Bands of Yesteryear...

pottssteve

Wotcha,

Iain's thread on NIN and Gary Numan got me thinking about bands I saw when they were small, then some of them got big, and most of them imploded... Did any of you guys and gals out there ever see any of the following live, and if so, care to share stories?(Festivals don't count):

Beth Orton
S*M*A*S*H
These Animal Men
Gene
Sleeper
Tindersticks
Powder
Elastica

I also saw Oasis in Brighton in front of about 3000 people...
:shock:

Steve

Porgy

pottssteve wrote:

Wotcha,

Iain's thread on NIN and Gary Numan got me thinking about bands I saw when they were small, then some of them got big, and most of them imploded... Did any of you guys and gals out there ever see any of the following live, and if so, care to share stories?(Festivals don't count):

Beth Orton
S*M*A*S*H
These Animal Men
Gene
Sleeper
Tindersticks
Powder
Elastica

I also saw Oasis in Brighton in front of about 3000 people...
:shock:

Steve

I saw Gene about the time their first album came out - maybe just before - fantastic - no story to tell though.

Think I saw These Animal Men once - not sure though.

Saw Pulp supporting Jesus & Mary Chain in about 1990

Saw Primal Scream in a tiny cellar bar in 1986

Saw Blur supporting Jesus & Mary Chain in early 90s.

Saw Stereolab supporting Lush in 1990

pottssteve

These Animal Men were great! They seemed to play in Portsmouth every 3 weeks alongside S*M*A*S*H, who were also fun live. I appear on a live albumn by S*M*A*S*H, recorded in Brighton. (I'm random nutter number 2 yelling from the crowd). I also went on a package holiday to Tunisia one Christmas and met the keyboard player from T.A.M. - my wife and I went for a camel ride with him and his missus. I had to lend him 25 quid as he'd run out of money - but he paid me back when we got back to the UK. Rock and roll, eh?!

mmitchell88

I didn't see any of those bands live.

But.

I do recall thinking that Sleeper's lead singer, Louise Wener, was absolutely delish at the time. However, I just found a TV performance of Inbetweener on the information superweb, and...well...she's a bit ordinary. Nice, but at least one rung below Liz Phair. Possibly two.

One of my biggest surprises at the time, however, was Echobelly. I saw REM play the McAlpine Stadium in the mid-90s, and they supported. I thought they would be rubbish, but they weren't.

That's my anecdote.

(EDIT: Anecdote #2: I was once in the same Safeway supermarket queue as DJ Tim from Utah Saints. Headingley Arndale Centre, mid-90s. He didn't recognise me.)

Porgy

mmitchell88 wrote:

I didn't see any of those bands live.

But.

I do recall thinking that Sleeper's lead singer, Louise Wener, was absolutely delish at the time. However, I just found a TV performance of Inbetweener on the information superweb, and...well...she's a bit ordinary. Nice, but at least one rung below Liz Phair. Possibly two.

One of my biggest surprises at the time, however, was Echobelly. I saw REM play the McAlpine Stadium in the mid-90s, and they supported. I thought they would be rubbish, but they weren't.

That's my anecdote.

I used to love Echobelly - about the same time as Gene i seem to remember - and both bands were very influenced by the Smiths. I bought Echobelly's records (on vinyl) but don;t think I ever saw them live. Wish I had though.

mmitchell88

Porgy wrote:

I used to love Echobelly - about the same time as Gene i seem to remember - and both bands were very influenced by the Smiths. I bought Echobelly's records (on vinyl) but don;t think I ever saw them live. Wish I had though.

Feel free to appropriate my anecdote and use as your own!

prawny

Porgy wrote:

pottssteve wrote:

Saw Stereolab supporting Lush in 1990

My god how fit was the singer from Lush *swoon* my art teacher looked a lot like her too!

I never saw any of those bands.

I did see A supporting Marion on Fistral beach before their first single was released. Which was nice.

Porgy

prawny wrote:

Porgy wrote:

pottssteve wrote:

Saw Stereolab supporting Lush in 1990

My god how fit was the singer from Lush *swoon* my art teacher looked a lot like her too! Marion on Fistral beach before their first single was released. Which was nice.

Yeah - and there a were a disproportionate number of young cute lookalike girlies in the audience. :P

pottssteve

Oh yeah, I forgot about Echobelly...Their lead singer was a cute young lady, IIRC.

As for Sleeper, the unfortunately named Louise Wener was, is my opinion, a real knockout! I saw them play at a pub/club in Brighton on a very low stage. Being right at the front I think I was about 8 inches away from being arrested. She had this peculiar habit of blinking a lot; odd, but oddly sexy....

all show no go

(Quote from Prawny)
I did see A supporting Marion on Fistral beach before their first single was released. Which was nice.


Christ on a bike! Marion. What a top band they were. There first proper single "Sleep" was a blinder.

simple_salmon

These Animal Men I saw quite a few times; absolutely brilliant.

mmitchell88

pottssteve wrote:

I was about 8 inches away from being arrested.

Show-off

pottssteve

mmitchell88 wrote:

pottssteve wrote:

I was about 8 inches away from being arrested.

Show-off

I have very short arms.....

Anonymous

The Cult 1986
Curve 1991
The Cure 1989
Sonic youth 1991
Suede 1993
Jesus and marychain 1990
ACDC 1991
Primal scream 1994
PJ Harvey 1993
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 1993
My Bloody valentine 1991
Swans 1991
Beastie Boys 1992
Happy Mondays 1990
and so on....

Porgy

dmclite wrote:

Curve 1991
Jesus and marychain 1990
My Bloody valentine 1991

and me.

I didn't get to see Sonic Youth till about 95 - at Reading Festival - so that apparently doesn't count - but it was a blinder of a performance.

Dinosaur Jr in 1991 - and again a few years later
Pixies in 1990
Jesus & Mary Chain 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2008 - ish
The Fall 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

all show no go

First "band" I saw live was Adam & The Ants in 1982 in London.
This makes me very cool.

Porgy

all show no go wrote:

First "band" I saw live was Adam & The Ants in 1983 at the London Coliseum.
This makes me very cool.

if only you'd said 1979 then that would have been cool. :P

My first "band" was Billy Bragg - also in 1983.

Edit - no it wasn't I saw Gary Numan in 1983 - I saw Billy Bragg in 1984. Doh!

mmitchell88

all show no go wrote:

First "band" I saw live was Adam & The Ants in 1983 at the London Coliseum.
This makes me very cool.

Indeed it does. (EDIT: Well, I think it makes you cool!). About 5 hours ago I burned 'The Day I met God' onto a mix CD for the car. Then I sat in the car, which was parked on the drive, and listened to it. You do these things when you've got kids.

My first live band was GNR at Donington 1988.

Porgy

mmitchell88 wrote:

all show no go wrote:

First "band" I saw live was Adam & The Ants in 1983 at the London Coliseum.
This makes me very cool.

Indeed it does. About 5 hours ago I burned 'The Day I met God' onto a mix CD for the car. Then I sat in the car, which was parked on the drive, and listened to it. You do these things when you've got kids.

My first live band was GNR at Donington 1988.

The best stereo we own happens to be in the car - seems like a waste to me.

all show no go

Porgy wrote:

all show no go wrote:

First "band" I saw live was Adam & The Ants in 1983 at the London Coliseum.
This makes me very cool.

if only you'd said 1979 then that would have been cool. :P

My first "band" was Billy Bragg - also in 1983.

Edit - no it wasn't I saw Gary Numan in 1983 - I saw Billy Bragg in 1984. Doh!

My mum wouldn't have let me go to a gig in '79, I was only 9 years old. Although I do listen to Dirk Wears White Sox still. For me, nothing else but Debbie Harry existed in my dark little world at the end of the seventies..

Porgy

all show no go wrote:

Porgy wrote:

all show no go wrote:

First "band" I saw live was Adam & The Ants in 1983 at the London Coliseum.
This makes me very cool.

if only you'd said 1979 then that would have been cool. :P

My first "band" was Billy Bragg - also in 1983.

Edit - no it wasn't I saw Gary Numan in 1983 - I saw Billy Bragg in 1984. Doh!

My mum wouldn't have let me go to a gig in '79, I was only 9 years old. Although I do listen to Dirk Wears White Sox still. For me, nothing else but Debbie Harry existed in my dark little world at the end of the seventies..

yeah - me too - although i'm a little older. Funnily enough I finally got to see Blondie about 5 years ago - and from a distance she still looked pretty good. :P

After Blondie split I got into Bowie - that had my parents worried for a bit.

Anonymous

List of shame now....

Whitney Houston 1988
Simple Minds 1985
Arrested Development 1993

and to my utter shame and not my fault,

Bros, Hammersmith Apollo 1988.......ouch.

Porgy

I have a list of shame too - don;t spread it around

1. Bryan Adams 1993
2. Dave Stewart 1994
3. Eric Clapton 1990

1 and 2 were with my wife - she liked them and 3 was becasue i was given a free ticket and couldn't get out of it - the most tedious 2 1/2 hours of my life to date.


EDIT - just remembered one

robmanic1

Ok, so this has turned into a "most embarrassed" thread;

Eric Clapton (supported by a little-known Chris Rea) around 1985

Fun Lovin Criminals - 2000-ish

Simply Red (I know!)

Erasure (I KNOW, I KNOW!)

Santana

The Who (FANTASTIC!) last year

Bloomin heck, that's not many, must try harder!

Anonymous

Forgot all about having to go with my neice to see ........

Steps. I know, I know completely shite but not as bad as last year having to take daughter and 3 friends to see the Bratz movie, Christ on a bike I've never known pain like that since going to see "Teenwolf" and walking out after an hour to the dismay of my then 15 yr old girlfriend ( I was 16 and moody).

Surf-Matt

What about Mansun, Cast, Jurassic 5 and numerous others?!

My dad taught Phil Lynott (of Thin Lizzy) to play guitar - Thin Lizzy then toured as his band's (Arrival) support band in the early 70s. Before Phil realised my mum was married to my dad, he asked her out. He still plays bass in a local band - all funk type stuff. Not a normal dad of 58 years old!

My list of shame is poor as it my list of good bands I've seen - I tend to listen to a lot of music but not actually go to gigs.

The Verve were good though.

nicensleazy

The Clash, PIL, The Who and of course The Stranglers.....they just don't make em like that anymore!

mmitchell88

Surf-Matt wrote:

What about Mansun, Cast, Jurassic 5 and numerous others?!

No-one has mentioned Ocean Colour Scene yet. Will someone please do so soon, so that I may pour contempt on that sorry useless bunch. Where are they know? I bet they've become accountants and upholsterers....

Surf-Matt wrote:

My dad taught Phil Lynott (of Thin Lizzy) to play guitar

Whoa!

Surf-Matt wrote:

- Thin Lizzy then toured as his band's (Arrival) support band in the early 70s. Before Phil realised my mum was married to my dad, he asked her out. He still plays bass in a local band - all funk type stuff. Not a normal dad of 58 years old!

This is too good! Who is your Dad? The guitarist or the bass player of Arrival?

Surf-Matt wrote:

My list of shame is poor as it my list of good bands I've seen - I tend to listen to a lot of music but not actually go to gigs.

My list of shame is pretty much all the sub-pub rock bands that ended up playing Mbro town Hall in the early 90s. But I'd highlight Tigertailz whose biggest hit, as you all know, was Love Bomb Baby.

Porgy

At this point can I just mention that I once saw the Las (1988 - or 87?) - better than the Stone Roses by a long way.


<memory making grinding noises>

fletch8928

some cool some not and i knowi have forgotten some.

Simle Minds 89 leeds
Runrig 90 on the shore of loch lomond (missed inxs for that )
Genesis 90 i think it was 90 knebworth
GnR 92? gateshead
Bjork ?? ??
then it all went wrong and i know i have seen
Garbage
Prodigy
Underworld
Transvision Vamp
Faith no More
Soundgarden
Salad
Echobelly
Republica
I think the last 3 may have been at a gathering, not a festival!

and Madness

Mettan

Porgy wrote:

Saw Stereolab supporting Lush in 1990

I've seen Lush live - Great band - great music, harmonies etc. Good to see Miki and Emma upfront.

Haven't seen Jesus though.