Gig Going Thread.

[QualityChimp]

I'll be there on Thursday, mate.
I have a wedding on Saturday, so can only do one Metallica show, sadly.

Pint?

[CMcK]

I'll be there on Thursday, mate.
I have a wedding on Saturday, so can only do one Metallica show, sadly.

Pint?

Sounds good. I'm in the regular campsite this year too. Swing by the tent for Brewdog and tequila / mezcal / repasado or whatever I have with me.

[QualityChimp]

Sounds good. I'm in the regular campsite this year too. Swing by the tent for Brewdog and tequila / mezcal / repasado or whatever I have with me.

I'm arena-only, so I'll have to meet you by the dog statue.
I'll be wearing a black t-shirt with my favourite heavy metal band on.
You can't miss me.

[CMcK]

I'm arena-only, so I'll have to meet you by the dog statue.
I'll be wearing a black t-shirt with my favourite heavy metal band on.
You can't miss me.

A foolproof plan!

[CMcK]

Went to see Bullet For My Valentine at the Barrowland Ballroom last night. They’ve been around for 20 years now and the set contained a lot of older material. Really great to see my autistic nephew just go for it at these gigs albeit safely at the side of the crowd. And I came home with this


The drummer takes used skins and paints them. When I saw that one I had to get it. It’s going up on the wall facing my kit at home.

[QualityChimp]

That's brilliant!
I really need to listen to more Bullet.
They played Download one year and they tore up the main stage.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Went to see The Mouse Outfit at Powerhaus (FKA Dingwalls) in Camden last night. Opening night of their UK tour.

A mix of new stuff and classics played on the night. Raucous but also very entertaining live-band hip-hop.

Feeling very old with the realisation that they seemingly have a young fanbase if the crowd was anything to go by!

[QualityChimp]

Saw another Muse tribute on Friday because I can't afford to see the real thing!

They were pretty decent, to be fair!

[fuse]

Recently have enjoyed Self Esteem and Napalm Death, and I went with a friend to go see The Midnight. Not exactly my cup of tea, but did enjoy myself some synthwave. I passed on going to see Wormrot on Saturday as I was feeling a little rough and couldn't face the trek to/from New Cross.

Plans for the rest of the year are looking busy and great in equal measure - full list here. A couple have already fallen through though - White Ward having to pull out as it seems the visa situation for Ukrainian musicians got even more complicated, and Turnstile having just changed dates to one which now clashes with Chat Pile. Really glad I caught Liturgy recently as their next date clashes with Swans, who I've missed opportunities to see so many times now.

[huxley]

Got tickets to see Combichrist in Southampton at the end of the month.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Late posting (by about a week and a half).

If you get the chance to see Bartees Strange live then f'n do so. I saw him play at Lafayette in Kings Cross earlier this month and he absolutely rocked it.

Lafayette also a decent venue for live music. Very similar to Omeara in London Bridge (perhaps no surprise as they're owned by the same company).

[QualityChimp]

Not quite sure what thread to post in, but I went to the cinema to see Coldplay: Music of the Spheres Live at The River Plate.

I'm not the world's biggest Coldplay fan, but I love The Scientist and Fix You and I've seen clips of some of their live shows, which look amazing. Even their reduced Glastonbury Lockdown set was eye-popping.

This live show is something else, though. I've seen giant inflatable Rosies, Justin Hawkins playing a solo on the back of a flying white tiger and Metallica crew running across the stage on fire, but this was phenomenal.

The most amazing thing was that every audience member was given a wristband that would light up at certain moments, either flashing in unison, changing colour or making heart shapes. It looked amazing.
They also had a runway, that had a round screen stage at the end that had some impressive effects and on the stage and on the seats behind were some screens that made the video effects larger than the stage.

All of which was captured by an army of cameras, including some amazing drone footage, sweeping over the crowd, up over the stadium, through glitter bombs and fireworks.



If anything, being able to appreciate the spectacle both up-close and from the air makes this a better experience than just being stood in one spot, but better for fans who can do both, I guess.

They had a dancefloor that generated power with movement, people on dynamo bikes and each ticket bought a tree to be planted in a bid to make the concert carbon-neutral.

The setlist was strong with only a couple of duffers in the encore.
I prefer the earlier stuff, but Chris Martin explains they had to break out of the pigeonhole people wanted to put them in, and they're selling stadiums out around the world and capturing new generations of fans with this new work.

Chris Martin is a marmite character, but it feels like being positive and embracing love is much harder than being cynical and critical, so he's a little cringey, but his message is valid.

If you like Coldplay, this is a must-see.
If you're interested in seeing how far concert tech can be pushed, check it out.
If you want to punch Chris Martin, maybe watch the trailer with the sound off.

[fuse]

I commend you for being able to sit through that. I am in full recognition of the chip on my shoulder about Chris Martin, and while positivity and carbon neutrality are applaudable goals, I also think it's plenty to just be a band and to make good art. I get that they're having to consider things at an entirely different scale than most of the bands in my orbit, though.

Life stuff means I'm probably going to miss Otoboke Beaver next week, ho hum. I will try and catch them again soon.

Had a bit of a panic this morning trying to get tickets for Better Lovers - knew they were up at 10am, but a work meeting meant I wasn't able to be online at exactly that time, and the show I was hoping for was already operating a waiting list less than half an hour later! Thankfully there's a second London date in New Cross which I was able to get tickets for. They've only been formed for a couple of weeks, and all we've got to go on is one song, but they're a super-group which is essentially the remains of Every Time I Die, fronted by Greg from The Dillinger Escape Plan and with Will Putney rounding it all out. That is... exciting.

[CMcK]

Life stuff means I'm probably going to miss Otoboke Beaver next week, ho hum. I will try and catch them again soon.

Oh man that sucks. They're great live and have a superb support band in the form of Drinking Boys and Girls Choir on this tour too. I'm going to see them at the best sounding venue in Glasgow next weekend. Shame I'm working all weekend though.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Caught a live intimate acoustic show from Hazel English at Folklore in Hoxton last night.

Surprisingly more enjoyable than I thought it would be, especially considering that I first saw her live with a band in Brighton a few years ago and didn't think her music sounded as good in the flesh as it did on record.