Yesterday was spent in York, in several bars, before seeing Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Nightsweats at the Barbican.
We’d planned to see them in Leeds a couple of years ago, but the gig was cancelled on the day.
They were insanely good, better than expected.
One added bonus on the day was a pint of unfined Jaipur in the York Tap. This one was a DDH version, so I’ve still not tried the original, which is fined with isinglass.
Maybe one day.
So, last week, I saw the Foo Fighters for the third time (that I remember); this time at Glasgow’s Hampden Park. As expected, they were great.
On both past occasions, I’d seen them at festivals; Leeds 2005 and Glastonbury 2017. The stadium gig was obviously longer and better, but I think I preferred the festival atmosphere.
This last time was part of a larger family group, which I probably wouldn’t want to do again.
At just under three hours, last night’s (technically, although we’re not long home) gig was impressive for a guy in his 70s.
I’d never exactly describe myself as a Bruce Springsteen fan, but he certainly puts everything into a performance.
Pretty astounding.
Ok, so we saw Elbow at a warm-up gig in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago.
But we’d booked an arena thing in Glasgow ages ago.
Last weekend.
We had something of a rushed trip to Leeds the other day, for a gig in a new (to me) venue, Brudenell Social Club. I’d been trying to see the Hillbilly Moon Explosion for a few years, but it didn’t really work out for various reasons, including the obvious pandemic. So, it was great that the timing finally worked out.
The icing on the cake was the discovery of Cavegirl and the Neandergals, the support act. A bit off the wall, but insanely good.
Then, last night, back on home ground, Elbow’s warm-up gig for an arena tour, at the City Hall. While predictably good, I think I do prefer seeing them at smaller venues.
I’ve not had a lot of luck in catching the Hold Steady on tour. Mostly because they don’t often have dates beyond London.
I did once see them in Newcastle, at the Riverside, a few years ago; they were silly good. Last January, i had a ticket for a London gig, but there was a lot going on in the bar, so i ended up not going.
I actually made it yesterday, though. Sort of. I couldn’t stay over, since I needed to be home this morning for the dog. Train times didn’t work out (eight hours overnight), so that left the bus.
Unfortunately, with a late-ish start to the gig, I had to miss half of it. Next time, I’ll find someone to watch the hound.
Still, they were ridiculously good.
And, since we have a keg of their beer in the bar right now, I did squeeze in a visit to Hackney Church’s tap room. It’s well worth a visit.
Nouvelle Vague, St Luke’s, Glasgow. Silly good.
Yes, we went to see her a few months ago (feels like ages) in Nottingham. And she was great.
And we saw her again last night. She was greater.
CMAT.
Watch out, she’s going to be huge.
We want to be a cowboy, baby.
Most people know I’m rather fond of Glasgow. I am.
So, it was an obvious choice of location to see Queens of the Stone Age. I’d never actually been to one of their gigs before, having only seen them a couple of times at festivals.
And, on the night, I realised that it’d been some time since I’d been to an arena gig. And around a dozen years since I’d been to that particular venue.
It was a good one too.
The only negative of the night, in common with most venues, was the shocking choice of drinks. I mean, not everyone drinks lager.
Another negative, the day before, was the discovery that the 13th Note, my most favourite bar in Glasgow, had closed in July.
According to a guy in Mono, around the corner, someone new was brought in to manage the place. Their treatment of staff hadn’t been great, resulting in their joining a union and, ultimately, striking.
Of course, this was all second hand, and the notice in the window seemed to give another side to the story. Still, it was so sad to see the place closed.
On a positive note, new bars were discovered, such as the State Bar. A great little pub with a good selection of hand-pulls.
Harriet was a big hit there, with staff and customers making a fuss of her. They were even happy to see her back the next day.
It was the same in Sloan’s. While I’ve been there many times, it was the first time with the hound.
The hound was also brilliant on the train, not that she’s ever been anything but good. But that does mean that we can plan other trips with her.
Until fairly recently, I’d not heard of the Split Squad.
But, when I’d heard that Clem Burke was their drummer, and they had a gig around the corner in the Central Bar, I bought a couple of tickets right away.
In the days leading up to the gig, I played their stuff in the bar. Some of it sounded a little dated at first, like US indie music from the early 90s. But it really grew on me.
The band were genuinely good too, it was a great gig.
And Clem Burke was a lovely guy.
