Question of the Day: What was your favourite London-based gig of all time?

As previously mentioned in CarmenM’s ‘what would you change’ thread, my best gig was an all-dayer at the Oval in 1971. The Faces were good back then, but top of the bill and at the top of their game were The Who.

Fucking magnificent.

Posted about 1 year ago by BraveNewMalden

P J Harvey played an special one-off gig in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern (back in 2004 maybe?) and was utterly magnificent.

It is the only time I abused my position as (then) assistant to the Director to obtain extra tickets (for him ostensibly, though I did pay for them) after they had long sold out. Happy to see both Nick Serota and my boss Vicente Todoli in the audience along with loads of other artists. Would give a hell of a lot to see that show again it was so loud and fantastic.

And she wore an amazingly long-fringey-sleeved rock goddess white leather jacket that made playing her guitar very tricky. Bloody hell it was hairs up on the back of the neck stuff. Never before or since used as a rock venue, so a unique gig.

tate modern pj harvey

Posted about 1 year ago by archetype

PJ at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday. Hell yeah.

pj harvey royal festival hall genius

Posted about 1 year ago by stella

He’s not been the same since Duncan left him.

Posted about 1 year ago by flippy

Er.. More on-topic, REM in Hyde Park a year or so ago. Support by Idlewild, who positively rock. It would have been worth it for just them, but I was, and always have been blown away by Michael Stipe’s stage presence, odd make-up or no odd make-up.

Posted about 1 year ago by flippy

Deftones at the Astoria in 1997. Adrenaline soaked goodness from the start of the support act’s set, right through to the end of the night.

Oh to be eighteen again.

Posted about 1 year ago by vds

The last Camden Crawl, Hot Club de Paris, in the smallest mosh pit ever with me and 3 drunk fat sweaty happy scousers in a tiny tiny club. fucking amazing.

(and seeing them support the Futureheads tomorrow, hoorah!)

Posted about 1 year ago by iAmJonny

Chemical Brothers, Trafalgar Square, I guess. All other gigs could have happened in any venue in any town. But I was fully aware of my being in London throughout the Chems. What with it being in Trafalgar Square, and that.

Posted about 1 year ago by Carla

Red Hot Chilli Peppers at Hyde Park, I didn’t know who was supporting them but managed to turn up just in time to see James Brown walk on stage, I did get on down; absolutely amazing…

Posted about 1 year ago by MonkeyBoy

JEALOUS of Archetype. And Stella. Made all the more painful because I missed out on tickets for her recent Colston Hall do (down ere in the wesss cunree). Bah.

Mine is a joint favourite between the Yeah Yeah Yeahs about four years ago at the Astoria, and Acoustic Ladyland in the delightful surrounds of the Purple Turtle in Mornington Crescent. The latter for total mindfuck virtuosity, the former for top showing-off and gleeful lack of inhibition amongst all the scenesters in the venue, a mighty rare occurrence. And Karen O was wearing a pink fabric lobster for a scarf.

Posted about 1 year ago by johnpaulghetto

The first and last – not sure what that says about my memory: Jesus & Mary Chain, Brixton Academy, 5th December 1992; Mogwai, Somerset House, 12th July 2007.

Posted about 1 year ago by Kaliova

Julian Cope at the Forum (or Town and Country Club as it was then known), February 1993. He was on the Jehovahkill tour, and was at the top of his game. Delightfully mental, he played a load of psych-trip prog from that album and its predecessor Peggy Suicide, hits from St Julian, and a bunch of Teardrop Explodes stuff.

Remember the mic stand he used during the St Julian era – World Shut Your Mouth, Trampolene etc? He raffled it off that night, and the winning ticket was drawn from the Tombola by the 8ft tall alien Mr Sqwubbsy. I didn’t win.

Also, he performed Reynard the Fox in a big furry fox costume, wearing Daffy Duck boxer shorts and big white Mickey Mouse style gloves. Brilliant, brilliant.

run run reynard run run run

Posted about 1 year ago by iSleepDiagonal

In the summer of ‘94 at The Venue in New Cross – Oasis, Shed 7 and Cast all on the same bill. I was in the pub over the road. Apparently the gig was fucking amazing.

Posted about 1 year ago by Ian

Oh either when I went to see The Hives at the 100 club the other month or Ween at the Astoria a few years ago but they weren’t particularly ‘London’.

Posted about 1 year ago by Natasha

Well… as a teenager, seeing My Bloody Valentine at the ULU was truly transporting… but the most truly London gig I suppose I’ve seen was Madness at Brixton Academy early this year. There were some VERY unsavoury types gathered in the pubs around about, but the atmosphere in the venue was total celebration, and Madness were on fire – it was the first time they’d had Chrissy Boy Foreman back in the band in some years, so it was pretty much their classic lineup, and they were sharp, funny and played like demons. And all the ageing skinheads in the audience danced their white socks off.

Posted about 1 year ago by Knid

and then there was getting taken (not yer actual taken tho) for a groupie when I tried to get backstage to see my cousin (yes he really IS my cousin actually) when his awful band played the 100 Club and I was a slip of a girl of 17…that’s fucking millions of years ago but it was a London gigging experience that I’ll never forget

Posted about 1 year ago by archetype

A bit recent but Mogwai at Somerset House this summer – my favourite band EVER playing a song the never normally play live in a pretty cool location

Posted about 1 year ago by Hilbs

Echo & the Bunnymen at the Royal Albert Hall, July 1983 aged sixteen. I went to both nights, although the first night was THE one. Definitive versions of Villiers Terrace, Heads Will Roll, The Killing Moon and an epic Do It Clean to send me out reeling into the Kensington air.

I almost didn’t want to go back the next night – how could they better that? – but their version of Heroin proved how little I knew. A mighty, mighty, band at the peak of their considerable powers.

Posted about 1 year ago by Merson

The Pogues at Brixton Academy on St Patricks Day in 1987, what a gig ! Shane & the boys kept coming back for encore after encore and in the end they had to cut the power to the stage as there was a load of trains being held back to take everyone home !

Absofuckinglutley outstanding night !

Posted about 1 year ago by villageidiot

Isn’t this question a bit subjective, depending on what your musical tastes are? For example, I saw Blur play Mile End Park, but it was shit. Damon Albarn banging on about his ‘East End upbringing’ in his Colchester accent (Leytonstone is not the East End me old china).

Depeche Mode at Wembley Arena last year was pretty awesome, but I’m not sure whether that’s quintessentially London. The Pet Shop Boys doing the live soundtrack to Battleship Potemkin in Trafalgar Square, in drizzle underneath a huge cinema screen, was special. But I would have to say the night James Brown played the Royal Albert Hall at the age of 72, would be my top gig. I was hugely impressed by the sheer size of the venue on what was my first visit there, but that was nothing compared to when The Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness came on to do his bit. Despite the fact that the roof felt like it was a mile high, he still came close to blowing it off. He’d also do his dancing but for only 2 minutes at a time before he needed to take a breather (much like his 60s stage act where he’d pretend he was collapsing but much closer to reality this time). Nevertheless age didn’t dull the intensity of his voice. I miss him.

I think this question is a bit unfair though because BNM has probably seen 4 times as many gigs as we have, starting with Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel in their vaudeville days, so he’s got more to choose from.

id love to have been at that oval gig

Posted about 1 year ago by SFULG