That’s right, it’s January, which means two inevitable
things; plenty of shit weather, and New Year’s resolutions that are predestined
to fall by the wayside before the month is out. However on a more positive
note, it is also the month in which I will finally turn thirty, so for once
January seems like an ideal time for new beginnings to me. My twenties have
been interesting to say the least – the highs have been high and the lows have
been low – but it's true that you have to experience darkness if you want to see the
stars.
I lost my creative mojo at the end of last year. Life was a
little hectic/stressful, winter weather and short days make me incredibly lethargic
and, as a result, writing fell by the wayside, particularly this blog. I knew
things were getting bad when I failed to write about any of the gigs that I
went to in November or December. It seems a pity to let them slide into obscurity,
as they were definitely some of my highlights in recent months, so here’s a
little summary...
Bayside at Sticky
Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton – Sunday 16 November
This was
Bayside’s first headlining gig in the UK for a long
time and, as I’ve said before, I love seeing my favourite bands play tiny
venues. The unnervingly named Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar is certainly one of those
places where you are right in the middle of action; cosy in winter but no doubt
unbearably hot in summer.
I never have anything bad to say about Bayside and as usual
they lived up to expectations. They sounded great and gave us 16 songs of pure
joy, starting with Boy and The Walking Wounded and working their way through to
Stuttering (from their latest album Cult) and The Ghost of St Valentine, a
personal favourite.
I’ve seen Bayside many times before, but the standout moment
for me came after the show. Being such a low-key affair, bassist Nick and
guitarist Jack were selling merchandise at the bar. It was an opportunity not
to be missed and, having drunk just the right amount of beer, I decided to
stroll on over and proclaim my undying love for the band. They were very sweet,
happy to take photos and gracious enough not to make me feel like the idiot fan
that I am! I honestly didn't think I could love Bayside any more....
You can watch the
video for Pigsty from Cult here.
Trapt at Borderline –
Tuesday 18 November
This was a moment that I had been anticipating for more
years than I care to remember. To say I was excited when
Trapt finally
announced a London show would be a serious understatement, and to finally see
them at a place like Borderline was a bonus. It’s another venue that is small
enough to have the perfect atmosphere and conveniently located in Soho.
Pre-gig dinner was consumed at
Kua ‘Aina (worth a mention as
I have to love a Hawaiian burger joint that serves Kona Big Wave beer and has
options in the menu that can easily be adapted for vegans). We then arrived at Borderline and something to note if you
are going to a show here, once you have gone in you can’t leave and come back!
We had time to kill so we headed to the back of the venue and found a spot by
the bar to drink some beers and pass the time, before heading forwards just
before
Trapt arrived on stage.
They didn’t play the longest setlist in the world but it as
a good one and the energy on stage and in the crowd was fantastic. From the opening chords of Bring It right through to Headstrong and an encore of Stand Up and Still Frame, the momentum never slowed – except perhaps for Black Rose which was a nicely timed change of pace before the more recent Love Hate Relationship.
I think like me, many people had been
waiting a very long time for Trapt to come to London. It's been just over 12 years since their self-titled album found them a loyal following and if you live in the UK, chances are you might never have seen them live before. Was it worth the wait?
Hell yes. And hopefully next time they won't leave it so long before returning.
Gaslight Anthem at
Alexander Palace – Wednesday
18 November
Sadly this night began with an epic failure. Transport
issues, bad judgement and the fact that the venue is on top of a great big
bloody hill meant that we missed the support act. This wouldn’t normally be a
problem but the first band on stage was
Bayside.
In our defence their stage
time was ridiculously early, in fact so early that it warranted a tweet or two
from the band, who were clearly aware that most people would miss them if they
didn’t spread the word! Luckily Bayside's Brighton show, just days before, was so good
that missing them didn’t upset us as much as it could have, and at least we
were in time for
Gaslight Anthem.
I’m not the biggest fan of Alexander Palace as a venue, it’s
too big and lacking in atmosphere (although the selection of food and beer is
pretty darn impressive). The last time I was there was to see the legendary
Alice Cooper and the fact that he puts on such an impressive stage show kind of
distracts you from the venue’s lack of personality. Now
Gaslight Anthem may not
have incorporated live animals or pyrotechnics into their show, but they are
just so bloody good that they made me forget where I was.
I’ve reviewed their shows several times before, so if
you want to read more then click
here, but I do want to mention my highlight –
a moment that truly made up for the fact we had missed
Bayside. Brian Fallon
brought out
Bayside’s Anthony Raneri to sing
Great Expectations with him. It was one of
those beautiful moments that send shivers down your spine and makes all the hassle
of getting to certain shows seem worth it.
Taking Back Sunday at The Roundhouse – Tuesday 9 December
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| ©Michael Dubin |
The Roundhouse isn’t my favourite venue either, but whether
Taking Back Sunday are playing here or in a field in the Welsh countryside, they are never
anything short of brilliant. This was my third time seeing them in 2014 alone so I won’t bore you with the details (you can find more TBS ramblings
here), but
as always they put together a setlist that left me smiling and singing my heart
out.
Seriously, this band know what they are doing. They always manage to integrate new material into their setlist flawlessly, playing new songs like
Beat Up Car,
Stood A Chance and
Better Homes and Gardens alongside classics like
Liar,
Timberwolves at New Jersey and
My Blue Heaven. Predictably they closed with
Cute Without the 'E' and
Make Damn Sure, and you know what? I'm happy they did! Another flawless performance from a consistently brilliant band.
Random moment of the night would probably be when I decided
to purchase a bottle of Prosecco at the bar (I’d consumed a lot of beer and
mulled wine and it’s not often that Prosecco is an option at a gig so I
thought, why not?!), without considering that we wouldn’t be allowed the glass
bottle and therefore my friend and I had to consume our halves out of plastic
pint glasses! Not the smartest plan or the classiest behaviour in the world but amusing nevertheless.
Danny Elfman at The Royal Albert Hall – Friday 12 December
My last event to wrap up a busy few weeks came courtesy of my beautiful sister and brother-in-law, who bought us tickets to see Danny Elfman's music from Tim Burton films being performed at The Royal Albert Hall. We had a fantastic seat in a box with just two other people and it was a truly memorable night.
The orchestra were fantastic, as were the choir, and while they performed music from Burton's classics (including Edward Scissor Hands, Batman, Beetle Juice and Sleepy Hollow), clips from the films were shown on a screen above.
At the end of the evening Danny Elfman himself arrived on stage to perform a selection of songs from my favourite, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was another of those magical moments that you know will stay with you forever.
And that just about wraps up my brief rundown of gigs from
the end of last year. Hopefully I have got my writing mojo back as I have one
or two shows on the horizon already. But first up was a different event – I went
to see my beloved New York Knicks playing at the O2 last week. Despite the fact
they are having a difficult season (and lost yet another game), I was still
very excited to show some support, drink some beers and get another glimpse of
the legend that is Pablo Prigioni.
Until next time, I hope you are having a very happy New Year.
