My Top 6…memorable gigs…

Posted on January 18th, 2008 by Andy

Not really a “Top” 6 but just some gigs that are popping into my head as I write…I’ll try and avoid the obvious Galaxie 500 (and related) gigs here and pick out ones that were memorable not necessarily for the obvious reason of being utterly brilliant…

Terry Bickers
uploaded by BuriedBones

Levitation @ The Tufnell Park Dome - 14th May 1993
For a while during 1993 I lived in a bed-sit in Northfields. The place was a tip and I spent as much of my time as possible not being there. The only good thing was that the guy who lived in the room next to mine had overheard the music I was listening to and befriended me - he and I went to quite a few gigs together over the months until I moved in with Hazel. One night he banged on the door and said he was going to a gig and would I like to come and because being “out” was infinitely preferable to being “in” I said “yes” without even knowing what it was. We arrived and got in through some shenanigans that seemed to involve us being on the guestlist (even though I’m pretty certain we weren’t). Levitation, or more specifically Terry Bickers, were music inkies darlings and so Bickers on-stage quitting of the band was exciting - the quotes on Wikipedia are probably true (I’d guess they come from a recorded source) but my memory (which is not to be relied on) has him calling the rest of the band, or maybe the audience “wankers” before he left the stage.

Gary Glitter @ The Guildford Civic Hall - 198?
I was rather reluctant to mention this - not just because of Mr Glitter’s subsequent demise but mostly because it was not the sort of music I ever really liked and certainly didn’t care about in the 80s. I went because a bunch of mates were going and it was local and we had nothing better to do. The gig however was memorable for the punch up between two blokes that pretty much lasted the whole of the show. It started in the bar before Gary Glitter took the stage and they punched shit out of each other down the stairs into the stalls and through to the encore - occasionally they’d be pulled apart but within minutes the audience would part to reveal them blattering each other senseless again. Glitter tried to make it stop with pleas from the stage but I think they were just enjoying themselves too much. I don’t recall if the fight carried on afterwards…maybe they’re still punching each other in Guildford pubs of a Saturday night…

The Primitives
uploaded by leica_al

The Primitives @ The Borderline - (probably) 1992
Ken loved The Primitives, I sometimes wondered if the “love” was based a bit more on an infatuation with Tracy Tracy, but they sometimes made some very sweet pop music. This was the last time we saw them (and may have been the last time anyone saw them) the gig was tired, beset by sound problems and ultimately saw the guitarist just leave the stage mid-song leaving the rest of the band to struggle through to the end of the show.

Motorhead @ The Hackney Speedway Stadium - July 1982
This was (as I recall) the first London gig that Motorhead did with Brian Robertson and as if the short hair and fancy guitar work wasn’t enough to alienate the hardcore fans he took to the stage in a pair of very short and very shiny shorts.

Miracle Legion @ The Powerhaus - 1989
Ken was a huge Miracle Legion fan but I’d never heard of them so when we turned up at the Powerhaus in 1989 and found it packed to the rafters I was a little taken aback - how can a band I’ve never heard of be quite so popular among the hip and trendy indie kids of London. When the support act came on stage things became clear. I wasn’t really paying attention when they started but looked up and did a comedy double-take - probably a double-double-take…that looked like Kim Deal…and Tanya Donnelly on the stage…and sounded like them. The Breeders had just finished their first record in Scotland and snuck in this secret gig on their way through London…it was clearly not that much of a secret…except to me. The crowd thinned considerably after The Breeders had finished…

Hypnotist
uploaded by Elkay 724

Thousand Yard Stare @ The T&C2 - 1992
Brian played one of their very few gigs and were second on a bill that included a hypnotist. The Brian set was punctuated by some lad shouting and shoving and trying to get backstage to punch the hypnotist because his mates were laughing at him for his on-stage antics while under hypnosis. Brian sharing a bill with Thousand Yard Stare and a hypntotist probably counts as being memorable for the sheer inappropriateness of it…that the hypnotist almost got beaten up just for doing his job (if his job is making floppy haired indie-kids look silly) was just a bonus…

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My Top 6…xmas songs

Posted on December 25th, 2007 by Andy

…in no particular order…

Low - If You Were Born Today
I remember sitting my car in a supermarket car park unable to move while this song was on the radio when it first came out on a 7″ single. It is just stunningly moving - even for an atheist! Low’s Christmas album is one of very few seasonal records that could get pulled out at any time fo year…it was a toss up between this and Blue Christmas as to what made it on the list.

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
I still can’t quite figure out why I enjoy this one so much. Maybe the silly/sweet cranberry ending - but it always fills me with festive spirit.

The Fountains of Wayne - I Want and Alien for Christmas
Just because…well…who wouldn’t.

The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride
“A Christmas Gift for You” is our traditional xmas morning soundtrack - I never get bored of it, and the Ronettes take on Sleigh Ride is the best track on an album full of absolute gems.

Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody
I guess most everyone else in the world is bored sick of this one - but xmas hasn’t really arrived until I’ve heard Noddy telling me that it has.

Brenda Lee - Rocking Around The Christmas Tree
The best Rock ‘n’ Roll xmas song

Galaxie 500 listers may be surprised at the lack of Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time given my annual vociferous defence of McCartney’s sugary xmas treat - I love it but would still have to say it’s a far cry from any of the above…

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My Top 6…gigs at the Royal Albert Hall

Posted on October 3rd, 2007 by Andy

(originally uploaded by the_moog)

Between acts at the Albert Hall last week I started looking around the venue thinking of all the different places I’d sat and I suddenly realised that I’d been to quite a few shows so here’s a top 6 (but aside from the first one they’re not really in any order)…

1. Joanna Newsom - September 2007 - Seat: Arena floor
   The view from the floor was surprisingly good although it helped to have an aisle seat. Spectacular show…but I’ve said all that already.
2. 10,000 Maniacs - November 1989 - Seat: Box
   We were in a box to the left of the stage, a friend of mine got the tickets through his work - we shared the box with this nutter who sang along at the top of his voice for most of the show (until I asked him not to and then he mimed for the rest). I think Indigo Girls may have supported.
3. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - January 1987 - Seat: Stalls
   Elvis was doing a run of shows at the Albert Hall split between being backed by The Confederates and The Attractions…we chose, obviously, to see The Attractions. The seats and the view were excellent, the show wasn’t too bad.
4. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (July 1994) - Seat: Box
   In 1992 Elvis appeared on Desert Island Discs and chose a bunch of music pretty far removed from the music that he had made (up until that point) and while I was aware of his high-brow pretensions I was disappointed that he seemed to not love the music he made (or the music that influenced the music he made) it was this point that I stopped being a fan. I was surprised therefore that the Elvis wiki seemed to suggest that I saw him play at the RAH in July 1994. We sat in a box at the back of the hall so the stage was a bit distant. Difford and Tilbrook of Squeeze supported.
5. Cowboy Junkies - 1992 - Seat: Circle
   My abiding memory of this gig was the "new" percussionist getting an onstage telling off for making a noise between songs which made me sneer at the precious-ness of the band. I’d loved The Trinity Sessions and quite enjoyed The Caution Horses but my Cowboy Junkies thing pretty much ended there - or maybe, more specifically ended at the point at which Margo turned and stared at the new boy and apologised for him.
6. Frank Sinatra - 199? - Seat: Cheapest - up in the gods…
   We had great seats for this - they were (relatively) cheap and supposedly (I think) restricted, but we were looking right down onto the stage, admittedly from a long way away. We could see Frank’s autocue and so could easily sing along, even to the songs we didn’t know…not that there were any. This was really a case of going because we wouldn’t have another chance…and it was in the days when cheap tickets were within reach (rather than the £100 you’d have to pay for the cheapest Barbra Streisand tickets this year!

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My Top 6…songs from our holiday

Posted on August 17th, 2007 by Andy

We just spent an exhausting week in Scotland visiting family so I loaded up my MuVo with as much as it could take and these were the six songs that I kept on coming back to over the course of the week…

1. Petra Haden - God Only Knows
   As far as I can tell this is only available on Petra’s web site and is a beautiful a-capella version of a beautiful song…I have been thoroughly enjoying her a-capella albuum of The Who Sell Out but this is sweeter because…well The Beach Boys are so much sweeter than The Who.
2. Schrasj - Tower
   I thought I’d blogged about this before but I guess not. This was released as a 7" single on Fantastic records and is one I never get tired of listening to. I think there’s a Rogue Wave connection that I never followed up on because I never got that excited by Rogue Wave. This website implies that there’s is still a little life in Schrasj.
3. The Divine Comedy - My Lovely Horse
   I put this on to cheer Adam up but it mostly cheered me up…if there was a silly grin on my face it was almost certain that My Lovely Horse was in my ears. Father Ted was a work of genius and "A Song for Europe" may well have been it’s pinnacle (although it had so many highs I’m not willing to commit to that)…but we have to lose that sax solo!
4. Bearsuit - Stephen Fucking Spielberg
   Bearsuit keep making the sort of indiepop music that just sticks - I’m a fairly recent convert although I downloaded this from eMusic a few months ago (although like too much recently this has now gone AWOL from eMusic (UK) recently) my interest was reinvigorated because of gordonballboy mentioning them periodically in his lovely podcasts.
5. Espers - Flaming Telepaths
   Karen & Robert has a Best of Blue Öyster Cult CD in their car so I finally got the opportunity to hear the original which I’m not sure was quite as bad as moley75 thought, but did sound terribly dated whereas the Espers version sounds timeless.
6. Nina Nastasia - This Is What It Is
   I love the strings and accordion that open and underpin this song - it seemed to work perfectly with the rhythm of the train.

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My Top 6…Dean Wareham moments…

Posted on July 20th, 2007 by Andy

(OK reading this back it sounds like the smug ramblings of a backstage ligger - but having written them out I may as well publish!)

Over the 12 years of the Galaxie 500 Mailing List I have trotted out the same old memories time and time again so I thought I’d use my last.fm journal to trot them out one more time…so here are my top 6 Dean Wareham (of Galaxie 500, Luna and Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham fame) moments…

1. The arse print incident…
   Hazel and I went to NYC in February 2001 for a weekend that just happened to coincide with a couple of Luna shows at the Knitting Factory (what luck!). An attempt to get a signed copy of the vinyl Luna Live album, turned into an invite to Dean’s home the next day. Hazel and I arrived wrapped up warm from the bitter weather and walked into the sweltering apartment. The room contained Dean, his (then) wife, his son, a large dog and a friend who had probably been asked over just in case the nutty Internet stalkers went homicidal. We sat on the vinyl sofa…and I started to sweat – a combination of the heat and the stress and the fact that I sweat at the drop of a hat turned me into a sodden mess. After a nice cup of tea and some awkward stilted conversation Hazel and I left – I didn’t dare turn round to see but I suspect the sweaty arse-print on the sofa was a sight to behold.
2. 28 seconds from Brussels
   In October 1997 after a show at the LA2 I finally got up the nerve to talk to Dean – he was really cool – signed the back of my ticket, was complimentary about my website and took my phone number so that he could let me know the other tour dates coming up. A week or so later I got home from work to find a message from Dean on the answerphone – he had phoned in from Brussels while I was out. Of course being out was so much better than being in. Being in would have been an uncomfortable series of umms and errrs that would be nothing but a fading memory in my head – instead I had (and still have!) a 28 second recording of Dean Wareham leaving me a message!
3. Chocolate and coke
   September 1999 was the first time I was on the guestlist for a Luna show – I went to the gig on my own (something I do too often) and I remember the guy on the door calling me "Billy no mates". I was surprised at the backstage pass that I was handed and therefore felt obliged to go backstage afterwards. Backstage at The Embassy Rooms was little more than a narrow corridor. Dean was chatty, handing out chocolate bars, that seemed to be an important part of the rider, and showing me a photo of his recently arrived son Jack. I got lost trying to find my way out and interrupted some smooth besuited individual setting himself up a line of coke.
4. Dear Paulina
   After the mailing list and web page had been kicking along for a couple of years I decided it’d be great to release a fan club single – my ideal was to have Dean/Luna on one side and Damon & Naomi on the other but a very sweet rejection letter from Naomi put paid to that. So the proposal turned into a Luna single – Dean was very good – he suggested that he might be able to send a demo but when the DAT arrived I was stunned and delighted to have the lovely (and unavailable anywhere else) track dear paulina to release (and a cool instrumental for the flip). I took the opportunity to put a picture of Hazel on the sleeve and mention Adam on the insert - how sweet!
5. Squash court
   Luna’s last show in London was at ULU and "backstage" at ULU is actually downstairs in a squash court. Matthew Buzzell was filming the excellent Tell Me Do You Miss Me on this tour and asked me to do an interview – which was an embarrassing babble that thankfully never made the final cut (sadly nothing from the London show made it into the film). Sonic Boom handed us a beer when we walked onto the court and I posed awkwardly for my only (so far) fan photo with Dean (and one with Britta).
6. Unofficial photographer
   After last months Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham show at the Metro Dean beckoned me into a quieter corner of the bar near the door for our now traditional awkward silences – being by the door meant being interrupted by folk wanting their picture taken with Dean and being the nobody standing next to Dean (and later next to Britta) made me the person they asked to take those photos. Most bizarre moment was someone asking Dean if he knew who Andy Aldridge was!

OK the last one’s a bit of a stretch but it seemed I only had five stories of any interest!

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My Top 6…TV theme songs

Posted on March 28th, 2007 by Andy

I’m not entirely sure this will make it to six but here goes…

• Jacky – White Horses
  I remember loving this show although don’t ask me what it was about and maybe I only loved the theme song and one other aspect of the show (young teenage boys think like that). Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham do a lovely version on their new album - and there’s also a French version they’ve recorded as well although I’ve not heard that as yet.
• Nerf Herder – Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme
  I’ve watched a hell of a lot of BtVS over the last couple of years - and I mean lots and lots and lots and I still haven’t got bored of drumming on my legs during the theme tune - which I guess means that it’s a tune I’ll never get bored of.
• Scooby Doo, Where Are You - David Mook
  Timeless - it’s always jarring to catch a Scooby Doo that doesn’t have the classic theme song. I also am quite fond of all those bubblegummy chase scene songs they had.
• Roobarb Theme - Johhny Hawksworth
  This is just brilliant - it pops into my head at completely random moments and always makes me smile!
• Quincy Jones – Ironside
  This, rather than being "timeless", is just so beautifully of its time!
• Futurama Theme - dunno but probably Christopher Tyng
  Another one, like BtVS that I don’t seem to get bored with.

OK - I made it and I’ve missed out plenty…

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My Top 6…bands from my “metal phase”

Posted on March 7th, 2007 by Andy

My metal phase ran in parallel with my obsession with Motörhead - it lasted from first hearing the band in 1979 to the release of the Motörhead - No Remorse compilation in 1984 which included tracks by the new four-piece Motorhead that never really worked for me (and coincidentally was the year that The Pogues released The Pogues - Red Roses for Me and gave me a new obsession).

1. Motörhead
   To be honest Motorhead were were my "metal phase" - they were the only band from that time that I couldn’t get enough of, and one of the very few that I still listen to occasionally - even if I cringe a little too often at the lyrics…
2. Girlschool
   Girlschool made great, classic Heavy Metal, and they were women, which for a sexually frustrated teenager was a good thing…at some point I noticed that they weren’t really that good looking after all (until Gil Weston joined) but that didn’t really matter after all.
3. AC/DC
   AC/DC are another band I still listen to from time to time and still bring a warm glow of the past to me.
4. Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne
   I never actually saw Black Sabbath play, but after discovering Motorhead they were the next band I looked for. I saw Ozzy supporting Motorhead at Port Vale in 1981 and he was great. Saw him a couple of years later at Hammersmith Odeon and it was a laughable pantomime. No more interest.
5. Hanoi Rocks
   I knew very little about Hanoi Rocks except what they looked like, but as they were playing at Surrey University we went along. It was one of those gigs you don’t forget. When a band you thought of as flowery glam rock turn out to be such a great live act and such a good rock band it tends to stick in your memory. The albums were patchy and mostly forgettable.
6. Raven
   Raven were exciting and fast and loud and fast…really really fast. They seemed to be doing something a little bit different (faster!) than most other NWOBHM bands and I liked it. I haven’t listened to any Raven for many many years - I wonder if they still sound that fast.

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My Top 6…gigs I didn’t attend

Posted on March 1st, 2007 by Andy

• Galaxie 500 - The Falcon, London 1991
  I have gone on ad nauseum about how I missed this gig which I guess means it has to be at #1. The Sundays cancelled, Galaxie 500 hastily set up this gig at The Falcon, Ken and I saw Andy White (shudder) at the Mean Fiddler…
• Crime & the City Solution - The Powerhouse, London 1990 (approx)
  Arrived nice and early so Stuart and I went to the pub next door to look at his holiday snaps…we came out to "Sold Out" notices stuck to the door. We weren’t that bothered and I’m still a bit surprised that we went at all.
• The Rolling Stones - Wembley Stadium 1990
  Keith nicked his finger opening a can of beans and The Stones cancelled their London shows - I’d completely lost interest in seeing them when the dates were rescheduled.
• The Shins - The Monarch, Camden 2004 (I think)
  "It won’t sell out" was a mantra of mine, and for many years it stood me in very good stead. I knew the Monarch was small but this was The Shins and I know that The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow was getting good reviews but still - who’d heard of the Shins…My mate now doesn’t trust me and buys advance tickets for everything!
• Pulp - The Town & Country Club 199x
  I felt rubbish and got off the tube at Shepherds Bush and went home. Hazel nearly got beaten up by a tout while trying to sell my ticket outside.
• ZZ Top - The Marquee 1983
  We arrived really early and there was a queue - and right near the front of the queue were a couple of mates…so we cut in and waited…and waited…and waited - celebs (I remember Jonathan King being one of them) sauntered past us into the venue, an hour later they all came out again. Gig over, someone came out and gave us badges and we went home.

(two consecutive posts that mention ZZ Top - funny because I haven’t thought about them at all for many MANY years)

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My Top 6…biggest gigs

Posted on February 28th, 2007 by Andy

I tend not to go to big, outdoor gigs anymore. I’d much rather be in a small sweaty dive than in a field so most of my big gigs are a little embarrassing…these are possibly not the biggest gigs I ever went to but are the big gigs that I remember…

• Queen - Wembley Stadium - 1983
  I was never a Queen fan and was dragged along to this because a couple of mates were fans of support act Status Quo (who, because of that, I’ve seen far too many times for my liking). Quo were awful, hampered by crap sound and being a second-rate pub band on a huge stage. Queen however were sensational, I still don’t really like them but for pure "show" I’m not sure there’s too many who could match them (or Freddie Mercury anyway - I think they really were a one man band which sort of makes the fact that they still tour a bit of a laugh)
• Monsters of Rock - Castle Donnington - 1983
  Not entirely sure why we went to this, maybe because of ZZ Top. Whitesnake were (I think) headlining. Meat Loaf and maybe Nazareth were also on the bill as well I think. ZZ Top were good fun but played a really short set and everything else is long since forgotten. I remember lying on the floor sleeping during the headline act.
• Reading Festival - Reading - 1989
  I remember going to this wearing a Jason Donovan T-Shirt - which seemed like a really funny idea at the time (a friend was wearing a Kylie Minogue T-Shirt). We only went for one day, The Pogues were great, Les Négresses Vertes were also good, can’t remember much else to be honest.
• Motörhead + Ozzy Osbourne - Port Vale - 1981
  This was my first great excursion. Two of us got a scarily early bus from Victoria to get there early enough. There weren’t enough toilets or bars. Motorhead were always great live, Ozzy was fantastic, this show turned me, briefly into a fan. A woman fell asleep on me on the coach home and drooled on my shoulder.
• The Cult In The Park - Finsbury Park - 1992
  Ken gave me a freebie to this so I went along on my own - saw a stack of great bands, Mercury Rev, PJ Harvey, Stereolab, Miracle Legion - I stayed for a bit of The Cult’s big finale but then got bored and went home.
• Pixies - Crystal Palace Bowl - 1991
  Another gig on my own (poor old Billy-no mates). This was the last time I saw Pixies, they were great…the slightly other-worldly Crystal Palace Bowl sort of suited the sci-fi thing that the band had going on at the time. Ride were a good support.

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