One evening in December 1988, “Labyrinth” was shown on Singaporean TV. As it was on a bit late for a school night, my mum recorded it so I could watch it the following weekend. And when I did, it turned out that the Goblin King knew just what kind of magic spell to use on… Read More All the songs of my life, #2: “Magic Dance” by David Bowie
It’s time to expand my blogging horizons outside of the gig world, for let’s face it, writing about gigs is a bit depressing in the current lockdown life! This is a new series where I will talk about all the songs which have impacted my life in one way or another, in roughly chronological order.… Read More All the songs of my life, #1: “It’s A Sin” by the Pet Shop Boys
The outrageously triumphant return of Take That, one decade after the split that devastated a generation. It was May 2006, and something wholly unexpected and unprecedented was happening in the lives of millions of 90s pop girls: our boys were back! But in order to fully comprehend the magnitude that the return of Take That… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 105 – Take That, Monday, May 8, 2006, Wembley Arena
My one and only gig from the Canadian songsmith Daniel Powter. 2005 was coming to an end, and I was not too sad to see it go. It had been a difficult year for me, coloured by my ill-advised relationship with Crush Boy which had imploded in the summer as he went off with another… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 104 – Daniel Powter, Monday, December 19, 2005, Islington Academy
David Gray has never been an artist that caught my attention, indeed, the most I’ve felt for his inoffensive tunes is mild dislike. So why was I at this gig?
My first venture into the mystical, ethereal world of the Mediaeval Baebes. I have a tendency, when going through troubled times, to reach for supernatural assistance, despite being a life-long atheist. During low periods in my 20s, I had tried to fumble my way through prayer and meditation as a (short-lived) solution, and in 2005,… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 102 – Mediaeval Baebes, Saturday, November 5, 2005, Croydon Fairfield Halls (Witchfest)
It’s October 2005, and there’s just one question: What the hell am I doing at an Alabama 3 gig? If this season of blogging about Gigs I Have No Diary Entries For is difficult, at least for most of the them I have my overarching love and interest for the band in question to help… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 101 – Alabama 3, Tuesday, October 11, 2005, Astoria
My 100th gig saw me revisiting a band who’d been there at my very first. My era of Not Writing About Gigs In My Diary causes particular frustration when it comes to this gig from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. With this show I reached a milestone in my gigging life, although I didn’t… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 100 – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Thursday, August 25, 2005, Alexandra Palace
A night of fun and frolics from the Scissor Sisters. Carrying on through my season of Gigs I Wrote Nothing About In My Diary, here is my one and only gig from the Scissor Sisters. I do remember that, a week before the gig happened it was announced online by Xfm, and I somehow managed… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 99 – Scissor Sisters, Thursday, August 18, 2005, Kentish Town Forum
My second and so far last gig from the Prodigy. There’s one very obvious thing to note about this gig: it did not, of course, happen on the date displayed on the ticket. The 7th of July 2005 is a date remembered for the terrorist attacks that occurred across London’s public transport system during the… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 98 – The Prodigy, Sunday, August 7, 2005, Brixton Academy
