Gigs 2024

[Nick]

2025

25th May London Palladium - Blue Öyster Cult

The last few days of May!

[Nickslikk2112]

Back from the most expensively ticketed gig of my life - David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall.

Was it worth it? Probably, he may never tour again and it's worth it for that guitar work. Had a decent seat in row 8 in the Arena which got better after the interval as the bloke in front of me didn't come back! Like most of the people there I think he was from foreign parts and probably didn't understand the concept of an interval

I'd read many grumbles about the show before going - too front loaded, too back loaded, not enough Floyd, too much Floyd, too much of his daughter, too much of his wife, too many drunks, too many beach balls - well I can say as a professional moaner (ask Mrs S) I couldn't find fault. Yes, I'd prefer some songs to others, but it's not my show. As I say, it's worth it for the guitar.

The only grumble I had was all the people who ran down from the back of the Arena to try and get the the front for Comfortably Numb, which rendered the band invisible behind a curtain of raised mobiles 

[Ali]

7 Jan. British Lion, Camp&Furnace, Liverpool
28 Jan. Spock's Beard, Brudenell, Leeds
17 Feb. Marisa and the Moths/Elvana, O2 Academy, Liverpool
29 Feb. Mostly Autumn, Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, N.Yorks
7 Mar. Franck Carducci and the Fantastic Squad, the Cavern, Liverpool
9 Mar. Enuff Z'Nuff, Tivoli, Buckley
20 Apr. Mörderstein (Rammstein tribute), Tivoli, Buckley
3 May. Dea Matrona, Arts Club Loft, Liverpool
4 May. Rosalie Cunningham, Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees
6 May. Jethro Tull, Philharmonic, Liverpool
10 May. Marisa and the Moths, Star & Garter, Manchester
11 May. Symphonity/Temperance/Sirenia, Club Academy, Manchester
14 May. Black Crowes, Apollo, Manchester
15 May. Green Lung, Arts Club, Liverpool
21 May. Riverside, Ritz, Manchester
26 May. Yes, Philharmonic, Liverpool
1 Jun. tool, AO Arena, Manchester
15 Jun. Bootleg Blondie, Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton
19 Jun. Del Amitri/Simple Minds, Pavilion, Llangollen
22 Jun. Mostly Autumn, Crescent, York
25 Jun. Pearl Jam, Co-op Arena, Manchester
30 Jun. Mostly Autumn, Robin, Bilston
11 Jul. EXTC, the Cavern, Liverpool
14 Jul. Karnataka, Robin, Bilston
24 Jul. The Warning, Camp & Furnace, Liverpool
27 Jul. Living Colour/Mr Big, O2 Academy, Liverpool
2 Aug. Franck Carducci and the Fantastic Squad, Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton
4 Aug. Franck Carducci and the Fantastic Squad,
The Station, Cannock
8 Aug. Rosalie Cunningham, Zanzibar, Liverpool
12 Aug. Elles Bailey, Jacaranda, Liverpool
17 Aug. Ian McNabb/Icicle Works, Tivoli, Buckley
20 Aug. PJ Harvey, Piece Hall, Halifax
30 Aug. Heather Findlay/Zio, Citadel, St Helens
7 Sep. Mostly Autumn/Renegade, Nene Valley Rock Festival, Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire
14 Sep. Martin Turner, Irish Club, Warrington
21 Sep. Wishbone Ash, Live Rooms, Chester
22 Sep. Albert Bouchard, Alexander's, Chester
6 Oct. Del Roswells/The Darts (US), Quarry, Liverpool
9 Oct. Steve Hackett, Philharmonic, Liverpool
10 Oct. Redd Kross, Arts Club, Liverpool
12 Oct. Hayley Griffiths Band/IO Earth, Citadel, St Helens
13 Oct. Brave Rival, Arts Club Loft, Liverpool
18 Oct. Del Roswells/Surfrajettes, Academy 3, Manchester
19 Oct. Blackheart Orchestra, Hermon Chapel, Oswestry
25 Oct. The Cult, Apollo, Manchester
27 Oct. Marisa and the Moths, Waterloo, Blackpool
21 Nov. Rosalie Cunningham, Continental, Preston
22 Nov. Mostly Autumn, Tivoli, Buckley
29 Nov. Von Hertzen Brothers, Tivoli, Buckley
30 Nov. Henge, Band on the Wall, Manchester
15 Dec. Mostly Autumn, Crescent, York
22 Dec. Mostly Autumn, Robin, Bilston

[Nickslikk2112]

2024

Rick Wakeman - Birmingham Symphony Hall 23rd February * (8.5/10)
Riverside - Norwich Epic Studios 12th May (9.5/10)
Riverside - Birmingham O2 Institute 13th May (10/10)
Riverside - Koko, London 19th May (10+/10)
Riverside - SWX Bristol 20th May (9.5/10)
Riverside - Manchester O2 Ritz 21st May * (11/10)
Yes - York Barbican 28th May * (8/10) Mrs S says (9.5/10)
Saucerful of Secrets - Gateshead The Glasshouse International Centre for Music 22nd June (9/10)*
David Gilmour - Royal Albert Hall 12th October *
Steve Hackett - Royal Albert Hall 23rd October *
Von Hertzen Brothers - Highbury Garage 2nd December

2025

Opeth - Birmingham Symphony Hall 28th February (Front Row) *
Hawkwind - Sheffield City Hall, 23rd May *

* Will also be attended by the fragrant Mrs S

[captainkurtz]

The Cure - London Troxy - 1st November 2024
Nick Cave - Leeds Arena - 2nd November 2024 TICKET SOLD
Robert Plant - 6th November 2024
Frank Skinner - Newcastle City Hall - 16th November 2024
English Teacher - Boiler Shop - 19th November 2024
Milton Jones - Newcastle City Hall - November 23rd
Nile Rodgers - City Hall - November 26th 2024
Del Amitri - Boiler Shop - 1st December 2024
David O Doherty - Tyne Theatre - 1st February 2025
Father John Misty - Edinburgh Usher Hall - 12th April 2025
Joan As Police Woman - Gateshead Sage - 23rd April 2025
Supergrass - Newcastle NX - Tuesday 13th May 2025
Steven Wilson - Newcastle City Hall - 15th May 2025
Paul Chowdhry - Newcastle City Hall - 24th May 2025
Harry Hill - Tyne Theatre - 17/5/25
Jack Dee - Tyne Theatre - 9th October 2025

[Nickslikk2112]

Very enjoyable Steve Hackett gig at the Royal Albert Hall last night. First set = solo stuff, Second set = Mainly Lamb Lies down on Broadway then other Genesis stuff.

Got some special guests last night: Brother John put in an appearance, but he always does when I see him since he lives in Sheffield and easily gets to Sheffield/Nottingham/Buxton. Then in Fly on a Windshield Steve Rothery came out to play (no Mrs S, it wasn't Bill Bailey) and then Ray Wilson sang Carpet Crawlers.

Unlike for David Gilmour there wasn't a constant stream of people going for a drink/piss. Probably because the audience was older and they just pissed in their incontinence pants...

[Slim]

Mamas Gun last night, at St Mary's Church in Shrewsbury. I'd never been to Shrewsbury before.

St Mary's was reclaimed for sensible purposes ("deconsecrated" is the term, I believe) in the '80s. It's not a great venue for a gig. It doesn't have indoor toilets (there was a queue for the portaloos outside) and it doesn't have a proper indoor bar. There was a sort of temporary drinks stand and that had a long queue as well. The pews at the back where we tolerated the support act were not especially comfortable. It was a bit cold in there as well.



Despite that it turned out to be a blinding gig. I've seen MG about six times now in the last ten years I think. They were on fire last night. At least three members of the band (bass, keyboard and guitar players, specifically) are proper virtuosos and the extended jazz blues jam that This Is The Day turned into was mesmerising. I was fascinated by the way they found their way back into the tune after about ten minutes of it. Amazing telepathy between them.

I was surprised by the size of the crowd. They have a huge following in the Far East and a decent following in London but I saw them play to about 40 people once in Birmingham (not an exaggeration). Last night's gig was sold out. I was also surprised to hear Dave Oliver, the keyboard player, chatting to the audience at one point. He was hilarious, he should do stand up. I've never known him to utter a word to the audience before. And he did a gobsmacking jazz piano solo in Strangers On A Street.

Oh and one of the encore tunes was Gil Scott-Heron's Lady Day and John Coltrane. They absolutely nailed it. Miles Davis once said that white men can't play rhythm guitar, he'd definitely have changed his mind last night.