can't recall seeing live a worse vocal performance for years - and I'm including Johnny Burrell in that! Much more pleasant was "Rumer" duetting with Leon.

Best bit of the night for me was a stunning "Your Song" from Elton. A song we've all heard hundreds of times, but it was transfixing. So a mixed bag all in all - have to say, I very much agree with the sentiments echoed at this link:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8096296/Elton-John-BBC-Electric-Proms-review.html

and this has some fair comments too:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/oct/29/elton-john-review

Setlist
1.Burn Down The Mission
2.Levon
3.Tiny Dancer
4.Ballad Of A Well Known Gun
5.I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (with Plan B)
6.Delta Lady
7.A Song For You
8.This Masquerade (with Rumer)
9.If It Wasn't For Bad
10.Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes
11.Hey Ahab
12.Gone to Shiloh
13.Jimmy Rogers Dream
14.There's No Tomorrow
15.Monkey Suit
16.The Best Part of the Day
17.A Dream Come True
18.I Should Have Sent Roses
19.When Love is Dying
20.Hearts Have Turned to Stone
21.Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)
22.The Hands of Angels
23.Tightrope
24.Prince of Peace/Out In The Woods
25.Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
26.Stranger In A Strange Land
27.Your Song
28.Take Me To The Pilot
29.Sad Songs Say So Much
30.The Bitch Is Back
+
31.?

Sheryl Crow – Thursday 21st October, Borderline

2010-10-22T12:57:00.011+01:00

Now, I was really looking forward to this. A tiny venue for a star of Ms Crow’s nature – and her first return to the Borderline since her 1994 UK debut. After the annoyance of no physical ticket delivery, we turned up early to “collect” a handstamp to get us in. We got a good central spot about 3 yds from the stage and the venue filled quickly as the Roadies appeared to re-tune every guitar 3 or 4 times. Just after 8:30 it was showtime.

Now I haven’t purchased Sheryl’s latest CD – 100 Miles from Memphis and on this showing it’s going to have to be in the cheap end of the bargain bins before I do. Song after song of endless Jazz/Funk solos. One or two would be fine, but did each song really have to last twice as long as it needed too? The occasional hit or oldie was thrown in, but these seemed understated in the main. I have no problem with an artist wishing to showcase their new material or using the talents of their band (all of whom could certainly perform), but as Richard said on the way out – how “p****d off would we have been if we’d spent 45 quid to sit at the back of Wembley / Hammersmith / wherever and listen to that”. It was a fair observation. Sheryl herself came across well and seemed to enjoy it – but a quick look around saw several bored looking faces. Only saved by the venue and our closeness to the stage it was not a patch on previous times I’ve seen her.

Setlist
Our Love is Fading
A Change Would Do You Good
Eye to Eye
100 Miles From Memphis
Can't Cry Anymore
Summer Day
My Favorite Mistake
Sign Your Name
Improvised Guitar (Doyle Bramhall)
Long Road
Everyday Is A Winding Road
Roses
All I Wanna Do (with Mike Rowe)
Peaceful
+
I Shall Believe

Bryan Adams – Saturday 16th October – Ipswich Regent

2010-10-18T12:56:00.002+01:00

So, acoustic shows are in, aren’t they! The Bare Bones tour continues to avoid London, so up to Ipswich with Mrs B for Bry. Nice venue – surprisingly strict security (4 ejections and a camera paranoia!), but an enjoyable show. Highlights for me were Jealousy (first time heard live for me!), Lonely Nights, a “proper” Summer of ’69, Not Romeo Not Juliet and The Right Place. An engaging evening all round.

Setlist to follow.

[Generic picture from www.bryanadams.com]

Ian Hunter – Sunday 10th October – Union Chapel, Highbury & Islington

2010-10-12T12:55:00.004+01:00

New venue for me (save for the failed gatecrashing attempt a while back!). The Church that is the Union Chapel hosted an acoustic evening (although in reality it was only partially acoustic) from the Mott The Hopple frontman with a small orchestra for some parts. It was OK, but the first hour or so dragged a bit. Ian again played a fair amount of newish and lesser known songs – not a problem, but the mix wasn’t quite right for me. It didn't help that the quality of sound was pretty awful too (a complaint I heard serveral others making on the way out) and when he spoke between songs I couldn't make out what was said.

An emotional Michael Picasso and predictable All The Way From Memphis / All The Young Dudes rounded things off and we had the bonus of another “Ross Halfin” spot! He scores 5 points whereas regulars like Dave Ling are probably a 1 point spot!

Who Convention – Sunday 3rd October – Dingwalls, Camden

2010-10-05T12:54:00.003+01:00

Having really enjoyed the last convention a few years ago at Bush Hall, I was looking forward to this. As it turned out, it was OK, but not especially enthralling. We got to see Thunderclap Newman (Mr Newman himself appears… errrr… slightly eccentric!) with Josh Townshend (Simon’s son, Pete’s Nephew) on guitar. We then went “down the front” for the Wholigans who were good (although not quite as good as previously), but we left before the end as we were fearing of the tube strike making things difficult. Maybe it was because I was tired after the night before, but I couldn’t get too excited about the whole thing which was unfortunately sparsely attended. Shame there were no members of the Who making a surprise appearance this time around.

The Union – Saturday 2nd October – Relentless Garage, Highbury & Islington

2010-10-03T12:53:00.005+01:00

This had to be the wettest day of the year!! Torrential showers (and no Victoria Line) meant I was drenched by the time I met Richard in the Hen & Chickens for a pint of Paulaner. The heavy rain continued and that stopped us from roaming too far before going to the venue.

The venue was half to two-thirds full which enabled us to get a nice spot about 7-8yds from the stage. The moment we got in I spotted journalist Dave Ling (he seems to be at most gigs I go to !!) and Quireboys guitarist Paul Guerin who I assume was with his son. Also spotted Cheam resident and rock photographer extraordinaire, Ross Halfin a bit later.

Whilst the Unions’ set hasn’t changed much over the last year (not surprising as they only have one album!), they are definitely getting better and better and the songs sound good after more plays. I especially enjoyed Black Monday, This Time Next Year and Easy Street. My early reservations are easing, although if I had one (minor) complaint it is that singer Peter Shoulder’s style slightly over-emphasises on elongating the words at the end of each line. After the normal finish of Proud Mary, we headed outside. Unbelievably the rain was even heavier. We ran 10 yds to the bus stop, sheltered under a shop cover and got the bus to Angel. By the time I got home (a 3 minute walk from the bus stop at the other end!) I was literally soaked to the skin!

The Union - Wednesday 22nd September - Gibson Guitar Studio, London

2010-09-23T16:49:00.005+01:00

Another week, another limited audience show. As a purchaser of the "Collector's Edition" of The Union's debut CD, I was invited (alongside the other 99 purchasers and a few competition winners) to a unique "warmup show" by the Union. Promoted by "Planet Rock Radio", the venue was the Gibson Guitar Studio in "Noho".

By the nature of the invitation list, a large pecentage of the audience were attending on their own and didn't know anyone. 90% were blokes, so it was quite strange in the pub beforehand trying to work out who was going or who was waiting for mates / girlfriend etc.

This strange scenario was relaxed slightly by the provision of free beer (thanks very much), but unfortunately it soon ran out !! The band went through a brisk 45 minute set (supposedly licensing restrictions prevented any longer) and were in the best form I've seen them. Once again, a fair few more punters could have been squeezed in if necessary. I chatted with a guy called Russ from the Midlands and we spent a few pints afterwards in the Pub putting the world to rights on Classic Rock and Football - good to meet you.

Looking forward to the full show in 10 days time.

Francis Rossi - Wednesday 15th September - St Luke's Church, London

2010-09-20T16:32:00.002+01:00

An exciting Wednesday night in St Lukes Church on Old Street. The Quo frontman has hired the venue from the LSO for a tiny gathering of fans and media (limited to 200 people) for a run though of his recent solo set for a DVD/CD recording.

Phil and I were able to stroll via the venue to meet Richard in the "Old Fountain" near Old Street tube where, unusually, we all sampled different beer (Bitburger for me, Peroni for Phil & Paulaner for Richard). After suitable refreshment we ventured to the venue to collect wristbands (subsequently unchecked!) and check out the cafe bar for more beer and in Phil's case, cake!

The venue itself was really nice, although could eaily have accomodated double the crowd if required. The sparseness ensured we were able to get a really good position and excellent view. Rossi and his band went through almost the same set as we saw in London in the summer and although it wasn't bad, it lacked the excitement or buzz of the earlier show. The band made a view mistakes, Francis forgot some words and we fully expected the encore to contain a repeat of a few of the songs which hadn't gone so well. That didn't happen, so I'll be interested to see if the DVD/CD do actually appear and if so, whether they are overdubbed. I read a comment on the Quo message board suggesting that Francis himself was a bit disapointed by their own performance.

So all in all, good, but not as good as last time.

Hamsters - Friday 6th August - Earls Court (Great British Beer Festival)

2010-08-09T13:08:00.001+01:00

Off to the Great British Beer Festival tonight where The Hamsters are providing the musical entertainment. We chose this night on the basis that a) it's Friday! and b) they looked far and away the best of the music acts on. They've played the Boom Boom club in Sutton a fair few times, but I've never seen them. Should be some Bluesy Rock with ZZ Top and Hendrix covers thrown in.

Well, sure enough - that's how it turned out. The Hamsters were OK - their guitarist who goes by the name of "Slim" was quite impressive, but for a show like this I maintain that you need an emphasis on material that non-fans will know. Whilst I quite like ZZ Top and can take or leave Hendrix material, I'm not sure the same can be said for most of those in attendance. The original material was listenable too, but not enough to make me want to pay to see the band again. What was obvious (and despite the instrument swapping during the last number, "Sharp Dressed Man"), was despite the competance of the bassist and drummer, they really looked a "one man band". I don't mean any disrespect by that, it's just how it came across.

Anyway, the beer festival itself was OK. It suffered (as normal) from excessive queues - especially around the "Biere Sans Frontier" section (ie Pilsners / Lagers / Specialist Imports etc) and at up to £4.20 a pint was not cheap. The "Golden Beer" winner (whatever it was called!) from Nottingham was pleasant enough, but when you have to wait 15-20 mins to get served for each drink it does take away the fun somewhat.

Leon Russell - Tuesday 3rd August - Jazz Cafe, Camden

2010-08-04T14:13:00.002+01:00

A trip to the Jazz Cafe to see Leon Russell - an artist who has the "legendary" tag pinned to him and is likely to aquire more UK prominence in the near future when his duets album with Elton John comes out. Suprisingly, there was absolutely no mention of that collaboration during the 80 minute set (straight through - no encore) of Southern bluesy guitar and piano with a bit of storytelling thrown in for good measure.

Starting with his most recognisable song, Delta Lady, the sound and vocals weren't great, but did improve. You have to say, that whilst his piano playing was good, the vocals were that of a 68 year old. A fair few cover versions were thrown in later which kept things enjoyable, but this was a pleasant if not outstanding evening. In summary, I'm glad I've seen him - but suspect this will be a one-off for me.

Set (Included)
Delta Lady
Hummingbird
A Song For You
Wild Horses
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Georgia On My Mind
Jumping Jack Flash / Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Medley)
Great Balls Of Fire / Roll Over Beethoven (Medley)

Dan Baird - Sunday 4th July - Borderline, London

2010-07-20T11:19:00.001+01:00

A "double header" today - Twenty20 Cricket at the Oval (Surrey losing badly to Middlesex) and Mr Baird at a hot, sweaty and packed Borderline. And combined with a few "new" pubs too, a very pleasant afternoon and evening.

You know what you are going to get with Dan and his Homemade Sin band and they were on good form as always with a selection of solo, band and Georgia Satellites material. Only downside was once you went to the gents or the bar, you couldn't get back to near the stage! Somewhere a bit bigger next time would be good!

The Mods - Saturday 26th June - Half Moon, Putney

2010-06-30T15:54:00.006+01:00

A trip to Putney for one of our regular bands - the Mods. A good selection of the normal covers with emphasis tonight on The Who which was good. Singer Johnny Warman promised a full version of Quadrophenia on the next visit - that will be worth a listen!

Cher - Wednesday 23rd June - Caesars Palace Forum, Las Vegas

2010-06-30T11:07:00.001+01:00

"Ladies and Gentlemen"... Cher!

Yes, yes - Cher. Not my normal thing of course, but this is Vegas! In the cheap seats (a "bargain" $90 plus the obligitory US "convenience charge), Cher's multi-million pound extravanganza wasn't quite what I'd expected. Rather than purely a concert, this was a collection of mini-plays / muscials acted out to Cher singing backed by a live band who played mainly in the wings.

There were a few surprises - she opened with U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and included Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" (last heard a few weeks ago by Mr Rossi!). What was no surprise was the costume change after every song. Unfortunately this led to much too much video footage which did detract somewhat from the actual show. In all, she probably only actually sang on less than a dozen songs. All in all a 7/10 for me.

Bachman & Turner - Sunday 6th June - Relentless Garage, Islington

2010-06-14T22:43:00.006+01:00

Randy Bachman and Frank Turner together in London for the first time in about 34 years. So, why was the Relentless Garage (stupid name!) so empty? Seriously, there can't have been more than 200 people - stunned!
Well, they missed a decent gig. I've never seen either of these before and I'm notparticular familiar with much Bachman Turner Overdrive material beyond "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" and "Takin' Care of Business", but I did enjoy the majority of what was played. I've heard Mr Bachman sometimes isn't the most sociable of musicians, but he was on good form here. Hope they come back soon!

Setlist:
Let It Ride
Rock Is My Life
Hold Back The Water
Hey You
Moonlight Rider
Looking Out For #1
Not Fragile
Stayed Awake All Night/American Woman (Medley)
Four Wheel Drive
Slave To The Rhythm
Blue Collar
Sledgehammer
Rollin’ Along
Takin' Care Of Business
+
Roll On Down The Highway
You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

Francis Rossi - Sunday 16th May - Her Majesty's Theatre, London

2010-05-20T13:53:00.003+01:00

OK, hands up all those who thought this was going to be an evening of pleasant, but dullish country-tinged pop tunes from "that bloke from Status Quo". Wrong!

It's fair to say that those in our group (all Quo fans) were treating this with a bit of trepidation. We needn't have worried. From the opening bars of a bluesy "Caroline", the audience were on their feet and the excellent band reeled through a selection of material from Rossi's new solo offering "One Step At A Time" and Quo obscurities. The real joy was hearing those delights which Quo never or rarely play. I've moaned often enough about their static setlist and yet here is who many believe to me the main architect of that policy, delivery a great selection. It just shows what can be done when some thought is given to it. Of course, it helps when the band are as solid as they were here.... Rossi jnr on one guitar and the annoyingly good Freddie Edwards on another perfectly complementing FR himself (well, I'm guessing he helped teach them both to play!).

All in all well above expectations and probably more enjoyable as a result than some of the times I've seen Quo. Let's hope there is more to come!

Setlist
Caroline
Claudie
All We Really Want To Do (Polly)
You'll Come Round
Crazy For You
Old Time Rock 'N' Roll
Strike Like Lightning
Tallulah's Waiting
Here I Go
Tongue Tied
Blessed Are The Meek
My Little Heartbreaker
Electric Arena
One Step At A Time
Marguerita Time
Rolling Down The Road
Diggin' Burt Bacharach
Sleeping On The Job
Twenty Wild Horses
Can't Give You More
+
Don't Waste My Time

Band of Skulls - Friday 14th May - Electric Ballroom, Camden

2010-05-18T16:58:00.002+01:00

Well, well well - another new London venue for me (yes, yes, I know the Electric Ballroom has been around for years - I've just never been here). Richard signed me up for this one based on the debut CD which he then lent to me. First play - not impressed. Second play, ditto. Forced myself into a third play and it wasn't improving - hopefully it would be better live I thought.

Anyway, liked the venue and got a good spot fairly near the front. As showtime arrived, the place was heaving with a relatively young audience. The band came on and did their stuff and the crowd was enthusiastic. Set was only an hour and a bit. As we shuffled out at te end, Richard asked me what I thought. "A fair reflection of the CD" was my reply!

Belinda Carlisle - Tuesday 4th May - Jazz Cafe, Camden

2010-05-05T13:55:00.001+01:00

Went with Mrs B for this one and sat up in the restaurant overlooking the stage. Very civilised and an excellent view away from the crush below. Food wasn't bad either!

This was another acoustic evening and Ms Carlisle perfomed a good selection including most of her solo and Go Go's hits. It was really rather good. The band had to walk past our table to get to and from the stage - Di couldn't believe how attractive Belinda remains at 51.

Ian Hunter - Sunday 2nd May - Barbican Centre

2010-05-03T13:54:00.005+01:00

'allo, 'allo, 'allo, 'allo!

New venue - very posh! Mr Hunter played material almost exclusively from his last 3 albums for the first hour, which by his own admission sold a handful of copies. Still, there were some good tunes none the less.

Things livened up a bit for the encore with the predictable Mott The Hoople material ("All The Way From Memphis" remains a personal favourite) and the even more predictable guests - daughter Tracey and Mick Ralphs. A decent evening.

The Quireboys - Friday 23rd March - Jazz Cafe, Camden

2010-04-24T13:52:00.003+01:00

Having arrived at an absolutely packed Jazz Cafe (late as it turned out and missed the first 4 songs), we squeeezed to the back for an eveing of Acoustic Quireboys. Yep, that's right - acoustic! Many have expressed doubts on how that would work based on the loudness and excitement of their normal shows, but augmented by numerous musicians, it did. What was wierd was how Spike would slur and ramble his way through song intros and then sing them perfectly in tune. How does that work?

We stood near Luke Morley and Peter Shoulder (from the Union who we saw earlier in the week). Afterwards had a decent chat with Luke in ther bar who, as always, game across as a very genuine and likeable guy.

The Union - Wednesday 21st March - O2 Academy, Islington

2010-04-22T13:51:00.005+01:00

A 2nd London outing for the Union and not suprisingly (as their first album isn't out yet), the set was broadly simlar to the show at the end of last year. I'm still not quite convinced that the material is as strong as recent Thunder stuff, although it's probably not fair to make direct comparisions. I shall reserve judgement for now.

Bad Company - Saturday 10th April - Brighton Centre

2010-04-11T13:49:00.002+01:00

A Saturday by the sea for the reformed Bad Company and an epic journey due to "trains being replaced by buses between Three Bridges and Brighton". Joy!

Support came from Aerosmith's Joe Perry and his band and for once it was a support act well worth seeing as he ripped through material from his new album and some bluesey classics plus a version of "Walk This Way".

As for the main act, Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs (in danger of becoming my most seen musician of the year!) and Simon Kirke were aumented by a band including Heart's Howard Leese. The set was basically the greatest hits, although perhaps suprisingly, no Free material was played. Sound and lights were good and Mr Perry even returned to help out on "Rock And Roll Fantasy". All was done and dusted for us to enjoy a "Polish" pint on the way back to the station for the "replacement bus service" back to Three Bridges. Home by about 1:45am - lovely!

The Who - Tuesday 30th March - Royal Albert Hall

2010-03-31T23:47:00.001+01:00

Another year and and another week of shows at the Royal Albert Hall in Aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust (of which Roger Daltrey is a Patron). We went for the "cheap" seats up in the "Gods", but had a decent 2nd row seat to the side. This gave a reasonable view for the Who's performance of Quadrophenia (played in full for the first time in ages). Sound was good and we got a couple of special guests in the form of the singer from Kasabian (Tom Meighan) as the Ace Face and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam).

A good performance all in all, only slightly marred by the complete lack of encore. For the money paid, I think the crowd would have been justified in expecting one. Subsequent comments from Roger may have suggested that his voice wasn't really up to extra songs on the night.

Scouting For Girls - Thursday 11th February - Scala, London

2010-02-12T13:44:00.003Z

No gigs in January, so this was my first one of 2010. And a new venue for me too. Not quite sure how I'm managed to avoid the Scala for so long, but I was quite impressed. I was also impressed by Scouting For Girls, whose brand of catchy pop songs seesm set to continue into their second album, some of which was showcased here. A lively and packed audience seemed to lap it up. I particularly enjoyed the traditional "Bond" cover - Live and Let Die which followed "I wish I was James Bond"!

Anyone got the setlist?

Best and Worst 2009

2010-01-18T19:42:00.002Z

My annual look back over the year from a "best of" and "worst of" perspective of the 31 gigs seen during 2009

Best Gig 2009
1: AC/DC- O2
Classic set and a great view on the first night

2: Quireboys - Sheffield O2 Academy
Great band playing a great album in its entirety.

3: Per Gessle - Islington O2 Academy
No, O2 aren't sponsoring this! Classic set with all the hits you could ask for.

Honourable mentions to Thunder and Mott The Hoople at Hammersmith and Quo at Brighton.

Most Disappointing Gig 2009
1: The Answer - Dingwalls
By no means awful, just not as entertaining as most of the other shows this year, hence the reason I decided to skip their December date

I can't really describe any of the others as disappointing - Again , the quality has been really good. That's probably down to me being very selective and refusing to pay ridiculous money for the likes of Bon Jovi, Tina Turner, The Eagles etc

Best Venue 2009
1: Hammersmith Apollo
2: Indigo2
Same as last year then!

Worst Venue 2009
1: O2 Arena
2: Wembley Arena

Good in 2009
1: Another decline in drunks at gigs. Maybe the recession is kicking in on people's drinking habits.
2: Small gigs - this year has re-affirmed that there is fun to be had seeing less well known artists in smaller (and cheaper!) intimate venues.
3: Quality. Pretty much all the gigs have been enjoyable this year.

Bad In 2009
1: Prices for some major artists still over £100 for a decent seat. No thanks!
2: Tfl / Tubelines incompetance on the Jubilee Line meaning regular no trains to the O2.
3: Drink prices at venues. Outrageous in many cases (Yes, Hammersmith & O2 - that's you)
4: Merchandise. Besides a programme for Bryan Adams and "show-only" Thunder, Mott The Hoople and Quireboys CDs, I can't remember buying any again this year. Prices are too high and the quality just isn't tempting enough.
5: Support bands. Once upon a time, I would always make the point of seeing the support band. Now I rarely bother unless it's a name I know and like. That's probably my loss, but there's a lot of very average acts out there.

Enjoy 2010 and get out there and listen to some live music!

Quireboys - Saturday 19th December - O2 Academy, Sheffield

2009-12-20T16:20:00.002Z

The last gig of 2009 for me and a night away in Sheffield. Richard and I had been seeing Quo in Brighton when the Quireboys played London, so in the absence of any Thunder Christmas shows this year, we took a weekend break to Yorkshire. This meant the (freezing) delights of Leeds United (baaa!) v Southampton at Elland Road earlier in the day and an evening of classic rock in the evening.

We caught the end of Wolfsbane's set and positioned ourselves for the main event. The QB's were on top form, ripping through the whole of their classic 1989/90 debut album "A Bit of What You Fancy" and numerous other fan favourites. This is one band I am happy to see time and time again.

Rather predictably having visited a few bars on the way home and with the best intentions of calling it a night, in true Quireboys fashion we found the hotel bar open. This meant an "early night" of around 3am. Eeek!

Setlist (confirmation required)
Mayfair
Don't Bite The Hand
The Finer Stuff
Tramps And Thieves
This Is Rock 'N' Roll
Mona Lisa Smiled
7 O'Clock
Man on the Loose
Whippin' Boy
Sweet Mary Ann
I Don't Love You Anymore
Hey You
Misled
Long Time Comin'
Roses & Rings
There She Goes Again
Take Me Home
+
Sex Party (with Blaze Bayley from Wolfsbane)

The Union - Tuesday 15th December - Relentless Garage, Islington

2009-12-16T16:19:00.002Z

The first ever gig from the Union. Thunder's Luke Morley joins forces with long-time guitar/volcalist mate, Peter Shoulder.

This was at the "Relentless Garage" which used to be the plain old "Garage" at Highbury and Islington. Really not into this constant renaming of venues any more than I am renaming of pubs. We managed to get returns on the "lottery only" style of ticket allocation, but weren't totally shocked to find the venue not full! Bar was expensive (and provoked a few comments from the punters) and the headline act played a short but acomplished bluesy set - all filmed for a DVD release next year. It'll be interesting to see how the album turns out too.

Photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/katharinahaack/4271996636/

Setlist
Easy Street
You Know My Name
Black Monday
Come Rain or Shine
Holy Roller
This Time Next Year
Saviour
Watch the River Flow
+
Lilies
Proud Mary

Status Quo - Friday 11th December - Brighton Centre

2009-12-12T16:18:00.001Z

Much better than Croydon! And the bonus of the legendary Roy Wood as support. Marvellous! 9/10.

Taylor Swift - Monday 23rd November - Wembley Arena

2009-11-24T16:17:00.003Z

OK, so we booked this on the strength of the "Fearless" album which is really good. Actually, so is the first one "Taylor Swift". And whilst aware that Taylor was a young up and coming artist, until the tickets were booked and we checked her website, we were not aware of her typical fanbase. Young teenage girls. Oh dear!

This meant 3 things:-

1) The bar was empty and easily accessible!
2) In our whole block of seats (200+) we were the oldest there.
3) In our whole block of seats we were 2 of only 5 blokes.

Putting aside the above, the show was good - full of catchy pop songs. The screaming between songs got a bit much and during one costume change gap I headed to the bar. On my return, I passed Ms Swift herself on the way to a "B Stage" at the back of the Arena and we nodded acknowledgement. Bet she was thinking that I was a bit old to be there!

Setlist
You Belong With Me
Our Song
Tell Me Why
Teardrops On My Guitar
Fearless
Forever & Always
Hey Stephen
Fifteen
Tim McGraw
White Horse
Love Story
The Way I Loved You
You're Not Sorry
Picture To Burn
Should've Said No

Status Quo - Wednesday 18th November - Croydon Fairfield Halls

2009-11-19T16:15:00.003Z

Regular readers will have read enough reviews of Quo on this site to last them a while, so I'll be brief. Pretty good, but not quite up to their highest standards. 7/10.

[later note: It turns out Francis was ill around this time, which may explain the lack of spark]

Rock-Ola - Wednesday 11th November - Eel Pie Club, Twickenham

2009-11-12T16:14:00.002Z

A first ever visit for us to the "Eel Pie" club in Twickenham. Not the original, this is in the top floor of the Cabbage Patch pub. Rock-Ola are Pete French (who we knew little about) and Bernie Marsden (ex Whitesnake). The first person we saw at the bar on the way in was Neil Murray (Rock bass player extraordinaire) which led us to think it should be good. Someone else in front of us signed a few autographs, but we couldn't work out who he was, despite looking familiar (think a cross bewteen Bernie Ecclestone and Ian MacLagen!) And guess what? It was. It's always nice when you take a gamble on some of these shows and it pay off.

The set was basically blues-driven with some Whitesnake / Led Zep stuff thrown in. Couldn't tell you what all the songs were, but all were listenable to and the instruments and vocals were performed with passion. And it's not often you get to stand next to an 8/10 lookalike for Avram Grant!

Magnum - Friday 6th November - O2 Academy, Islington

2009-11-08T16:13:00.005Z

Rammed, rammed rammed!

Yep, it was packed.. could barely get through the door. Once we did (upsetting several people), we squeezed over to the bar (where you could actually breathe and get served!). Show was good (complete setlist change) and featured many songs from the excellent "Into The Valley of The Moonking" album (rubbish title, great music!). Only complaint (besides the crush) was that the show could have been a bit longer.

Walked up past the Union Chapel on the way out. Attempted to gatecrash the last few minutes of the show - I've even forgotten the artists name (I know it's someone Richard likes!) Blagged our way in through an exit, but got in just as she'd left the stage. Unfortunately, no encore, but a nice try!

Oh and I should also mention the torrential rain (we got soaked!) and the very pleasant delights of the Baverian Brewhouse near Old Street.

Setlist
Cry To Yourself
Take Me To The Edge
Brand New Morning
The Moon King
When We Were Younger
No One Knows His Name
Dragons Are Real
A Face In The Crowd
We All Run
Les Morts Dansant
All My Bridges
All Englands Eyes
Vigilante
+
Don't Wake The Lion
The Kingdom Of Madness

Photo - ALX PIX http://www.flickr.com/photos/alxpix/4237450817/

The Mods - Friday 23rd October - Tooting & Mitcham FC

2009-10-25T16:11:00.003Z

Continuing our regluar visits to see Johnny Warman and the boys - this time at the home of Tooting & Mitcham FC - a new venue for me. Pre show, we checked out the delights of Mitcham - the best pub by some distance was the "Hooden On The Green" with excellent darts facilities and attractive staff. Some of the others were a bit rough and ready, but by no means unfriendly.

The gig itself was of the normal excellent standard. It appears (unfortunately) that guitarist Steve Byrd has been permanently replaced which is a shame. He's even been removed from their website, so I wonder if there was a falling out? That said, his replacement - Gary Grainger is also one hell of a guitar player, so it was interesting to check out his playing and try to pick up a few tips!

We'll look forward to seeing the band again in 2010.

Mott The Hoople - Friday 2nd October - Hammersmith Apollo

2009-10-06T12:43:00.002+01:00

Met up with a couple of colleagues by the River before Richard joined us. Had a good chat about record collecting, gigs and the usual rubbish - it turns out we were in the company of a serious Mott The Hoople fan in Steve!

Many beers later - and having skipped the support - we were inside for the much anticipated reunion. I thought it was a little rough around the edges to start (not surprising), but got better later on. The band did look old though! Ironically, Ian Hunter (70) and Mick Ralphs (65) looked in better nick than the others who were 60 or below. I wonder if that's because they've been musically more active over the last decade?

Sitting behind us we spotted Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) and Paul Guerin and Guy Griffin from the Quireboys. Jimmy Page and Mick Jones were also in attendance and I suspect there were a few more "faces" dotted around.

I was gutted to find out that on the Tuesday Joe Elliot (backed by the Quireboys) was the support act, playing a selection of Ian Hunter / Mott The Hoople classics. Why don't they publish these things beforehand!

Setlist
JUPITER
HYMN FOR THE DUES
ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN
SWEET JANE
ONE OF THE BOYS
SUCKER
THE MOON UPSTAIRS
ORIGINAL MIXED UP KID
I WISH I WAS YOUR MOTHER
READY FOR LOVE
BORN LATE 58
BALLAD OF MOTT
SWEET ANGELINE
WALKING WITH A MOUNTAIN
LIKE A ROLLING STONE / THE JOURNEY
THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK AND ROLL
HONALOOCHIE BOOGIE
ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS
ROLL AWAY THE STONE
ALL THE YOUNG DUDES
KEEP A KNOCKIN'
SATURDAY GIGS

Woodedz - Friday 25th September - Half Moon, Putney

2009-09-26T12:35:00.001+01:00

Rhino from Status Quo (and most of his family) playing at the popular Half Moon venue in Putney.

The location allowed for a bit of a crawl beforehand and we got to the venue around 9:00 to see Rhino still in the bar. This gave us time for a win on the Quiz machine and a game of Pool where - despite the amount of beer consumed - I was uncharacteristically brilliant.

The show was good (although it was a shame the late start meant a shorter set) and was the normal mix of Solo stuff, Quo Material (mainly lesser played album tracks and 'b' sides) and a smattering of Rock covers. Pretty much every member of Rhino's family seemed to be in attendance and most performed! All in all, good fun. Didn't hang around to chat afterwards - instead went for a bit more listening to some classic rock in the B@1 bar.

Jeff Beck - Monday 21st September - Indigo2

2009-09-22T12:22:00.000+01:00

Ambiguously billed as "Jeff Beck with the Imelda May Band", it was unclear if Imelda May and her band were supporting (as they had done on the last tour) or Jeff was joining her band for the evening. A call to the O2 on the day of the show confirmed the latter - no support and Mr Beck in the Band. Knowing that this would mean a night of Rockabilly as opposed to Jeff's normal material, in the bar beforehand Dave was making all sorts of threats to "sue Harvey Goldsmith for misrepresentation" etc.

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. The band were solid, Imelda May's vocals quite stunning and the whole evening was full of enough classic tunes, whatever style they were played in and we all enjoyed it. Ronnie Wood and Jimmy Page were in attendance, but unfortunately had declined the offer to perform - taking a bit of stick from Jeff as a result. Few performers seem so uncomfortable speaking to their audience, but who cares when the guitar playing is so good.

Found out later that Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton are playing the O2 next year. Price £125. Errr... no thanks Harvey. It's good, but not that good.

Setlist
Feel Me
Love Tattoo
Baby Let's Play Outside
Double Talking Baby
Cruisin'
Train Kept a-Rollin'
Poor By
My Baby Left Me
Rockin' is Out Business
Apache
Sleepwalk
Peter Gunn
Remember (Walking in the Sand)
Please Mr. Jailor
Corpus Christi Carol
Lilac Wine
Green Onions
Casting My Spell
The Girl Can't Help It
Brush with the Blues
Rock Around the Clock
Cry Me a River
How High the Moon
Shake Rattle and Roll
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Setlist from http://www.songkick.com/concerts/2459851-jeff-beck-at-indigo2

Upcoming shows

2009-08-24T13:58:00.001+01:00

Looking forward to these over the next month or 2:-

Jeff Beck - Indigo2
Woodedz - Half Moon, Putney
Mott The Hoople - Hammersmith
Magnum - Islington

U2 - Friday 14th August - Wembley Stadium

2009-08-17T13:15:00.001+01:00

Let me be honest, I'm not too much of a U2 fan - especially the lead singer! That said, I recognise that they are a pretty good band with some excellent songs, so - pride suitably swallowed, I shelled out for a "view from the Gods" ticket at Wembley. And guess what? Apart from one truely awful song involving words like "password", "click" and "reboot yourself" - I think it was "Unknown Caller" - the rest of the set was very good.

Setlist
Breathe, No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, London Calling (snippet) / , London Bridge Is Falling Down (snippet) / Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet), Elevation, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet), Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Unknown Caller, The Unforgettable Fire, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo / Acquiesce (snippet), I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes (snippet) / Reverend Black Grape (snippet), Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah (snippet), Pride (In The Name Of Love), MLK, Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name / All You Need Is Love (snippet) / Acquiesce (snippet), One, Mysterious Ways / Norwegian Wood (snippet)+ Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Setlist from http://www.u2setlists.com/360.shtml

Dan Baird & Homemade Sin - Sunday 26th July - Borderline

2009-07-29T13:52:00.001+01:00

Mr Baird and friends at the intimate Borderline. When we got there for the early start, the place was empty. By the time the show was 30 minutes in, it was totally rammed. Great band, great set with some unusual covers. 2 hrs 25 minutes almost non-stop and we even made the tube!

Anyone got the setlist?

Scouting For Girls - Thursday 23rd July - Epsom Racecourse

2009-07-24T13:23:00.001+01:00

2nd visit in a fortnight to evening racing + gig at Epsom racecourse. This time it's for Scouting For Girls - a band whose album I bought on the strength of a single - and really enjoyed.

The relative lack of material led to a set that included all the songs that I liked plus an excellent cover of "Live and Let Die".

Thunder - Saturday 11th July - Hammersmith Apollo

2009-07-13T13:34:00.002+01:00

A week on, and Thunder's final headline show. An emotional evening at a packed Hammersmith Apollo provided a fitting end for a great band. after 20 years.

Thanks for the memories guys - hoping to see you back for the 25th Anniversary!

Setlist (from Thunderonline.com)
Loser / On the Radio / Higher Ground / Low Life in High Places / The Devil Made Me Do It / Gimme Some Lovin' / Empty City / Like a Satellite / River of Pain / You Can't Keep a Good Man Down / Love Walked In / I Love You More Than Rock ‘n’ Roll Encore: A Better Man / Backstreet Symphony / She's So Fine / Dirty Love (Including ‘Billie Jean’ excerpt and ‘Shakin’ All Over’)

Bryan Adams - Tuesday 7th July - Southampton Guildhall

2009-07-08T13:37:00.003+01:00

An acoustic outing from Mr Adams (a first for me) at the pleasant (seated) Southampton Guildhall. An outrageous £69 (with booking fee) ticket, but this was just about justified by a good perfomance including some rarely heard material.

As you'd expect from an acoustic show, a few too many ballads, but with the bonus of some amusing tales between many of the songs, this was an evening not to be missed.

Setlist:
Run To You / Tonight We Have The Stars / Back To You / Here I Am / Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven / Let's Make A Night To Remember / Can't Stop This Thing We Started / I Thought I'd Seen Everything / When You Love Someone / Heat Of The Night / Not Romeo Not Juliet / Everything I Do / Cuts Like A Knife / Lonely Nights / This Time / Mysterious Ways / Please Forgive Me / Summer Of '69 / Walk On By / Heaven / When You're Gone / The Right Place / The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You + Somebody / Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? / Never Let Go / Straight From The Heart

Thunder - Sunday 5th July - Cambridge Corn Exchange

2009-07-07T13:30:00.001+01:00

Thunder's farewell tour (sob!). Decided to do the Cambridge show as well as London next week, especially as the band are promising an ever changing setlist for this final fling.

A packed and extremely hot venue meant we were stuck 3/4 of the way back, but a fine show was delivered. Trains and nightbuses meant I wasn't home until 3am, but this was one show that was worth the hassle.

Setlist (from Thunderonline.com)
Loser / Welcome To The Party / Higher Ground / Low Life In High Places / Gimme Some Lovin’ / Moth To The Flame / The Devil Made Me Do It / Love Walked In / Stand Up / You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down / Don’t Wait For Me / I Love You More Than Rock ‘n’ Roll Encore: A Better Man / Just Another Suicide / Dirty Love (Including ‘Billie Jean' excerpt)

Status Quo - Thursday 2nd July - Epsom Racecourse

2009-07-04T13:28:00.000+01:00

The Quo were back at Epsom for another "Epsom Live!" performance - the first since the opening of the new Granstand. Fresh from their successful set at Glastonbury, the band were in good spirits and excellent form.

Bryan Bros Band - Saturday 27th June, Hand in Hand, Wimbledon

2009-06-29T13:24:00.002+01:00

The Bryan brothers are the top Men's double pairing in World tennis. Taking a break from the Wimbledon championships, they played (with their band) at the small "Hand in Hand" pub on Wimbledon Common.

A pleasant evening - a bit hazy after an all day jaunt at the Twenty20 cricket (Surrey v Middlesex at the Oval). From what I can remember, another Tennis star - Mardy Fish - turned up on vocals for some of the show and the band played a competent mix of mainly cover versions. Unexpectedly bumped into some people I know and there also seemed to be lots of attractive girls around to ogle!

Britney Spears - Saturday 13th June - O2 Arena

2009-06-20T13:13:00.002+01:00

Britney Spears - surely that doesn't fit in with the normal gig profile on here does it? Well, no - but this was a treat for Mrs B. So what was it like? Well, to be fair, it was pretty good as a "show". Like many, I'm not convinced by how much of the vocals were actually "live", but as a spectacle it was an impressive bit of theatre.

Support was from "Ciara" - which may or may not be another "chart act" to add to my list of acts seen.

I didn't know too many of the songs, but it didn't really matter as most were catchy and well received by a mainly young and female audience.

Set list (from WikiPedia)
Act 1: The Circus
Welcome to the Circus (Video Introduction)
"Circus"
"Piece of Me"
Thunderstorm (Performance Interlude)
"Radar"
Act 2: House of Fun (Anything Goes)
Martial Arts Segue (Performance Interlude) (features LAZRtag Remix of "Gimme More")
Medley:
"Ooh Ooh Baby"
"Hot as Ice"
"Boys" (The Co-Ed Remix)
Boot Camp Segue
"If U Seek Amy"
"Me Against The Music" (Bollywood Remix)
"Everytime"
Act 3: Freakshow/Peepshow
Everybody's Looking for Something (Video Interlude) (features "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)")
"Freakshow"
"Get Naked (I Got A Plan)"
"Mannequin" (Added July 5, 2009)
Britney's Hotline (Performance Interlude) (contains elements of "Breathe on Me", "Boys" and "I'm a Slave 4 U")
Medley:
"Breathe on Me"
"Touch of My Hand"
Act 4: Electro Circ
Band Jam Segue (Performance Interlude)
"Do Somethin'"
"I'm A Slave 4 U" (Remix)
Heartbeat (Dance Interlude) (featuring "Lollipop", "American Boy", "Don't Stop the Music", "Closer" and other songs)
"Toxic"
"...Baby One More Time" (Remix)
Encore
"Break The Ice" (Video Interlude) (contains elements of "Gimme More" and "I'm A Slave 4 U")
"Womanizer" (Extended Remix)

Per Gessle - Monday 4th May - O2 Academy, Islington

2009-05-10T13:09:00.003+01:00

So, a trip to Islington for Per Gessle - the male half of Roxette, for probably his first ever UK solo show.

The show had been downgraded from the Shepherd's Bush Empire and to be honest, probably suited a venue this size. That said, it was a fine evening of catchy pop tunes, with a fair selection of Roxette classics included. Most of the crowd appeared to be of Scandanavian origin and Per was greeted with true "hero-like" worship. Great fun, although is was a shame that Marie Fredrikson (other half of Roxette) chose the gig in Holland a few days later to be surprise guest!

Setlist (Order not 100% certain!):
DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
DROWNING IN WONDERFUL THOUGHTS ABOUT HER
STUPID
THE PARTY PLEASER
WISH I COULD FLY
SHE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE
7TWENTY7
I HAVE A PARTY IN MY HEAD
LATE, LATER ON
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART
DO YOU WANNA BE MY BABY?
OPPORTUNITY NOX
DOESN'T MAKE SENSE
CHURCH OF YOUR HEART
DANGEROUS
JOYRIDE
+
C'MON
HEY MR DJ
ARE YOU AN OLD HIPPIE, SIR?
THE LOOK
IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE
+
SLEEPING IN MY CAR
(I'M NOT YOUR) STEPPIN' STONE
QUEEN OF RAIN

Saxon - Thursday 23rd April - Forum, Kentish Town

2009-04-24T13:08:00.003+01:00

Suprisingly, I'd never seen Saxon before and knew little of their material. Supported by the impressive Doro Pesch, this was a good fun evening. Despite my lacking of previous listening, there were enough good songs to keep me on the lookout for a "best of" CD in the near future! Extremely long encore too with a bit of Judas Priest!

Setlist
Battalions of Steel
Heavy Metal Thunder
Demon Sweeney Todd
Ride Like the Wind
Requiem - We Will Remember
Strong Arm of the Law
The Letter
Valley of the Kings
Bands Played On
Hellcat
The Eagle Has Landed (Der Adler ist Gaylanded)
Come Rock of Ages (The Circle is complete)
Machine Gun
Never Surrender
Wheels of Steel
+
Live to Rock
Motorcycle Man
+
Crusader
You've Got Another Thing Coming (with Doro)
+
747 Strangers In The Night
Denim and Leather
Princess of the Night

Gary Moore - Friday 15th April - Brighton Dome

2009-04-18T13:08:00.003+01:00

As expected, this fell into Gary's "Blues Show" catagory, rather than his "Monsters of Rock" type set. Shame though that was, it was a pleasant enough seated show - excellent musicianship and some good blues material, albeit not wildly exciting.

Remind me not to touch the Dome's "festival lager" - black in colour - fine when chilled, but undrinkable when it warms up 2/3 of the way through a pint!

AC/DC - Thursday 16th April - O2 Arena

2009-04-17T13:08:00.001+01:00

Indentical to Tuesday - except saw all the the Answer. Oh, and the fact we were "several miles away" in the seats up near the roof. Allowed us to see just what a good spot we had 2 days earlier.

AC/DC - Tuesday 14th April - O2 Arena

2009-04-15T13:07:00.002+01:00

An evening of Classic Rock at the O2. A couple of pleasant beers in the garden of The Pilot was followed by catching the end of The Answer's set. They sounded OK and were debuting a few tracks from their new album, "Demon Eyes".

We had got to a pretty good spot - front left - about 10-15 yds from the front. I described to a colleague that you get the following at an AC/DC gig.

A 54 year old man in a schoolboy outfit who duckwalks, appears to suffer convultions and performs a striptease
A 61 year old man in a flat cap with a heavy Georgie accent
A 50ft inflatable prostitute
A massive steam train which catches fire
A number of cannons firing at the audience

Rightly, they were alarmed. What can't be explained is how all of the above works - except the answer surely lies in the music. Everyone recognises an AC/DC tune and here they were performed faultlessly. Excellent stuff!

Setlist:
Rock n Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place To be
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty deeds done dirt cheap
Shot Down in Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
Shoot to thrill
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me all night long
TNT
Whole lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
+
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock

Who's Who – Saturday 21st March – Half Moon, Putney

2009-03-23T13:52:00.004Z

A long day! Having met friends in the Coat and Badge in Putney for lunch and beer, we then endured Manchester United's woeful performance in a 2-0 defeat at Craven Cottage. A few more beers amongst jubilent Fulham fans and off to the Half Moon for the Who tribute.

Luckily we'd taken the precaution of pre-booking this time - just as well as it was sold out! The normal solid show, with an elongated "Tommy - highlights" section, but suprisingly no songs from Quadrophenia!

Then home via All Bar One in Wimbledon for a long sleep!

4 Bills & A Ben – Saturday 28th February – Boom Boom Club, Sutton Utd

2009-03-23T13:44:00.004Z

A late notice encounter with 4 Bills and a Ben, prompted by the appearance of ex-Quo drummer Jeff Rich and Quo bassist Rhino Edwards. The added bonus was that Rhino and his family band were also supporting. They seemed intent on playing a number of covers from Quo's covers albums, so in amongst original material, we got "Get Out of Denver", "Lucille", "Sweet Home Chicago" and a few others.

Good evening, big crowd (recognised a number of people normally seen at Quo shows) and the Mods on fine form with guitarist Steve Byrd rejoining after injury. Only downside was the lack of Who songs, which seem to be saved for the Mods incarnation of the band these days.

Status Quo – Saturday 14th February – Portsmouth Guildhall

2009-02-15T13:56:00.002Z

Quo in February? Yep, rescheduled from December due to illness and on a Saturday. Sounds like a plan - albeit after a bit of negotiation with Mrs B about missing Valentine's Day!

Richard and I headed down on the train in the afternoon and had time to visit some of the local hostelries - a mix of very pleasant and pretty rough! The venue itself, the Guildhall, was quite impressive and it was nice to be at a Quo standing show again - Even at halfway back the view and sound were excellent. A good fun day was completed with a bonus half hour in Woking on the way home, where there seemed to be a shortage of clothes on many people at 23:30!

The Answer – Thursday 12th February – Dingwalls

2009-02-13T13:55:00.003Z

It's been a little while since I've seen the boys from Northern Ireland and with a new album coming out and hot off the back of supporting AC/DC in the states, this gig in compact Dingwalls seemed too good to miss. A "record" crowd of 6 of us braved the snow and joined the throng of people down the front - we didn't even have to flog Dave's ticket to a tout this time!

The Answer seem to be Classic Rock Magazine's favourite "up and coming" band at the moment. There's no doubt they are very competent musicians and vocalist Cormac Neeson has a strong voice for the music being played. The catch is in the songs. Most are standard "classic rock" fayre and perfectly listenable to. The problem is that very few have that catchy chorus that you want to sing along with. Exceptions include "Under The Sky", "Never Too Late" and (unfortunately not performed here) "Sometimes Your Love". I just feel to get to the "next level" they need a few singalong stand out tracks. All in all, a perfectly adequate, albeit 6/10 gig.

SAS Band – Saturday 24th January - Indigo2

2009-01-25T13:37:00.001Z

The SAS Band – or “Spikes All Stars” if your prefer and their “New Year” bash at the Indigo2. The normal smattering of Guest Stars, which included Roger Taylor (Queen), Toyah, Jeff Scott Soto, Madeline Bell, Fabba Girls, Roy Wood, Graham Gouldman (10cc) and others.

For a change we actually watch the support band - “Crash” on the basis they featured Motorbike champion James Toseland and had a set based on covers of Classic Rock songs. They weren’t bad.

The main act were as impressive as always – the highlights being Toyah’s “School’s Out”, 10cc’s “Dreadlock Holiday” / “Rubber Bullets” and Queen’s “Cosmos Rocks” sung by Mr Taylor. And of course, the not-so-seasonal “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” by Mr Wood.

Excellent stuff…

The Mods – Friday 16th January – Boom Boom Club

2009-01-17T13:33:00.001Z

My first show of 2009 and a short trip to Sutton United’s Boom Boom club. As normal, an excellent performance of the hits of The Who, Small Faces, Kinks, Stones etc. Normal guitarist Steve Byrd was out injured for this one, but his replacement was top notch. A quality bunch of musicians playing quality songs.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T22:24:00.000Z

So, that was 2008... here's hoping for a nice 2009. Not too much planned so far on the Gig front, but due to see the Mods soon, so I'll update you on that when I can.

2008 - The Best and Worst

2008-12-30T14:35:00.003Z

My annual look back over the year from a "best of" and "worst of" perspective.

Best Gig 2008
1: Bryan Adams - O2
Classic long set and barely a "filler" amongst them
2: Who - Indigo2
They maybe of pensionable age (nearly), but no-one rocks like the 'oo!
3: Journey - Hammersmith Apollo
Unexpectedly good evening of Classic Rock

Most Disappointing Gig 2008
1: The Scorpions - Hammersmith Apollo
Last years "Best Gig" winners was the most disappointing this year - but still not bad!
2: Status Quo - Brighton
A rare below-par performance from the Quo - but still an enjoyable show.

I can't really describe any of the others as disappointing - In a year of reduced shows for me, the quality has been really good. That's probably down to me being very selective!

Best Venue 2008
1: Hammersmith Apollo
2: Indigo2

Worst Venue 2008
1: London Astoria
2: Wembley Arena

Good in 2008
1: Less Drunks at gigs than last year.
2: Venues don't seem to be quite such a squeeze when "full". Maybe Health & Safety has reduced some capacities.
3: More friendly security - Seems more customer focused at most venues.

Bad In 2008
1: Even more people buying tickets for "big artists" purely to flog them on eBay for profit. Lowlifes! And don't even get me started about Seatwave / GetMeIn / Viagogo etc! How does AC/DC sell out 2 nights at the O2 in less than 10 minutes? Why are prime seats available via GetMeIn (A Ticketmaster Company) etc a nanosecond later at a 400% markup?

2: Fuelled by above, Rip-off ticket prices still. Maybe the credit crunch will bring these back down. Even if it does you can bet the agencies will still charge a fortune in "booking fees" and postage.

3: Merchandise costs are still far too high. I still don't want to pay £15 for a programme. As said before, I would buy a T shirt if they were a) good and b) around a tenner instead of poor quality and £16/£20 each ! The "fake" ones outside are less than a fiver and often not any worse quality.

Well, that's it for 2008. Hope you had a good one and an even better 2009!

The Who - Monday 15th December - Indigo2

2008-12-16T13:32:00.001Z

What can I say - It's the WHO! Therefore as you would expect it was very, very good! Included the first public performance for 25 years of "Slip Kid". Lots on banter and swearing from Townshend and Daltrey in fine voice. Also the novelty of the 1st song performed twice has PT had a problem with his ears and had to leave the stage for 5 minutes. I blame the hat and glasses!

Setlist:
Can't Explain
[break for Townshend to sort his ears out!]
Can't Explain (again!)
The Seeker
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Fragments
Who Are You
Behind Blue Eyes
Tattoo
Sister Disco
Baba O'Riley
Eminence Front
5:15
Love Reign O'er Me
Won't Get Fooled Again
My Generation
Naked Eye
+
Slip Kid
Magic Bus
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks
See Me, Feel Me
Listening to You
Tea & Theatre

Quireboys - Sunday 14th December - The Forum, Kentish Town

2008-12-15T13:31:00.001Z

Rock and Roll at its best! Greatest Hits and a selection from the excellent new "Homewreckers and Heartbreakers" album.

Kentish Town has smartened up a bit too.. it even has a nice Piano Bar called "Annies"!