First gigs?

[R Zimmerman]

Well I've got tickets to see Oasis in Cardiff and Sheffield later in the year, which are both small venues, so that should be qualitly.

Mad weekend, Saturday afternoon City away to Basingstoke, Saturday night Manic Street Preachers at Wembley and Sunday night Oasis in Cardiff. Quality.

[sparrow]

1) A really bad local heavy metal bad called Bleak House at the City Hall in about 1981. First decent gig was Half Man Half Biscuit at the Town and Country Club in 1986

 

2) Cardiacs at the old Marquee in Wardour Street, saw them there loads of times until it closed in the late 80's, or The House of Love at the Town and Country Club in about 1988 before Terry Bickers left and they went c**p or Psychic TV at the Astoria in 1988 which ended up in a mass orgy and the management pulled the plug on the gig. It was really funny watching a couple of hundred naked people wondering around the stage trying to find their pants. Local lad Richard Norris was playing in PTV that day before he went to form The Grid. He also played in a local punk band with my brother called The Innocent Vicars. Does anyone remember them?

 

3) Nice n' Sleazy by the Stranglers

[Ted Maul]

1 - Some big stadium guns n roses gig. It was dreadful.

 

2 - I agree that small venues are best. Been to some great gigs by PWEI, Charlatans and NIN in small dingy venues that were absolutely fantastic. Blur at V97 was probably my favourite gig ever though.

 

3 - THe first album by AHA. Was it called hunting high and low? something like that.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Ah the poppies, another great early 90's band.

Have you realised that all these great bands that we mention on here just proves how much better music was in the early 90's.

 

Ted Maul did you report on the opening of the New Marquee?

[ESG]

No No NO NO Not Bleak House the doyens of NWHMBWHMWVBHHM or whatever it was called

 

what school did you go to sparrow?

 

 

WE ARE THE MODS!!!

[Ted Maul]

errr no. I think you may have the wrong person Mr Voice.

 

And yes I agree early 90s music was much better than late 90s. But the music thats around at the moment is pretty good as well I reckon.

[SteveP]

Actually, there's another point, where's the best place you've seen a gig?

 

Mine would be:

 

Brixton Academy, admittedly the surrounding area is shocking but it's a really good venue.

 

The Scala, was once a cinema, great for small, intimate gigs.

 

Royal Festival Hall, very nice accoustics, probably a bit too comfortable for most gigs though...

 

I can't think of any venue I wouldn't go back to, I guess I've been pretty lucky!

[Chubbhead EFM]

I haven't been to that many venues although I've been to lots of gigs. I went to the London Astoria on two separate occasions once to see papa roach and then to see Less than jake and it was really good,my fave so far and probably the smallest 'proper gig' I 've been to. Actually, a few years ago I used to go to a place called The Blue Rooms.It was part of West Herts College and put on all ages metal gigs and I went to that until it moved to the rugby club in watford and went c**p.When I went to Ozzfest in Milton Keynes last year the venue was pretty poo simply because it was in milton keynes in a field!

 

In regards to the early 90sVs late 90s music debate, I think there both equal it's just that u lot were probably my age at that time and therefore it means more to you then new music does these days. I'm sure when I'm in my late 20s I'll be saying how much better music was in the late 90s then it is in the mid-noughties!

 

[sparrow]

I think that the late 80's and early 90's were the best time for quality music. I used to go to Reading every year until about 95 and thought that I would go again this year (Friday only) because the lineup was pretty good. Whilst we had a good time I don't think that it was as good as it used to be. Too big and too corporate including adverts on the big screen. Music used to be about rebelling against this sort of thing. Loads of the people there were walking round in designer gear and mobile phones and weren't interested in the music. We saw The Breeders in one of the tents and everyone was just talking.

 

Some of the music was c**p like Weezer and while The Strokes were OK I think that they are really over-rated. Pulp were excellent though. Why so many American bands?

 

I think the live music scene in London started going downhill in the early 90's when a lot of the smaller venues disappeared. The larger venues concentrate on club nights after the gigs and so the bands come on really early. It is pretty rubbish having bands come on stage at 8.30 because you don't have time to get hammered beforehand.

 

I used to live in Hemel and they had a run of really good gigs in the early 90'2, The Manics, Carter, Neds, The House of Love did anyone else see these?

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Ah that'll be the pavallion in Hemel then, they used to do them in association with the undertaker i seem to remember (a indie club)

 

I saw Fat & Franic in Hemel in the early 90's.

I think bands used to do a lot more gigging them days to reach the people, before the net, music Tv and loads of radio stations I guess!

 

Did you see carter at readinf in 91?

[Laz]

SSL, I see you remember Bleak House. Where did you see them? City Hall? How about Clientelle?