First and BEST gig EVER.

Back when I was 13, I was massively into a really new sound which came out of Birmingham. For some reason, one of the older lads I knocked about with set up a record label. No, really. Earache Records, of Cleckheaton.

He got such monumentally awesome bands like Napalm Death, Carcass, Saw Throat and so on onto his label. As a kid, barely able to sprout a pubic 'tache, I was in there in the early days of Amebix, Saw Throat and so on ...

These gigs happened in small, impromptu venues and it really was a family back then. I've followed some of those guys through the years and consider Scorn one of my favourite bands, still.

Shortly after, I became a MASSIVE The Sisters of Mercy fan. Again, unable to go to any of the stadiums around the world that they frequented, TSOM played in Leeds at tiny pre-tour venues under various guises: Speed Kings, Near Meth Experience, and so on. I saw them at The Fenton and it blew my mind! The noise off the drum machine was astounding!

So, not really first gigs, more like happenings ...

Loudest gig? Motorhead ... until I saw Alien Sex Fiend. They were LOUD! Deaf for week! I did spend most of the gig with my head in a bass bin :D

A couple of years back, I was on the guest list for The Sisters of Mercy 30th Anniversary. XXX as it was called. It was a bad karaoke act, but still absolutely awesome!

From probably my first "gig" at a venue, it's been The Sisters of Mercy. All that Earache stuff was in front rooms, back rooms of pubs and not really "gigs" as you'd call them.
 
I was a big SOM fan too, can't listen to them now though, apart from some early singles and the first album occasionally when I'm feeling maudlin.
Loved the UK (and US....more US) hardcore scene and still listen quite a lot. First Scorn album was awesome!
First gig was The Birthday Party when I was too young to appreciate it fully. Best gig tied between Janes Addiction, Sheffield I guess around '89, and Swans, Manchester '87. Swans for sheer volume (but really every time I've seen them they've been incredible), Janes Addiction for sheer energy.
 
Singing Blade said:
Swans for sheer volume (but really every time I've seen them they've been incredible)
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a band i always wished id seen, after someone told me they used to set their bass frequencies at a certain level where it caused involuntary bowel movements :D the loudest gig ive ever been to was leftfields first tour at leeds town and country, apparently health and safety got involved with their first tour after the noise was causing structural damage to buildings.
 
Re: RE: First and BEST gig EVER.

IanM said:
First gig was Motorhead at the Victoria Hall in Hanley on 24th October 1980. I was 12, and it was stunning. As you can imagine, I'd never experienced anything like that before. The local paper did an article on my experience HERE.

The best gig (and there have been many good ones) was again at the Victoria Hall, and the band was Big Country, probably around 88 or 89. Everybody was really into it and were singing and bouncing around all night. I managed to catch Stuart Adamson's guitar pick (RIP Stuart). We went to The Albion for a pint, went back to the venue and the band came out and chatted to us and signed stuff. Just a wonderful evening.

Ian
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Missed Motorhead but saw Judas Priest and Whitesnake at the Viccy Hall in the late 70's. Then Queen,Rush and Black Sabbath at Bingley Hall.
Good times.
 
The 1st gig I ever went to was Led Zeppelin at Knebworth in 1979 at the age of 12, the bloke from the couple that used to babysit us got me and my elder stepbrother into all the British rock of them time and took us to Knebworth, we also got to go to a lot of gigs at Derby Assembly Rooms free as the same bloke used to do security at the gigs there. The 1st ever gig I went to on my own was at 13 when I saw Ozzy on his 1st solo tour at Blackburn King Georges Hall whilst visiting my mother and stepfather.

The best gig I have ever been to is really really hard to put my finger on as so many have been memorable for varying reasons, Pink Floyd at Earls Court on the Division Bell tour and Pink Floyd again doing the Wall at Earls Court, again when very young accompanied by my elder cousin have to be the two that edge it for me as a punter.

As for the rest I have been to far too many gigs to even begin to count them all ,as I used to be a professional touring sound engineer. Playing the same venues I used to go and watch bands at with some of the same bands years later was always a nice experience.
 
My first gig was MC Hammer at the SECC when I was 10 or 11 years old that my Uncle took me to. :) Let the slagging commence........My second gig however was a bit more respectable, Cypress Hill at the Barrowlands that my brother took me to.
I've been to too many gigs to pick one but some of the best ones have been to are, Oasis at Loch Lomond, Stone Roses at Glasgow Green (the second time), The Avalanches at the Arches, any Public Enemy gig, Orbital at Princess Street Gardens and most recently The Arctic Monkeys at the Hydro.
 
pjgh said:
Back when I was 13, I was massively into a really new sound which came out of Birmingham. For some reason, one of the older lads I knocked about with set up a record label. No, really. Earache Records, of Cleckheaton.

He got such monumentally awesome bands like Napalm Death, Carcass, Saw Throat and so on onto his label. As a kid, barely able to sprout a pubic 'tache, I was in there in the early days of Amebix, Saw Throat and so on ...

These gigs happened in small, impromptu venues and it really was a family back then. I've followed some of those guys through the years and consider Scorn one of my favourite bands, still.

Shortly after, I became a MASSIVE The Sisters of Mercy fan. Again, unable to go to any of the stadiums around the world that they frequented, TSOM played in Leeds at tiny pre-tour venues under various guises: Speed Kings, Near Meth Experience, and so on. I saw them at The Fenton and it blew my mind! The noise off the drum machine was astounding!

So, not really first gigs, more like happenings ...

Loudest gig? Motorhead ... until I saw Alien Sex Fiend. They were LOUD! Deaf for week! I did spend most of the gig with my head in a bass bin :D

A couple of years back, I was on the guest list for The Sisters of Mercy 30th Anniversary. XXX as it was called. It was a bad karaoke act, but still absolutely awesome!

From probably my first "gig" at a venue, it's been The Sisters of Mercy. All that Earache stuff was in front rooms, back rooms of pubs and not really "gigs" as you'd call them.
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I was a big fan of Earache Records. Saw Fudge Tunnel a couple of times, and Napalm Death (though with Barney and not Dorian singing). Loved 'You suffer but why?' Tap, tap, tap tap tap, RRRRRRAAGH!

Got a bit disillusioned later though as I'd heard rumours about Dig ripping off his artists (especially Carcass) and funnily enough a bloke on my course at university had been one of the guitarists in Lawnmower Deth. He told me a few unsavoury stories about being signed to Earache Records unfortunately.
 
Gawd! My memory ... it was Peaceville Records, not Earache that my mate setup. I knew when I wrote that, something was wrong but it was the same bunch of bands, same scene. What a racket! So completely new.

Even through my goth years, I always held a torch for Grindcore and Crust Punk ... today, the sound has matured. I mentioned Scorn above, there's also Painkiller - John Zorn clearly saw something new and never done before in the sound.

Long shot, but do you remember Snub TV? BBC2, I think - it was an alternative music show somewhere towards the end of the '80s. Anyway, they did a great article on ND & Carcass.

ND's 'Noise for Music's Sake' retrospective is a great collection and includes a John Peel family tree - incestuous indeed, but I guess all scenes are.
 
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rotterdam, 10 November 1967. The venue was a very large hangar/exhibition hall, and being Holland there wasn't any shortage of smoking paraphernalia... absolutely blew me away ;)

Jimi-Hendrix-Rotterdam-Nov-10th-1967.jpeg

Photo taken that night.
 
Re: RE: First and BEST gig EVER.

FrankieG said:
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rotterdam, 10 November 1967. The venue was a very large hangar/exhibition hall, and being Holland there wasn't any shortage of smoking paraphernalia... absolutely blew me away ;)

Jimi-Hendrix-Rotterdam-Nov-10th-1967.jpeg

Photo taken that night.
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O MY GOD. I'm so jealous. Don't think I'd have been allowed in. Being a toddler at the time.
 
First gig was Showaddywaddy.
First gig on my own was Duran Duran
Best band live was Simply Red
Best gig was Monsters of Rock (I think it was 88 or 89) with Iron Maiden, Kiss, David Lee Roth, Megadeath, Guns N Roses etc along with 100,000 other grebo's.
Runners up for best gigs were The Who, The Pogues, Stray Cats
 
matt3993 said:
FrankieG said:
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rotterdam, 10 November 1967. The venue was a very large hangar/exhibition hall, and being Holland there wasn't any shortage of smoking paraphernalia... absolutely blew me away ;)

Jimi-Hendrix-Rotterdam-Nov-10th-1967.jpeg

Photo taken that night.
Click to expand...


O MY GOD. I'm so jealous. Don't think I'd have been allowed in. Being a toddler at the time.
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The one guy I knew who actually went to the Isle of White specifically to see Hendrix actually passed out from recreational substances and missed the whole damn thing and is still absolutely gutted to this day. I'm glad I got to see Led Zeppelin live at what was then the last gig they ever played as the real Led Zep, but at the time no-one knew it would be a "historic" gig, but then again unless pre-announced as a retirement gig no-one ever does realise that, it's just another gig at the time.
 
First was the Police supported by the Cramps at Rushcliffe Leisure Centre in West Bridgford, Nottingham in I guess 1980.
Best, now that's really tricky but it a toss up between Toyah Willcox in the 80's or more recently Paloma Faith. Now those two even surprise me!
 
[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1SxU83bpkU[/video]

Wembley Pool (not Arena). Wednesday May 5th 1976. Harvey Goldsmith proudly presents: David Bowie live on stage. 8:00pm. No support.
 
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