Experimental & Leftfield

There's a few gigs I've been to (good and bad)which I will remember forever (in no particular order)

1. D:Ream - Exeter University 1995

They only had 3 songs that anyone knew and then panicked after about 25 minutes because they'd run out of any recognisable material so played the whole lot again, but some of the students got fed up and left! (how many times can things only get better in one night!?) A true shambles.

2. DJ Krust - Barcelona harbourside 1999

Hardcore jungle has never been BIG in Spain and even less so in 1999. This was a free open air concert down on the cobbles by the palm trees on the portside. Part of the annual Merce festival in September which is a series of free musical events around the city to commemorate the city's patron saint. The crowd was an assorted bunch of alternative lefty crusty types, tourists and about 12 professional junglists at the front. The music was bass quaking, profanity hurling, palm tree shaking stuff which left most of the crowd utterly bewildered. (it wasn't anything special but the crowd's reaction was remarkable!)

3. Moby - Wembley Arena 2002

Whatever the cynics say about Moby's hypocrisy, tea shops, militant veganism and "beef" with Eminem, nobody can deny that Moby is an excellent performer and hugely entertaining to watch. A lot of people have forgotten how great the early happy hardcore numbers were, stuff like Move and everything is wrong are classics. Although Wembley Arena is the antichrist (for obvious reasons) and the sound and distance from stage make it impossible to really enjoy the show, this was a hugely impressive show. All sorts of people were there, including a lot of couples in their 30s who'd gone expecting lot of 'chilled' moments to the Play album!! Someone should've warned them.. He spent much of the first hour bounding about furiously to the more uptempo tracks off the early albums with an extraordinary energy for a puny, balding social misfit.

Best moment was when he interrupted "go" to launch into a shrieked rant against Bush and then a thrash guitar came in out of nowhere for about a minute, before "go" resumed.

Quality stuff. Moby is someone who Mr C might describe as "much maligned and misunderstood"

4. Orbital - Brixton Academy 2001

It was difficult to know if the Hartnolls were really on stage because just about everyone in the crowd looked like the Hartnolls complete with torch glasses and bald heads to match. Trully sinetingling music - the lights went berserk when Belfast kicked in and the screen showed some vintage videos (including the famous one for Satan, which I think featured The Chinese Communist Party's Congress of 1968)

Wonderful night.

5. Blur - Exeter University 1994

Before Albarn and James started getting all experimental and interesting, Blur were arrogant indie kids in denial, who had the front to come to my university and call us "middle class swiss bankers".. I left after 10 minutes.

6. Royksopp - Bestival 2005
7. Underworld - Somerset House 2003
8. Groove Armada - Razz Club (Barcelona) 2004

all were life affirming in extremis and cost me vast numbers of brain cells. Royskopp's rendition of Alpha Male was a trully inspirational moment. Karl Hyde (looking suspiciously like a monkey) jumping around to "Juanita" as dusk fell over the Thames, Groove Armada's superstylin'. I seriously recommend anyone catch any of these live. Great range of sound, which in each case ranges from melancholic Tuesday moods to Saturday night mischief. All professional crowd pleasers. Underworld, in particular, have this innate ability to completely engross you for 2 hours of your life. Resistence is futile.

9. Danni Minogue - Exeter University 1995

Possibly the worst concert I have ever been to. Sometimes it's important to see something like this. A true education for all of us.. (I didn't pay or stay long)

10. Mu - Fabric Sonar Launch party 2005

For the uninitiated, Mu is a maverick Japanese performer, who owes a lot to Bjork in terms of her avant-garde approach to music. Perhaps best known for her electro track "let's get sick" a few years back, she exudes a presence on stage which borrows from other charismatic female performers the melodrama of Tori Amos, the kitsch of Alison Goldfrapp the narcissism of Madonna and blends it all into a highly engaging spectacle. Whether she'll make a career out of this is open to question..!

Memorable gigs for me:
*DJ Shadow @ Oxford Brookes Universty, 2002

*Public Enemy @ Kentish Town Forum 2003

*The Cure, Cornwall Colliseum 1993 (first proper gig)

*New Order @ O2, Hyde Park last year (though the festival stank of over commercialism, seeing them play Love Will Tear Us Apart in the torrential rain was a real spine tingler)

Roy Ayers @ Jazz Cafe, New Years Day 2004 (incredible performer, and managed to have a chat with him after his show - made a memorable birthday)

A good thread this one.

Underworld - 2003 Creamfields

Only time i've seen these guys and it was awesome. The sun had just set, i was there with the other half, the beer tasted good and then they played a sublime set climaxing in Born Slippy. Everyone was going mental.

Fun Lovin' Criminals - 1998 Brixton Academy

One of the first gigs i went to this one. Big fans of their music. They had a hip hop dj as there warm up who was very good and they played a film they made as well (reminds me of the Beastie Boys 'Sabotage' video). And when they did play they were spot on.

A bootleg Stone Roses band - 1999 in Camden

Only got into the Roses a few months before going to this gig. Naturally i'm a bit dubious about bootlet bands but these were spot on, note perfect and had some good attitude to go with it. The atmosphere was great as well.

The Who - Isle of Wight Festival 2004

Thought i didn't know anything about this band when they came on. How wrong was i? Knew every song and they were, without doubt, the best stadium / big festival act i've ever seen. Nuff said!

Faithless - last November, Brixton

Faithless with Crazy P supporting!!! It was great. I expected it to be good but christ. I'll def still be talking about this one in the years to come. Praise be to Faithless!

Looking forward to seeing Prodigy and Goldfrapp at IoW this year as well.

U2 June 2005 @ Twickenham. As usual they were fantastic. I am still on a high from the concert. The best thing of all was that I didn't have to pay for the ticket. I even managed to see their sound check!

The worst...There have been too many!