The end of an overwhelming, emotional rollercoaster of a Bowie tour. My last gig on the A Reality tour, and it’s safe to say, I was completely exhausted. From my diary: ‘I managed three hours at uni before coming home to collapse for a bit. In truth, I was almost glad my tour was nearly… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 81 – David Bowie, Wednesday, November 26, 2003, Wembley Arena
My 2003 Bowie adventures continued as I reached my penultimate gig of the A Reality tour. Week two of David Bowie’s UK tour rolled around, and I was excited to see him in my home city. However, while for the first week of gigs I’d taken time off of work and uni to chase David… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 80 – David Bowie, Tuesday, November 25, 2003, Wembley Arena
“LEEE-UUHM! LEE-UUHM!” hollers the distinctively male-voiced crowd in between songs on this album, recorded live in Hull back in August 2019. It’s uncomfortably reminiscent of football chants, with all their implicit macho aggression. There’s no denying that the world of Oasis fandom is a testosterone-fuelled place, full of bravado and beer and shouting. And as… Read More Album review: Liam Gallagher, “MTV Unplugged (Live At Hull City Hall)”
‘Oh god. All I can say is, round about two hours ago, DAVID BOWIE SMILED AT ME!’ Welcome, one and all, to the tale of the best night of my life. It was time for my third gig on my A Reality tour adventure. My original ticket for this show was actually in block E,… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 79 – David Bowie, Thursday, November 20, 2003, NEC, Birmingham
My second show of the A Reality tour, and an overwhelmingly emotional night. As you can see from the photo above, my diary entry for this gig begins like this: ‘Oh my god (as ever, literally) if words failed about Monday, then over last night they have spontaneously combusted.‘ It was my second Bowie gig… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 78 – David Bowie, Wednesday, November 19, 2003, NEC, Birmingham
The start of an amazing adventure: Five David Bowie concerts in three different cities over the course of ten days. ‘It has begun. It’s real. It’s happening!’ When I think back to the best times in my life, it’s hard to top this fortnight in November 2003. I took time off from both my job… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 77 – David Bowie, Monday, November 17, 2003, MEN Arena, Manchester
My one and only gig from The Darkness, who came to save us all from tedium with their guitar solos and hair-flinging rock majesty. Looking back at 2003, it feels as though the musical landscape was brimming with a diverse array of glittering delights. Pop and indie bands both still had a strong hold on… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 76 – The Darkness, Wednesday, October 22, 2003, Hammersmith Apollo
My one and only Kosheen gig – so far!
A glittering gem of a joy-filled gig from the wondrous Mark Owen. ‘Well. Proof, as if any was needed, that Mark Owen is going to Save Pop Music: he covered “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and did not change the “boy” to “girl”. He UNDERSTANDS!!!’ Out of all the many musical delights that… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 74 – Mark Owen, Tuesday, September 30, 2003, Islington Academy
My one and only Maroon 5 gig, and a rare chance to witness a band on the brink of superstardom. This was an unusual choice of gig for me. 2003 is marked out as a year in which I tried out seeing a lot of bands I hadn’t seen before, and in fact, the five… Read More All the gigs of my life: Gig 73 – Maroon 5, Thursday, September 18, 2003, Lock 17
