What was your last concert you went to ?

Good reviews jamie. I like you get really pissed with people going to a concert and talking through it.
I didn't bother to look for Yes tickets as I wrongly thought they wouldn't be up to it, wrong again Howard.
At least we are going to see Steve Hackett.

Hi Howard.

I am really tempted by Steve Hackett's Leamington Spa gig I had better just check the traveling. I might drive back afterwards, but it is probably dependent of the weather forecast for me. Might see you there if that is the gig you are going to.

Driving over the Pennines last night was pretty harsh, but worth it.

The last gig of the Yes UK (mainland) tour is tonight in Bristol, not sure if tickets are still available. Dublin and Belfast later in the week.

Official 320Kbps MP3's from the soundboard are available for all (most?) nights of this Yes tour, if that is tempting, £10 to download, just listening back to last night's show. See http://concert-online.com/en/artist/20066/YES.html

Benoit David does is not quite as impressive without being there, but is still good. Steve Howe is just brilliant.

The setlists, comments, and an incredibly detailed history of Yes can be found at the rather excellent website Forgottenyesterdays.

I must say that one thing that I am finding a bit annoying about tours these days in the piece meal releasing of dates. It was worth driving down to see Porcupine Tree at Hammersmith a few weeks ago, especially to meet up with others from the forum, but I would have liked to know I had the option to see them two miles away from my home in Leeds, had they released that tour date in advance.

The same could certainly be said of the Gary Numan tour, Leeds O2 Academy would certainly have been where I would have wished to see him, especially had I known in advance how awful Corproation is in Sheffield.

I know bands add on extra dates due to demand at times, but I do wish they would list a complete tour in one go so that fans can choose the best place to see them. This is one disadvantage of the immediacy of the internet.

We are seeing SH at the Brook , Southampton.
Not ideal, but mid-week school time gigs are a problem, for SWMBO.

I was almost contemplating going on my own, to Bristol to-night but it's bit of a trek, and slightly doubtful weather. Maybe another time?

Went to see Maddy Peyroux last night. Had tickets for middle of front row at Sage Gateshead and was v excited. Sadly my missus was poorly as it was a treat for her and me.....young Nic Naim was being a socialite and couldn't drag himself from the cooker. My 11 year old said he would escort me which I was chuffed about however was concerned his love of Queen and general Rock stuff may leave him a little bored. He enjoyed the canny support act (can't remember her name) and she closed with a Joni Mitchell cover to keep me happy.

Sadly my boy wasn't impressed with Maddy and noted after 10 minutes he wished he'd brought a book.With Mad only feet away he wanted my mobile to play games on. To be honest she didn't really connect with me and I was quickly bored too. The playing was tune perfect from Harry Worth on guitar (without star jumping in front of shop windows sadly) and David Attenborough on drums. Piano and bass were also perfectly fine.I thought many of Maddies songs very samey and dull. Sorry.

Not a patch on Tomasz Stanko last week

Hope you had a good night Nic (and never spotted your parents)

Regards

Diccus

Stu

I can't be doing with standing in a mosh pit watching Green Day (or worse been at the back of an arena).... I'll encourage him with the Foo Fighters tho ;-)

Think he would have mercilessly wound me up about Tomasz Stanko and the Jazz noodling

Was funny having him with me. Tis nice seeing my kids out of their comfort zone and gives them lifetime experiences even if they are bored close to death

Diccus,

From your review it sounds like I had a lucky escape from Maddy. As you know I have booked tickets for my son and I to go and see Jan Garbarek again in January, I hope you can make it.

Regards

Nic

Nick Cave in Milan a few weeks ago. A mini concert & book reading. Minimilist group, bass, multi-instrumentalist, & nick on piano & guitar. How can the making of such good music seem to be so easy ? The guy playing percusion, violin, guitar, etc., whose name i dont know, was astonishing, never seen anyone hit a hi-hat so hard !

What a difference seeing a band in a good venue makes. I saw Gary Numan again last night, my girlfriend bought tickets after the appalling night in Sheffield last Friday. It was worth it.

The Academy in Leeds had space for the band, fantastic sound, and above all a lovely audience who were there to hear the band. The setlist was the same as Friday, but you could hear all the instruments perfectly, and in the loud tracks it edged into a wall of sound, but not forced or distorted, just right.

Most importantly the people at the gig were friendly, listened to the music, and didn't talk, or shout over the songs. A lovely appreciative crowd.

The band had been delayed by bad weather crossing over from Ireland, so didn't manage to get the backstage screens set up. Gary apologised, but to be honest the lights were great, and the band played with great energy.

If you get chance to see this tour Gary Numan is playing at his best for years (the Telegraph review agrees). He is playing the whole of the Pleasure Principle album at the start of the show, it still sounds fresh, then followed by a mix of new(er) material and a few hits from the Tubeway Army days.

quote:

The guy playing percusion, violin, guitar, etc., whose name i dont know, was astonishing, never seen anyone hit a hi-hat so hard !

Is that the guy with the lush beard Warren Ellis?

Rodrigo y Gariella at Hammersmith this week.
They are so much better live than on record, and Gab has really come out of her shell since the last time they played here. Great.

Paul Weller On Saturday

quote:

Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
Rodrigo y Gariella at Hammersmith this week.
They are so much better live than on record, and Gab has really come out of her shell since the last time they played here. Great.

I agree they sound sort of wrong on record after you have seen them live.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:

quote:

Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
Rodrigo y Gariella at Hammersmith this week.
They are so much better live than on record, and Gab has really come out of her shell since the last time they played here. Great.

I agree they sound sort of wrong on record after you have seen them live.

I saw them live in Australia - the show was great, have to thank Lontano for getting the tickets.

Friday 29/11/09 The Hawth, Crawley.
The Blues Band, a really terrific show. Good sound and 5 great musicians. Drummer was a substitute The guitarist Dave Kelly's son, was in for the injured, ex Family drummer Rob Townsend.
A 2 hour show of superb musicianship, enjoyed by a crowd of mainly a "certain" age.

Recommended.

Chatted afterwards with the bassist Gary Fletcher ( who is lefty but strings his bass upside down), I asked why , he said he didn't know any different, as he originally picked up a guitar turned it over and learned to play.

Sunday 29/11/09 Steve Hackett, The Brook, Southampton.

Excellent gig , compact venue , great sound, fidgety patrons.
Steve has collected a great set of musicians, nice to see the bassist(male) and 2nd guitar(female) have matching skirts.
Only downside was I had to leave after 90 mins with a splitting headache.

Steve Hillage Band & Gong Brighton Corn Exchange

Brilliant gig.

Opener from Steve Hillage with a stunning rhythm section of Chris Taylor and Mike Howlett who were gut-thwackingly and trouser-flappingly tight, Miquette Giraudy going whoosh and wibbling in all the right places on synths and Steve himself who played wonderfully - looking young too though his current appearance makes you wonder if he spends his days writing programs in Fortran.

Then Gong, who added Theo Travis, a Grandmotherly Gilli Smyth and Daevid himself to the Hillage band. I never expected them to be so tight, but built upon the rock-solid foundations of Howlett and Taylor I shouldn’t have been surprised really. They put together over two hours of music that covered just about the whole span of the Allen-version of Gong with too many highlights to mention but one – near the end they played Master Builder (with that riff) that contained an absolutely scorching solo from Theo Travis and which you thought was the climax, but they gathered breath and Hillage launched into a transcendent attack on the guitar to finish it off.

All the band members looked as though they were having the time of their lives (which always helps), the light show perfect and the venue/PA sounded fantastic. The only down side was standing for nearly four and a half hours, but in this instance worth all the pain. On the face of it just an old hippy’s delight, but we were probably the oldest there (apart from the band) and it was good to see a lot of young people there clearly enjoying every moment.

Glad someone else here saw this Gong tour, they were excellent this year.

Sadly not up to traveling to see the last date of the current Steve Hackett tour, next time I hope.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:

quote:

The guy playing percusion, violin, guitar, etc., whose name i dont know, was astonishing, never seen anyone hit a hi-hat so hard !

Is that the guy with the lush beard Warren Ellis?

Si, that's right.

Having no propensity for making music at all, I'm just in awe of someone like that, who could probably pick up a dead cat and get a tune out of it.

Kate Rusby , 4/12/09, Brighton, Dome.

Another great evening and it was her birthday. Mainly "South Yorkshire" carols, complete with a 5 piece brass section.
We even had a glance of the new bairn.
Wonderfully different musical evening.

Friday, December 4, 2009
Wonder Ballroom (capacity 775 people, standing only)
Portland, Oregon

Blind Pilot, Laura Veirs, Mimicking Birds

Laura and the Hall of Flames were terrific. They played many of the new songs from "July Flame", the new release available in the US January 10, 2010 but available to attendees at the show last night. Ah, yes, I now have my copy and it is wonderful. Different than Year and Saltbreakers, she has returned to a more folk/chamber sound with great new songs, lots of keyboards and a very fresh sound. She also plays a pretty fair banjo. And, as quickly became obvious when she changed from acoustic guitar to banjo last evening, she and Tucker Martine (longtime music producer, band-mate and significant other) are expecting a child in the spring. Laura is a very quiet, modest, friendly woman, she deserves every success. If you don't know her music, July Flame will be an excellent starting point.

Headliner Blind Pilot was very very good, their album 3 Rounds and a Sound is addictive and they played the entire album plus new songs they have been writing on tour for a new record not yet started. Very very enjoyable.

A wonderfully typical night of music in Portland, all these bands are local and back home for a while.

All three can be found here: http://opbmusic.org/performances/115-Mimicking-Birds

search by first letter ie: Mimicking Birds, Laura Veirs and Blind Pilot.

regards
Jeff A

Saw Doctors, Sheppard's Bush whatever, 5/12/09.

Bloody fantastic evening , a 2+ hour sing song , the guys on the best form we've seen(heard) them.
A new (to us) drummer who could really hit those skins, ears still whistling, and even a 1 hour 40 min (semi fast) from Victoria to Gatwick could not dampen our mood.

Young band Paperspots? a 4 piece from Sheffield were supporting and they were pretty good too.

Marcus Miller - Muziekcentrum - Eindhovem

"TUTU revisited"

Great support especial from the guy on trumpet. Full on long Jazz improvs of the famous original album which was really Marcus's, though of course Miles was the headliner. Plus some of Millers' signature pieces

Miller has fantastic presence with awesome skill and creativity.

Marillion Acoustic - Cadogan Hall London - when going to a Marillion concert, you witness a level of fan devotion that I do not think I have witnessed at any other concert.

Standing ovations are a regular occurrence during the show and the noise is immense.

All very enjoyable but somehow I did not quite make the emotional connection that other audience members did. I decided that going home was a more attractive option at the interval although the band were no doubt doing a fine job entertaining the crowd.

The Unthanks (formerly Rachel Unthank & The Winterset) last Tuesday 8th December at The Stables in Wavendon.

The show started off with a couple of low key songs and it took the band a little while to get into their stride, but once they did it turned into a really good show. As they are basically on a promotional tour of their latest album "Here's The Tender Coming" most of the material came from that, which is no bad thing in my opinion. They are now a 10-piece outfit and give a much fuller lush sound when compared to the relative starkness (& beauty) of "The Bairns", from which they also played a couple of songs.

Having seen them a couple of years ago there was definitely an increased confidence and maturity about their performance, whilst maintaining the unique sound that defines them.

A thorough recommendation from me and again a big shout out for The Stables, a lovely intimate venue (full again) with very friendly staff that make all their patrons feel welcome. A great night all round...........oh yes, and getting to chat with half the band for a while after the show as well. Very approachable.

Just back from

with Mrs JWM and the youngest Miss JWM for her first opera.

Greatly enjoyed ourselves (lovely day out) but to be honest, a highly quirky new production ... Puccini meets Kill Bill and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.