At the
beginning of this year, I thought it might be fun to change how I cobble
together my end of year blog (in which I rank my favourite gigs of that year)
and try and keep a live league table of sorts, that would be updated each time
I went to a gig. Best laid plans and all, I forgot to do this after about 3
gigs and abandoned the idea. I wrote the 3 gigs in three days blog as going to
three gigs in three days is not something I do often and thought it would be
fun. Since then, I’ve been to three gigs in total, taking me to 9 for the year.
After the 9th, I had a think about a potential league table again, but decided
it was not a good idea and binned the idea once and for all. Deciding on the
end of year list would be future Mike’s problem (one which he will likely curse
past Mike for, but I digress).
Since
then however, the world has somewhat changed. The Coronavirus pandemic has
fundamentally changed life in almost all countries around the world (at least,
that is the impression I get from looking at the news). This, at first, didn’t
impact me so much. It was a talking point at work around early March, but I don’t
recall there being any (public) chat about it being cancelled/postponed. Since then,
social distancing measures have been introduced which have temporarily closed several
businesses including pubs, theatres, arenas and everything in between. The first
time the pandemic impacted me in any way came when I was going to get a late
ticket for The Subways show in Portsmouth and was considering one for Ash
and/or Stiff Little Fingers (all three were at the Pyramids). However, all
three got postponed (I’ve just checked, and all three have been rearranged for
September).
The
first gig I had a ticket for, which got postponed was the Evanescence/Within
Temptation co-headline tour. This has just been rearranged for September. The
second one to go was Dinosaur Pile-Up, which has been rearranged for a date in
August which clashes with something major at work. I don’t know if I’ll be back
in the office by then (as I am one of those who is working from home) - so I
cancelled my ticket for that one as a precaution more than anything. The main
thing which for me which sucks has been the cancellation of my holiday to
Belgium. I am keeping a close eye on Faith No More, Rammstein and the Hella
Mega Tour as well (Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer) as I don’t see any of
them going ahead in June. When Glastonbury was cancelled, I realised truly how
much of an impact this would have on live music. Download and Isle of Wight
festivals have since been cancelled (yesterday as I type this, Isle of Wight
closed its borders to non-essential visitors, more significantly).
I fully
accept that gigs and holidays being cancelled in the grand scheme of things is not
the end of the world when this disease is killing a lot of people. This isn’t
intended to be a “isn’t life unfair” blog where I say my experience is worse
than everyone else’s, because it definitely isn’t. I still have my health (most
importantly) and I still have my job. Members of my family have had to self-isolate
which isn’t great - but that is the worst of it for me personally so far. In
the grand scheme of things, I could be a lot worse off.
I don’t
know what will happen next in terms of social distancing. The deputy chief
medical officer (apologies if I have that title wrong) very sensibly said on TV
yesterday (as of writing) that these restrictions would be lifted in stages
and, when it happens - it would be done slowly. Because of this, I think gigs
scheduled for June/July will be cancelled/postponed. I wouldn’t be shocked if
this is extended to August/September as well. I am not expecting, for example,
to be seeing Evanescence/Within Temptation in September. The same with the
three Portsmouth shows that got postponed in March – rearranged to September
but I would not be shocked if they get postponed again. It would of course be
lovely to be wrong, but so much of what is currently going on is unknown at the
moment.
Anyway,
the point of starting this blog was to talk about my end of year list. I
honestly don’t know at this stage in the game when I will next be at a gig, if
indeed I will be at one again this year, so I thought I would post a Top 9.
Honourable mentions go to live gig streams I’ve watched (Frank Turner has been
the proper MVP of these). As it happens, most of this blog was written
yesterday while a Chris Catalyst stream is on YouTube which I was watching in
between typing words. I am counting the ones I watch live in my overall gigs
list, but not counting the ones I watch after the event (seems fair). I’m not
including any of the streams, live or on catch-up in the end of year list though (because frankly, Code
Orange would run away with everything). Without further adieu, the top 9:
9. The Bellrays
- Edge of the Wedge, Portsmouth. January 2020.
This
was a gig I went to on a bit of a whim really. I heard two songs and was like
“sold!” as those two songs were immense. When I bought the ticket, the gig was set
to be at the Wedgewood Rooms. I would say I was sad to see it get downgraded,
but I didn’t know it had been until I got to the venue and saw the main venue’s
door was closed. The main support, Los Pepes, were good. The Bellrays were
really good. Anyhow, there are some really fine margins in the placements of
these gigs - and this one is 9th because I don’t like a packed Edge of the
Wedge (and because there was a higher up from my work there, which meant
drinking away my uncomfortableness wasn’t an option sadly).
8. InMe
- The Joiners, Southampton. January 2020.
InMe
were really good. Haggard Cat, who were the main support, were also really
good. I got drunk before/during this gig in a snooker/pool hall (which was quieter
than most of the local bars, although it didn’t take long to work out why) and
honestly, thinking back on it now, there are chunks of it I can’t remember
(which isn’t ideal). Not a lot else to add really - the bits I remember are all
good (aside from being a drunken/awkward mess buying a shirt from the front man
of Haggard Cat towards the end of InMe’s set - why couldn’t I have forgotten
that bit?!)
7. The
Interrupters - O2 Forum, London. February 2020.
If you
had asked me when writing my end of year blog last year which gig I had booked
that I expected to be number one, I would have mentioned this one as being
within a shout. The reason it is not is twofold. Firstly, the supports were not
my thing at all. I know that shouldn’t spoil a gig, and it didn’t, but 2 months
on and that is still the first thing I think of when I think of the gig. The
second reason, like the InMe gig is that I was very drunk by the time The
Interrupters came on stage, and there are chunks of that gig that I don’t
remember. What a state, honestly. From what I recall, The Interrupters were
predictably great.
6.
Loathe - The Joiners, Southampton. February 2020.
This is
where this list gets tough. I went back and forth on this and, in another thin
margins decision, decided this gig was 6th. The main reason had nothing to do
with the gig either, but it hampered my enjoyment of it. In short, on my way to
the gig, I was walking down Above Bar Street in Soton when I heard some loud
voices, and saw a young girl running for her life. In pursuit, was a guy
shouting after her - and a group of people were following him. They all poured
into a Burger King there and that was the last I saw of it. There was a venom
in his voice which made me worry about what had happened for the rest of the
night - it frankly was horrible. I couldn’t fully switch off and enjoy the gig. The gig itself was great,
God Complex were abrasive in a good way, Phoxjaw were ace again and Loathe were
just quality. Their new album is immense. Aye, this was a great gig, just a
shame I couldn’t fully enjoy it in the moment. To conclude the story, as I
walked back to get my train home, the BK was closed and there was no indication
it had been a crime scene so...who knows? I looked for any mention of it in
local news and found nothing.
5. Frank
Turner (solo) - The Dome, Brighton. March 2020.
As it
stands, my penultimate gig of 2020. I have wanted to visit the venue ever since
getting my second tattoo, and the tattooist telling me how good it was for a
gig he was at. He wasn’t wrong, the Dome is a cracking venue. Jess Guise and
Micah Schnabel both had really good sets. Frank Turner’s set was just as good
as the one I saw last year at the Wedge, if not better. Not relevant to this gig itself, but Frank Turner has done a number of live streams to raise money for his crew/band, as well as independent music venues and charities, and I think that is something that really ought to be commended. I've watched 4 of them now, and they have all been excellent.
4. The
Menzingers - Engine Rooms, Southampton. February 2020.
This
came so close to being ranked above Slipknot. I had an equally as lovely time,
with the right amount of booze and didn’t have to leave early, which was nice.
Mannequin Pussy opened and they were good (a real mixed bag in terms of styles
but I enjoyed them). Spanish Love Songs were great, having one of those support
sets that made me wonder if the main band could top it. The MenzIngers, the main
band, did top it. They were excellent as well. All my memories of this night
are positive, which is all you can ask for really.
3. Slipknot
- The O2, London. January 2020.
I am
surprised this is as low as it is, but there we are. Truthfully, the only
reason it is so low is because the trains were a little bit knackered. So, to
avoid a very long train home, I had to leave early. Anyone who has done this
knows this means setting a cut off point for leaving. I did this but kept
checking my watch throughout the gig. The reason it is as high as it is though
is because Slipknot are so fucking good live and the new material live is just
massive. Also, seeing Slipknot play Disasterpieces live was just wonderful (the
song that starts with the line “I’m gonna spit your throat and fuck the
wound”). Loved it. Shout out to Behemoth as well, who looked and sounded great
on that big stage.
2.
Sabaton - SSE Arena, London. February 2020
This
one almost got scuppered by a hangover (see earlier entry about The
Interrupters). I wasn’t going to bin it, but I was tempted to transfer my mates’
ticket to him and stay in the hotel until I absolutely had to leave. I decided
to grit my teeth and bare it, and as it happens the hangover headache had gone
by the time the music started, which was fortuitous. Amaranthe opened and were
excellent. I really enjoyed Apocalyptica. Sabaton set a high bar for me when I
saw them at Wacken 2013, and with this set, they comfortably cleared it.
Quality set. Their stage show was awesome as well – big fan.
1.
Employed To Serve - The Joiners, Southampton. March 2020
The
travel to and from this gig was a proper headache. It meant missing a chunk of
the first band, which was a shame as what I heard sounded very good. Palm
Reader were incredible. And somehow, Employed to Serve were even better. Their
headline show in London last year was ace, and since then they’ve introduced
more from their new album which is cracking. The one thing which caught me off
guard was them playing “I Spend My Days Wishing Them Away” in the middle of the
set, as I am used to that being a set closer. Not sure what else to write
really, ETS crushed it. My only gripe is I wish they played longer, which in
the grand scheme of things is a small gripe.
Photos of most of these gigs (of varying quality...) can be found on Instagram. There are also other photos there, because that's how it works.
And
that, as they say, is that. Despite ranking them all, I am pleased to say that
all 9 gigs were varying degrees of good to superb. If there is no more this
year then that would be a shame. I hope that this isn’t it but am aware there
are bigger things at play - and honestly, I won’t complain about there being no
more gigs this year for me if the trade-off is me, my family and friends all
stay safe and well. This disease discriminates against no-one (earlier tonight
as I write this, the Prime Minister was hospitalised as a precaution), so my
overriding hope is as few people as possible are harmed by this thing. Anything
else can wait. I don’t know what will happen next, and it would be a lie to say
I’m not concerned or anxious about it. A prediction I’ve seen is that in the
UK, we’re going to hit the peak in the next couple of weeks in terms of
cases/deaths – so it is probably going to get worse before it gets better.
Stay
safe. Be kind.
