Gig Going Thread.

[QualityChimp]

Senser last night.

The Darkness tonight.

The Smashing Pumpkins tomorrow.

Rock and roll, baby!

[Colin]

How were they all QC? I take it you passed on Rival Sons?

The Boss has just confirmed he's touring again next year, this makes me very happy. Already confirmed for Hard Rock Calling which is local to me, and we're going to head over and see him in NYC too. Happy days!

[randombs]

Going to this next Friday:

http://yellowlounge.co.uk/

Only ?6 per ticket is a bloody bargain, considering Alice Sara Ott alone is playing tonight for ?22. Can't wait, looks like it'll be awesome.

[QualityChimp]

How were they all QC? I take it you passed on Rival Sons?

Sorry, I meant to PM you. I was this close to going, but my gig chum had to work late away from home so we never made it. He was really keen too. Will defo try to see them next time or perhaps at a festival.

Senser were great. Saw them at Download 2 years back and they were great and made a lot of new fans. I know they say "If it's too loud, you're too old", but if it's too loud your ears start buzzing and you can't hear anything. The support band were insanely loud. We had to back off to save rupturing our spleens. Bit silly really as they were quite good. Senser were great though, good mix of old and new tunes. Love how their sole guitarist holds it all together with his massive riffs.

The Darkness are back and they're on top form. Last time they toured they played to arenas and Justin just seemed a bit bored. Bored and fat. Now they're back and they've got the hunger again. The set comprised mainly of the first album with a couple of 2nd album singles, Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) and some new material. Highlight was Justin playing the solo to "Love on the Rocks Without Ice" on the shoulders of a bouncer whilst walking through the crowd.

The Smashing Pumpkins. I'd been really looking forward to this one. I think this was the 8th time of seeing them! It was a really odd set because Billy Corgan never does a straight "greatest hits" set, he plays some album tracks and slower songs. This meant that although they are all pretty good songs, when you stacked them up against the likes of Cherub Rock, Geek USA, Soma, Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Siva and Silver, they seemed a lot poorer in comparison. So in the 2hr+ set, I'd say it was 75% awesome, and 25% comparatively average. BC seemed a bit bored too, but when they came back on after the encore, he finally started chatting and said he really enjoyed himself, it was a great crowd and he went to the Birmingham German Market, which had only 4 stalls endlessly repeated.

I'm making it sound like a bad gig, but it wasn't. The highs were oh so high! At the end of the day, hearing some of the songs off Siamese Dream that I'd not heard since the '93 tour was amazing. Geek USA is such a full-on song and I've yearned to hear it live again. You must rate Corgan as an amazing guitarist too, Ikobo?

videos from all 3 gigs are up on my YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/user/QualityChimp

Talking of Siamese Dream, Radio 1's Zane Lowe chose it as the first album on this year's Masterpiece Albums last night. He played celebrity comments about the album, followed by an interview with BC about it and then played the album in full without interruption. First thing they've done that's worth listening to in aaages! It was really good though. Turns out, BC was such a perfectionist that he kept going back into the studio to re-record James Iha's guitar and D'arcy's bass parts. 99.8% of the guitars and bass is BC! Very interesting show *clap clap clap*.

[Skull Commander]

I started listening to that Zane Lowe broadcast on I-Player and lasted about 10 mins. The Pumpkins are my favorite band, but I cannot stand Lowe and his simpering fake over enthusiasm for everything, and when they asked a member of Blink 182 about it that's when I snapped!

[QualityChimp]

Should've stuck around because not long after that there was a 20-odd minute interview with Billy.

I know he's like the boy who cried wolf because he seems to like everything, but Zane did genuinely seem happy he'd finally got Siamese Dream onto the Masterpieces shows and claimed several times it's his favourite album.

Tonight's choice is Amy Winehouse. I think it's a little too soon to be claiming it's a masterpiece, but then everybody's tastes are different. Will people still rate Back to Black in 18 years' time?

[Gradius]

I was at the Brum Pumpkins gig too. Never saw them live before despite liking them since Siamese Dream, really enjoyed it.

[toythatkills]

Went to see Metronomy last night. My God. So, so good.

It was part of the NME awards tour, so also there was Azealia Banks (I have never heard the word "nigger" so many times in such a short space of time). She's a right potty-mouth. ****s and ****s all over the place.

Tribes were... alright.

Two Door Cinema Club were pretty good. I enjoyed the songs I knew but the others... not so much. Nice lights.

Metronomy though. METRONOMY. You know when a band plays all your favourite songs? Love them so much.

[QualityChimp]

I'm going to this year's Download Festival, which has a great line-up this year!

Headliners are The Prodigy on the Friday, Metallica playing the Black Album on the Saturday and the festival will be closed on the Sunday by Black Sabbath in their only 2012 festival appearance.

Other bands that I'm looking forward to seeing are (in no particular order) Megadeth, Soundgarden, Billy Talent, NOFX, Cancer Bats, Slash, Europe, Terrorvision, Gallows, Biffy Clyro, Tenacious D, Steel Panther, Trivium, Saxon, Black Veil Brides, Killswitch Engage, Halestorm, Skindred, Turbonegro, Lower Than Atlantis, Gun, No Americana, Black Label Society, Anthrax, Kyuss Lives!, Ugly Kid Joe, Black Spiders, We Are The Ocean and Rival Sons!

It's going to be a blinder!

[Fader209]

Ugghhh Steel Panther are **** though. Everything else is great!
I would go just for Europe

[Kieran76]

I love Terrorvision, they are a great festival band. Seen them loads of times. I buckled and bought tickets via eBay to see Eddie Vedder at Hammersmith Apollo and have also buckled and bought tickets to see Soundgarden at Hard Rock Calling. They have a lot to live up to though. Pearl Jam and Ben Harper was one of the greatest gigs of all time when they headlined a couple of years ago.

[ETC]

I'll be there probably pissed as a rat in the killswitch tent last pit of theres I was in I ended up with a broken rib

[Colin]

I love Terrorvision, they are a great festival band. Seen them loads of times. I buckled and bought tickets via eBay to see Eddie Vedder at Hammersmith Apollo and have also buckled and bought tickets to see Soundgarden at Hard Rock Calling. They have a lot to live up to though. Pearl Jam and Ben Harper was one of the greatest gigs of all time when they headlined a couple of years ago.

That pearl jam gig was an absolute blinder, I even got a wee bit emotional at one point! Glad to hear you buckled for Soundgarden, we can share impressions after. I go to see the Boss the night after with over 20 mates, what a weekend that's going to be!

Oh, and what are you on about Fader, The Panther are a great laugh live!!!!

[fuse]

Saw 65daysofstatic at the Garage earlier in the week, who were great, but are currently playing a bit too much off the recent record. Still amazing and one of my favourite bands, though.

Last night my mate from back home was up in town to see Andrew WK and had a spare ticket, so I went to that too. Not the kind of thing I'd actively listen to, but it's simple, fun, and good to enjoy a beer to. He seems to encourage people coming on stage too, at points we're talking upwards of 20 crowd members on at the same time. Silly, but enjoyable.

[CMcK]

I'm going to Download as well. Really good lineup this year.

Went to see Therapy? on the Jagermeister tour in Glasgow on Wednesday. Great stuff but they only had a 45 minute set. Still opening with Teethgrinder is a fine way to start. Missed the Black Spiders and Yashin were rubbish. Didn't hang around for Skindred as I'm not a fan and there was a few bottles with my name on in the Bier Halle!