All the gigs of my life: Gig 9 – Suede, Saturday, April 05, 1997, Kentish Town Forum
What an introduction to the world of Suede live: a fan club only, B-sides only gig.
Paul Draper at the Manchester Ritz and Electric Brixton, 1st and 8th March 2018
In a few weeks’ time on this blog, I will reach gig no.11 of All The Gigs Of My Life, a truly astonishing night that completely turned my little music-obsessed world around: my first ever Mansun gig in April 1997. But for now, I have my 149th and […]
All the gigs of my life: Gig 8 – My Life Story / Orlando, Friday, February 14, 1997, ULU
My first gig as a Proper Londoner, living and working in the city I’d dreamed of for years, was to see the flamboyantly orchestral My Life Story. But it was the support band I really wanted to see that might, a band I thought, for a few glorious […]
All the gigs of my life: Gig 7 – Manic Street Preachers, Monday, December 16, 1996, Kentish Town Forum
The triumphant, emotional finale to my trilogy of Manics gigs in London in December 1996.
All the gigs of my life: Gig 6 – Manic Street Preachers, Sunday, December 15, 1996, Shepherd’s Bush Empire
My second ever Manics gig, in which I discovered the true nature of Home, and that Moshpits And Me Don’t Mix.
All the gigs of my life: Gig 5 – Manic Street Preachers, Saturday, December 14, 1996, Brixton Academy
21 years old, in a new country, and here was my favourite band in the world, three nights in a row. Three nights which decided the course of the next 21 years of my life.
All the gigs of my life: Gig 4 – Take That, Wednesday, October 04, 1995, Perth Entertainment Centre
There is a kind of narrative that the journey of a music fan starts with generic chart pop and gradually develops towards Proper Music like rock and indie. There are a lot of problems with the narrative, in particular its inherent sexism – it’s no coincidence that Proper […]
All the gigs of my life: Gig 3 – Pet Shop Boys, Tuesday, November 01, 1994, Perth Entertainment Centre
“It’s only now, as midnight approaches, that I realize how many songs they didn’t play. I’m barely able to breathe let alone move or walk. I may never listen to guitar music again.” This gig marked my introduction into the most joyous and life-affirming experience that I have […]
All the gigs of my life: Gig 2 – Big Day Out Festival, Sunday, January 30, 1994, Fremantle Oval
Exactly one year after my first gig came my second. And it was exactly the same thing – the Big Day Out Festival at the Fremantle Oval. Just nowhere near as good.
All the gigs of my life: Gig 1 – Big Day Out Festival, Fremantle Oval, Perth WA, 30th January 1993
By January 1993 I was 17, nearly 18. Since becoming a music obsessive via David Bowie and the Pet Shop Boys at age 13, I had wandered through the early 90s in search of My Scene. I stumbled through a varied landscape including Faith No More, Seal and […]
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