Concert diary :: October
-
Artist:
As you may or may not know, since I moved to the UK, I've been going to many shows. I want to share my experiences with you, but I'm afraid that if I make 10 live reviews posts a month, I will bore you, come off like I'm boasting, and end up repeating myself (I'm an amateur, after all!). So, I came up with this idea instead. UK shows diary posts, which I will make once a month, summing up a month of shows. Hope you likey! I will make an exception for Goldfrapp though, since it seems that you are interested in an wholesome review.
~ Cajun Dance Party, October 2nd, The Cockpit, Leeds
Or how a band with a pleasant album and 2 lovely songs can get ruined live. I was probably the oldest person in there. 13-18 year olds were the vast majority (my first indication that I was at the wrong place). Then the 18 year olds from the band took the stage. They were not bad, BUT there was a lot of teenage angst. A lot. Especially in the singer's performance. He looked ridiculous. Lyrics from their new album {eh?!} should give you a taste: "psycho bitch, so in disguise", "I'm just another, I look like my brother", "the day you left I started medication", "you are a frozen god". Oh, and here's one I came up with that night: I'm too old for this shite.
Award for Most Vivid I'm-Too-Old-For-This-Shite Situation.
~ Late of the Pier, Midnight Juggernauts, October 5th, The Mission, Leeds
MJ: I find their studio material to be mediocre, especially when we have so many new bands from the same genre that do it better. That being said, they have a good live show, giving it their all, even though their material doesn't help.
LofP: I guess the question with LotP was if they could transfer their charmingly disconnected, insanely synthy sound on stage. The answer, luckily, is YES. Hell yes. They're young, but they make beautiful noise like they are old pros. We're talking sonical storms here (I don't know who I mean by "we", I am the only person writing this....I'm scared!). The crowd was going utterly mental, and the lead singer couldn't help but notice "no barrier and no security can hold you back". And truly enough, security men were struggling to keep the crowd under control. Short set, but I found out early on that this is how new bands roll. If they come your way, and you don't make it to their show, you only have yourself to blame for missing one of the most exciting new bands of 2008.
Award for Barely Under Control Show.
~ Foals, Wild Beasts, October 9th, Leeds Academy
WB: I've already rambled about them many times, and chances are that I'm not going to stop. My favourite debut album of 2008, and that says ALOT. Wonderfully quirky and almost unbearably harmonic on stage as well, I'm guaranteeing that they will take you away on a trip (and have you back home by midnight. Maybe.).
F: Oh Foals, with your Greek singer, and your gems of songs. Your rhythm that carries away everybody and causes Greek girls (hi!) to leave the venue with bruises as souvenirs. Your unstoppable energy and your inspired melodies. Oh Foals!
Award of Best Supporting Act Ever.
~ The Last Shadow Puppets, Ipso Facto, October 13th, Leeds Academy
IF: Saving my impressions for future post.
TLSP: OK, what did you expect to read now? That they were awful? That I had a terrible time? That Turner was as unattractive as always? How many liessssssss can fit in one post! OK, I enjoyed this show to my core. They had a full orchestra with them, and although the orchestrations could have been a bit better imho, it was a great sight and listen. From the fast-paced songs to the more slow-paced ones, Kane and Turner did a wonderful job, going with easiness from sonical suspense (it's what I call that sound) to tenderness, and with the orchestra giving more depth in the performance. Call me biased, call me smitten, call me a stalker. They're all true. But that don't mean that this wasn't a marvelous show.
Award for Favourite Show of the Month (surprise! Not).
~ Los Campesinos!, No Age, Times New Viking, October 16th, Leeds Irish Center
TNV: Erm, no.
NA: Not a bad duo at all, but I wasn't exactly touched. Bonus points for being funny, interactive with the audience, and for coming down to dance with us right after the end of their show.
LC!: Most of you have seen them live, so I don't know what I can say that could be new. Oh well, point is that all the MOGgers are right. Fun fun fun. Them! Us! Dancing! To the point that we missed our last bus and had to catch a cab.
Award for I'm So Rock 'n' roll That I Missed My Bus {erm...\mm/}.
~ Wild Beasts, Eugene Mcguiness, October 31st, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
EMG: Young lad with indie folk/pop/rock sensibilities and an addictive voice. Keep an eye on him.
WB: See earlier review, with added costumes and masks, since it was Halloween and all :)
Award for My Best and First Halloween Night.
Once again, this was Anna, reporting to you live and amateurishly from the sweaty first rows.
Pictorial souvenirs:
Midnight Juggernauts (yes, I had fun with the lights)
Late of the Pier
Wild Beasts
The Last Shadow Puppets
Comments (41)
What a great idea to do a month diary like this! It makes me jealous, cause I'm lucky to see 1 good show a month! I must see Foals and los campesinos when I get the chance. And from the sound of it I need to check out Wild Beasts too. Thanks for the reviews! :)
The goddess of music is making up for all those showless months back in Greece....
Los Campesinos! and Foals, eh? Someone is in a dancing mood! They are MOG guaranteed live band those two, all the MOGges that have seen them enjoyed them.
Yes, please, Wild Beasts! The sooner you check them, the sooner I'll cease rambling, it works on many levels, really.
You're welcome :)
yes I am in a dancing mood! It's funny - I think I go through musical phases...all summer I listened to mostly singer/songwriter stuff and now all I wanna do is listen to things that make me dance :)
Alright, Wild Beasts are officially on the list. but don't stop the rambling please!
"...since I moved to the UK..."
Good gracious, *WHEN* did that happen?
(You're so joining me for a cup of tea this Xmas...)
Danielle, that happens to me, too! Although my dancing moods usually occur in the summer. Or alcohol-fueled winter nights.
I won't (I was hoping you'd say that....)! If you click on their name/link at my post, there will be many sonical goodies, promise :)
Andréa, I moved here on September 11th. You can't leave me alone for a minute, can you....!
(you bring the blood, I'll bring the tea, and Mike will bring the bags ha ha ha ha)
Ah crap.. there goes my plan of visiting the UK this year.. with YOU there?! No way, Jose..
(Hahaha, ya twisted thing - btw, mike who? a sis needs to know with whose bags we're dealing with, since there's a never-ending MOGlist of mikes and shit..)
Oh fun, I was hoping to get a full list of the shows you've been to. This is marvelous! And awards, who doesn't like awards!
The more I've listened to Midnight Juggernauts, the more bummed I am that I missed them at Coachella this year. Oh well, it's impossible to see everything there.
Until my location changes, I'll have to hope that all these great bands get to a festival I can attend.
Andréa, come, and we'll make the UK our bloody playground!
(I was thinking Marigold, but I'm open to suggestions and other bags ha ha ha)
Aw, thanks, brotherling :* I like awards! The more inane they are, the better, actually.
Bummed about MJ? You've seen Cut Copy for crying out loud! ;) MJ are not worth fretting about, I assure you.
Festival with great bands that you can attend....hmmm, one that starts with a C comes to mind.....
That's true, I can run around and say "I've seen Cut Copy ... TWICE!!" like the Art Brut lyric. Hahahaha
Oh, I will be at Coachella again; of that there is no doubt. I'm hoping to make Lollapalooza as well. Wish you could come; it would ever so much happiness to meet you.
Or maybe I should just get myself out to the UK for once...
We should all go then... It would be fun to get the siblings together and such :)
Dale ahahhahahahhahahahaah or get a T-shirt...the front will say "I've seen Cut Copy", and the back "TWICE!" ahahahah
YES, GET THYSELVES TO THE UK!
/longing for some destructive fun.
damn, you had a good month. I am rabidly curious to see the Foals in their element, cos, ya know, I have to dance. what was the crowd like for that one?
Can't complain! :)
Crowd was of 18 and going up age, dancing, shoving, and pushing indiscriminately. I mean that to be a good thing ;)
Wow, I truly admire the way you always get into the front row. I love those photos. This one in partic is the best I've ever seen of Alex:
Slightly spoiled by that strange woman guarding over his arse, but not to worry. There's always Photoshop.
Also, brilliant reviews. I can identify with much of your complaints. Especially, "I'm too old for this shite"
hey, you're in Leeds!!!... looks like i got out just in time!... if you want me to hook you up with some down to earth music kind of people, LET ME KNOW!!!... XXX
I'm glad you're admiring my obsessiveness, Fluxy ;)
Thank you very much! The best one I've seen of Alex is the one in which he has his arm around me ;)
ECK! Alex's cross-eyed stalker again! CROP CROP CROP!
Thank you! I survived and experienced my own teenage angst, and it was one too many, really. Early bird special shows, anyone?....
Heya Michael! I thought you knew! I still can't believe you escaped me...
I think that I'm soon going to take you up on that offer...cheers!
Brilliant, brilliant, the only thing you missed is how small these venues are. You can see loads of up and cuming bands in tiny venues. Most of those gigs where, what? 4/500 capacity? You can easily stand next to the guitarist and talk to them between songs. (...or is that heckle them?)
ok then, i'll point you in the direction of Sir Tom Noise to begin with then... he possesses the keys to the city!... damn party animal... should i pass him your email?
that's it. i'm moving to the uk. i mean foals + wild beasts? and the last shadow puppets?! all in one month too. you are seriously one lucky gal.
and you really must excuse me for not noticing the wild beasts thing. i have been so out of it lately. i blame all the calorimetry and stoichiometry problems from chemistry class plus the numerous fumes i've inhaled from the labs. haha.
Great idea to lump all the shows together EXCEPT for our beloved Goldfrappiness. But a wholesome Goldfrapp review? I don't want not stinkin' wholesomeness about Alison & crew. Please make it as lascivious, lustful & sleazy as possible!!!!!! Alison is SEX incarnate!
Neill, aww thank you! Cockpit is about 400, Leeds Academy about 2,000, Brudenell about 250, and The Mission about 400 (packed as shit for Late of The Pier).
You picked the wrong stalker to ask what constitutes heckling... ;)
But yes, and you can also chat with them when they hang out outside, like you once noted. So much stalking to be done, so little time.
Michael, sure! Assuming he won't mind and all! Thank you :*
Should I be putting my party pants on...
Pamela, move! We'll be roommates :)
I learned early on that luck plays little role in our lives, and we just have to find the ways to make things happen for us. Good things happen to those who make them happen and all that.
No worries, I was teasing ya. But even if I wasn't, chemistry would be a perfect reason...yikes snort sniff! :)
Uncle A hahahahahha I guess I meant more extensive. I promise to keep all the lust and perversion intact. Plus, I got many pictures to prove that Alison is indeed SEX incarnate ;)
I'm seriously banking on studying abroad in 2011/2012 so if you're still there and we're still in contact you can totally be my tour/concert alguide and traipse around/stalk alex turner :)
"Call me biased, call me smitten, call me a stalker. They're all true."
hahaha, best line ever. i say the same thing about oberst shows. this is a good idea updating once monthly, i would share something about the shows i went to but the only one that actually counts was the racontuers. the rest (all four of em) were all pop punk shows and consisited of me getting smushed by 14 year olds and the PUSHY mothers. i guess IM really getting too old for this shite!
you will NEVER SLEEP AGAIN!!!
What a great idea Anna - I absolutely love it. A monthly show diary
Looks like you had a busy October ;-)
uhm...........how about lucky times ten
Good to hear you had so many great concerts and a good time at most of them! Wow, that's really a good list. Nice pics as well. I would go see Eugene McGuinness on Thursday but the week is just so crowded and that is my only evening of rest. (and if you know I'm writing this at 4 in the morning you know I can use some...) Too bad, I love that song of his 'Monsters Under the Bed'. "How fan-fucking-tabulous it is, to be so scared of the dark like this". Very nice.
Foals are fantastic, that is MY favorite debut album of the year in any case. :) Great to hear you had such a good one-two punch. LotP, I will see them Saturday I guess, gonna be a riot. Just came back from a Lovvers/Sky Larkin/Los Campesinos! threesome. I have the bump to prove it. Was hit by Neill's guitar, and I wasn't even on the stage! He came down, and I was in front and had nowhere to go to give him more space. The cutest thing was he looked in more of a shock about it than I! (I'm quite hard-headed anyway) Lovely gig again, the new songs are lovely, and they just have so much fun there. Brilliant.
Phew! Glad to hear you're going to keep all the lust & perversion intact. That's my niece!
oh man oh man.
you're pointing out the fact that i haven't been to hardly any shows this year, despite the fantastic acts coming through seattle!!
but of course, the one show i did see was sigur ros, so i'm not complaining.
looks like fun! next time i travel abroad, i'm definitely finding myself a live music venue...
So few photos of Alex??? Are you going off him then???
Would just like to say thank you Anna for sharing all of this... loved your quirky review of each gig and band... yeah I know I know we all know I love quirk.. but seriously I am so glad LOTP didnt disappoint and also that Neill asked about the venue sizes... I have become a huge fan of being up close and (dirty??) close enough to get driblets of sweat...lol... and the photos... loved emg... Envymeter off the scale...again thank you for the effort in the post as I can see by all the comments before me... it is appreciated..Ditto from me!!! xx
i'll get the bags! ;)
Pamela, I don't even want to think how old I'll be at the time (YIKES!), but you got yourself a deal! Best of luck with your plan :)
summer eyes, thank you very much...I stalk, I obsess, I try ;)
Welcome to the I'm Too Old For This Shite club...no one's ever asked for their money back (but that might be because we are really good at blackmailing), you won't regret it ;)
Michael, sleep is for pansies....bring it on! :D
Chocodile, why thank you very much!
Yes, so much work to do...although I pay them instead of them paying me...oh well!
Kevin, I left my home, my family, and my friends to come here and try to find a job that I like. Concerts are part of the move's perks, but the situation has little to do with luck, since it was a conscious decision :)
Stefan, thank you very much. I only knew him by name before the show, but now I'll investigate more. He was really sweet and shy on stage :)
I checked your favourite debut album of the year, now you check mine! ;) You're seeing LotP AGAIN?! I'm gonna tell them to get restraining orders for you!
There should be a part in the ER just for show-related injuries. We would end up there, share stories, make a night out of it :)
Hope you get some rest soon!
Uncle A, lust and perversion are the new coffee and cigarettes!
ardyjormkiv, yup, Sigur Ros! I'd love to see them some day :)
You should! The first things I look for when I'm planning a trip abroad are museum exhibitions and live shows :)
Jonh, and I have about 30 more from that night, some blurry due to my drooling in front of the lenses..I can share ;)
Zen Raven, you are very welcome! I think it's impossible for me to make a normal review...glad you appreciate my defect hehe
Up close and dirty. Wouldn't have it any other way. I'm like a moth to the flame!
You are so sweet. Thank you for reading it. I feel really happy when I share such things. :*
Mike ahahhaha wooo hooo! It's now officially a bloody tea partay! ;)
i've pointed Euan in your direction also... sleep no more... XXX
Amateur my ass. You rock, lady. :)
-G.
How lovely of you, Michael! Im ready for a fresh batch of black circles :)
Aww thank you, G! Although I have to say that I mostly roll :)
Love the concert lowdown. Surprised you've seen so many shows so soon in London. I must live ambiguously through you since my concert going experience this year is at an all time low (5 concerts, the lowest since 1995. Keep the updates coming and the honest reviews of "new" acts.
you packed a punch (and by punch, i mean claws) in this great, great read, Ms. Concert Fiend. i take it you sleep by dawn and prowl by dusk - ah, envy. i'd love to watch Late of the Pier live, and not just watch but really staaareee. and those lyrics you quoted from Cajun Dance Party make me so want to start like taking medication. (8
Thank you, Eric. The shows were in Leeds, that's were I live for the time being. I sure will, and I promise to be brutally honest! And obsessive :)
Cheers, poe, glad you likey! Braaaaaains shoooooows....
I stared enough for the both of us. As much as I could while protecting myself from the maniacs in the crowd, that is :)
Deep...very deep....aren't they ;)
You're so lucky to get to go to so many shows. I wish I had some friends who would go to random gigs with me - I couldn't get anyone to go with me to see The Feeling last week. Not that I'm a huge fan, only heard the singles, but still would've been fun.
Not that we get that many people coming to my city but still...
We'd like to mess around wow gold
4.Those are my thoughts wowgold. http://www.powerleveling2000.com/WowGold.aspx I don't think Balance is done yet by any stretch, but I don't hesitate to go Balance in a dungeon or raid now power leveling cheapwww.iwowleveling.com, which actually says quite a lot. I think the designers have done a good job with the tree so far.Here are some things we are looking at right now. l2 power leveling http://www.wowpls.com You may not agree wow gold with them all, but I will share them with you in the hopes of making you feel better about your class, and maybe even getting you excited again.