There's nothing quite like that feeling of totally immersing yourself in the live music of your favourite band or singer. Switching off from real life for a couple of hours - more often than not with a few pints of cider for company.
Today a new post on @owenhants
blog about his live music memories got me thinking. So I dived into my deepest darkest memories and tried to recall who I had seen live and it is quite a mix.
My gigging experience started in Norwich at the UEA around the age of 14, I like to think I was one of those reasonably cool teenagers going out to see bands and getting served at the union bar- clearly under age - and drinking Scrumpy Jack, see my cider addiction started early! I recall the very early days of Blur, EMF and Carter USM - I met Fruitbat at The Waterfront, Norwich and he signed my t-shirt! I remember going to see James and their performance being cancelled due to Tim Booth being ill. They came back though, supported by an unknown Radiohead and I stood next to Thom Yorke in the crowd to watch James' performance - still love this band so much and I so want to dance like Tim Booth. I remember seeing the Manic Street Preachers and having injured my foot in a netball game earlier that day I had to brave the mosh pit, even with DM boots for protection my foot took a battering that night! I got into dance music too and saw The Prodigy and got freaked out by Keith Flint coming through the crowd and staring into my eyes
very closely. I also remember seeing Kingmaker - during my GCSE exams, strange the things we remember - and Airhead, does anyone remember these bands?!
I worked in Boston, USA for a year in 1995/6 and saw Blur and Oasis - I liked both and I didn't take sides in their 'feud'. I recall staring at Alex James in amazement at how he could constantly smoke and play guitar at the same time, our eyes also locked at one point and I think my knees wobbled a little bit. The Oasis gig saw Liam storming off in a hissy fit and Noel taking over - who I think is miles better anyway so I was happy.
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He made my knees wobble in Boston.
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Into the noughties then and I loved Counting Crows and the fantastically talented singer Adam Duritz made me go a bit wibbly too. I saw them in Bristol at the then Carling Academy, at the Royal Albert Hall and in Dublin. Life before children meant me and the hubby had weekends away! *big sigh* I stood really close to Adam Duritz watching the support in Bristol and I so wish I had gone over and said hello - dammit.
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He gave me wobbly knees in the early noughties.
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Recently, post children, I have had a bit of a mid-life crisis and have wanted to get out more! So with my friend, who was going through a similar breakdown, I have managed to see Groove Armada where I danced my arse off and held my own with the trendy Bristol uni students, DanLeSac vs ScroobiusPip - fantastic, Bonobo who I had never heard off but loved and Kate Nash where I felt quite old among the teengers of Bath.
In 2010 I finally got myself to a festival - yes it was family friendly and middle-class but Camp Bestival rocks! This year I realised how great the Wonderstuff and Primal Scream actually are/were.
But the best of this year, and probably of all my years, I finally got to see my all time time favourite band, The Killers, in Hyde Park and the beautiful Brandon Flowers at the Eden Sessions in Cornwall.
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He gives me wobbly knees now.
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I really wanted to see Big Talk this year but they ignored my requests to come and play Melksham Town Hall so here's a picture of the lovely Ronnie Vannucci anyway - *drool*.
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Yes, he makes my knees wobble too.
I clearly I have a thing for musicians & facial hair!
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So acually, not that bad a list is it?
