Normally my gig season starts with Glasto in June but thanks to some weird work schedules this year I've got an early start.
Add to that I finally have a new phone that takes good gig photos (Sorry for the black and white artsy shots below) and not just pictures that are entirely blue.
I feel 2024 will be a good gig year for me.
heres a list and short review of 2024's gigs so far.
1 - Half Lives - Below The Dome
First gig of the year 2024 - Halflives a band that 2 weeks before the gig I hadn't even heard of at a venue I'd never been to before. And the first gig I've ever been to based on a Facebook advert.
An interesting mix of Paramore and Chvrches they were actually rather brilliant. A brilliant energetic lead singer with plenty of crowd interaction to boot. Add to that a ton of brilliant hooks and sing along tracks.
In short if you like either of the previously mentioned bands I would recommend.
2 - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Royal Albert Hall
Been waiting for this one for years. As a massive Oasis fan I finally got to see one half of the brothers Gallagher (the better half) and my favourite venue in the world. And this was a Teenage Cancer Trust show so they arent even paid for it.
Cracking setlist split into two halves with a decent collection of his solo stuff followed by an eclectic set of Oasis classics and obscurities including The Masterplan, Talk Tonight (my favourite) and Going Nowhere.
Bloody loved it all.
Oh and seeing Blossoms for the first time as a support act wasn't half bad either.
3 - The Twang - Bush Hall
Went very niche for this one. An acoustic set by the underrated The Twang. Once again at a new venue for me and the first sit-down gig I've been to in years.
Bush Hall turned out to be a lovely little venue and the crowd certainly knew their stuff singing along for pretty much the whole set.
Barney Rubble is an underated Indie Trash 2000's hit.
4 - Feeder - Camden Roundhouse
A few days after The Twang came the peerless Feeder at the Roundhouse in Camden.
A band I've somehow not managed to see before despite wanting to since the 90s. So this was a big one for me.
They put on quite a show including a good sprinkling of the classics and some of the rockier new stuff. All in all it was well worth the wait.
I heard more people reference Gran Tourismo 3 in those 4 hours than i have heard in the rest of my life.
5 - The Coral - Union Chapel
An Acoustic performance by early 2000 stalwarts The Coral. (and my 2nd sit down gig of the year) Not your usual concert this, as it included an extended sit-down interview about the creation of their first album along with acoustic performances of many of those tracks.
And best of all it all unfolded in the stunning Union Chapel in Islington, probably 2nd only to the Albert Hall for the most beautiful venue in London.
5 - James Blunt - Royal Albert Hall
I guess this is me coming out as a James Blunt fan
and he was bloody brilliant so deal with it
Who knew that a gig by a man famous for depressing songs (undeservedly in my opinion) could be so absolutely joyous. Easily the best concert of the year so far.
One i thing i learnt during this gig was that James Blunt and Carrie Fisher (Princess leia) were best friends (and used to live together) and that the song Dark Thought was written about James finding out about her death. Adds a whole new layer to what was already a really sad track (Ok not helping the depressing song narative)
Anyway this was beautifully staged and in the best venue in the country, this was absolutely brilliant. - and I don't care what you think
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And thats it for gigs so far.
In a few months I will be gracing the somerset fields with
@Nicky Borrill but before then I have tickets for Thirty Seconds To Mars, Swim Deep, Liam Gallagher (Doing Definetly Maybe in Full), The Kopycat Killers and Oasis 96 (also a cover band).
Its been one hell of a year and sounds like it will continue.
