I was there when.......

[Mykesbass]

2 hours ago, Monkey Steve said:

Muse supporting Skunk Anansie at Brixton - I don't think their first album was out then, just a couple of singles (but I may be wrong on the exact timing)

I'd forgotten an absolute cracker - Skunk Anansie at the Pinnacle Records sales conference, in the Bierkellar bar at the Coppid Beech Hotel, Bracknell. The album hadn't been released, and their label put them on for the Pinnacle's (distributor) sales staff, retail buyers, and us other lucky labels. I watched about a metre away from Skin in a crowded but tiny room. Amazing show. 

[TheRev]

Sometime in the early 90s, I went to see a new Irish band called The Cranberries play their first headline show at The Fleece in Bristol.  There couldn't have been more than 30 people there band the band all looked despondent.  About 6 months later they went on a US tour supporting Suede and proved to be so popular that halfway through the tour, The Cranberries were switched to headliners and Suede to support.

[Muzz]

A few years ago my other half bought a couple of tickets for the Hebden Trades Club - it's a great venue, and one of those 'Never heard of them, but we'll give them a try' kinda places. Young lad on his tod, just him and his acoustic. You know that goosebump thing when you're in the presence of The Real Thing*? I think tickets were £8, about 30 people there. We chatted to him afterwards and wished him well. I recall he was a big lad, very nice. It was George Ezra - next thing I heard from him gigging, he sold out the Manchester Arena...

* Not the 70s disco band...tho we did accidentally audition their singer once...another story entirely. It didn't go well.

[mikel]

3 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

*Like*

Aye, my first ever live band gig. Have to say they were a great blues band, Jacka could make a blues harp sing.

[wateroftyne]

1 hour ago, mikel said:

Aye, my first ever live band gig. Have to say they were a great blues band, Jacka could make a blues harp sing.

What was the venue?

[4000]

On 11/03/2020 at 23:14, Doctor J said:

Ozzy played two warm-up club gigs on the 11th and 12th of January 1991 in McGonagles in Dublin prior to the release of No More Tears which were Mike Inez’s first and second shows with the double O. Both nights 😉

A recently formed and as yet unknown Blizzard of Ozz played a couple of warm up gigs in 1980. One was at the Norbreck Castle down the road from me. Myself and a friend went down in the afternoon, trying to blag a way in to the soundcheck. The venue itself was kind of tacked on to the hotel, sticking out into the car park. We stood outside talking to a guy who said he’d already met Ozzy; after a while he disappeared into the venue. Shortly after a door at the back of the venue opened and 2 guys walked out. I went over and asked them if they’d seen our acquaintance. One of them said he might be inside and gestured towards the door, so we went in. We found him inside and asked where Ozzy was. He gestured to the door and said “he went out there”. Turned out the guy I’d asked was Ozzy. As a huge Sabs fan at the time I’d expected some great big larger than life bloke, but he was quite small and almost unrecognisable; he’d had his hair cut a lot shorter and was dressed nothing like I expected. Long story short,  we stayed to watch an entire afternoon’s sound check, met and chatted with all the band, including a then unknown Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake (as a huge Heep fan too I was very impressed by this). Bob Daisley was absolutely deafening, shaking the whole venue, which Randy tried to point out and which Bob was having none of. 😂 Ozzy spent much of the afternoon swearing at roadies or soundmen, but all the band were very pleasant to us. I still have a promo copy of Crazy Train, loads of which were handed out after the gig, and a signed copy of Sabs Vol 4, which I took along.

Also saw a lot of the NWoBHM bands at the same venue. In fact I recently found out that in certain quarters 2 of my earliest bands were considered part of it, which made me laugh. 

Saw Lem and the boys a few times on the Ace of Spades tour, when they first really hit the big time. Met them too. Lem was a gent.

Roadied for Grand Prix once at one gig; anyone remember them? 

Edited March 13, 2020 by 4000

[mikel]

1 hour ago, wateroftyne said:

What was the venue?

Cullercoates Methodist. There was a youth club called The Happy Club, (yes I know). I lived on the Marden at the time so a short walk.

I could also be out with the date it may have even been late 1967. It was a long time ago.

Edited March 12, 2020 by mikel
Adition

[wateroftyne]

4 minutes ago, mikel said:

Cullercoates Methodist. There was a youth club called The Happy Club, (yes I know). I lived on the Marden at the time so a short walk.

I could also be out with the date it may have even been late 1967. It was a long time ago.

That's amazing...

[Graham]

A bit more recent, but I was at the Damnation Festival in 2016 when Cult Of Luna played the Mariner album in full with Julie Christmas.

It was the only UK performance of that set and I worked the festival so I could get on the balcony and be sure of a good view.

Mariner is in my top two albums ever and the performance was absolutely fantastic, probably the best set I've seen.

[Maude]

8 hours ago, Monkey Steve said:

Muse supporting Skunk Anansie at Brixton - I don't think their first album was out then, just a couple of singles

The singer and guitarist in one of my bands have always been in bands together and one of their bands many moons ago had Muse as a support act, a fact which the guitarist has mentioned to me once or twice, to which I remind him he's in a band with me and ask, "Whatever became of Muse?" 😄

[kusee pee]

6 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

I'd forgotten an absolute cracker - Skunk Anansie at the Pinnacle Records sales conference, in the Bierkellar bar at the Coppid Beech Hotel, Bracknell. The album hadn't been released, and their label put them on for the Pinnacle's (distributor) sales staff, retail buyers, and us other lucky labels. I watched about a metre away from Skin in a crowded but tiny room. Amazing show. 

I've played there many a time.  Seeing a band like Skunk Anansie in that setting must have been awesome 👍

[SH73]

On 11/03/2020 at 15:47, Bilbo said:

 

I saw Iron Maiden when Paul DiAnnio was the lead singer and Janick Gers was in the support band (White Spirit).

 

.wish I saw that era too

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by SH73
Misread the thread title

[BrunoBass]

10 hours ago, Muzz said:

One evening we were in the City Road pub opposite wondering whether to go, and my pal said "I heard it's some American bird shooting a dance video, she'll be miming..." so we all went 'Pffft' and didn't bother. Madonna.

Continuing the ‘I almost saw’ theme, a friend of mine was trying to get me to come and see some American guy that he’d heard of and was really into, with him. This was early ‘94 and the guy was on a short tour of the UK. My pal had tickets for the Birmingham date, some little club in town. In the end I didn’t go, I can’t remember why as I was / am always up for seeing, but I ended up missing seeing a then barely known Jeff Buckley in a tiny venue. I became a huge fan subsequently and still regularly kick myself.

[Steve Browning]

On 11/03/2020 at 16:26, fleabag said:

I saw  Joe Jackson  ( anyone remember him ? )   before he became famous.  This was a band called Arms and Legs and it was a pub gig in Gosport.  I happened at that time to be living in the Portsmouth/Southsea area.

This would have been mid to  late 70's

Great band. They kind of split into two with Joe Jackson taking the drummer and bass player into his band and the singer (Mark Andrews) forming Mark Andrews and the Gents who produced a debut album which was much better than Look Sharp IMHO.

Clive Bates (guitar) has always been my favourite unknown guitarist.

[Andy_L]

Can't compete with some of these, but in the very late 80s/early 90s* I and around 150 others went to see Tad at the Norwich Arts Centre. They were supported by an up and coming band called Nirvana 

 

 

*it's all a bit hazy

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Andy_L said:

*it's all a bit hazy

I have quite a lot of 'its all a bit hazy' gigs I have seen. pretty well all rock acts in the early 80s - Iron maiden several times with Paul Di'anno - they came to Portsmouth a lot at the start of the 80s and it was convenient for my sister to drag me around to them. Then the gigs with Bruce Dickinson (which were night and day better). Festivals from 81-84, reading / glastonbury etc. Black Sabbath with Gillan (hahah) and Dio (and Dio with Dio). Marillon first tour in portsmouth. All laced with about a million Hawkwind gigs (they seemed to be always on).

All of these would be good to have remembered well.

[kevin_lindsay]

As Angel mentioned earlier, Marillion did a tour ("Saliva Tears Tour) before they had a record out. I was spending a lot of time Edinburgh in the early 80s, and used to go see loads of bands. So, I too saw Marillion on that tour when they played at The Night Club above the Edinburgh Playhouse - amazing gig. The band hot called back on stage for about three different encores. 

I also saw Funkapolitan at the same venue where I thought, "ooh, that bass player is great"! I chatted with him after the gig, and actually got to remind him of that when he borrowed my white Jazz Bass for a couple of weeks in 2018. The bassist? - Guy Pratt!! 

Edited March 13, 2020 by kevin_lindsay

[Bilbo]

That last one reminded me of the times when the Welsh Jazz Society asked to borrow my Trace Eliot AH250 and two reflex extension cabs (I cannot recall the model no) for gigs featuring Miroslav Vitous and Arild Anderson. I got free tickets to the gigs but didn't meet the players (I don't do that, I always feel too uncomfortable). 

[fleabag]

Just remembered another from the hazy days of the mid 70's  ( damn those jazz  ciggies )

Saw Jakko Jakszyk  (  Michael Curran  ) in his band 64 spoons  downstairs in the dungeon that was the Corn Dolly in   Oxford town center.   He of course went on to Level 42, King Crimson and others.  Fabulous musician

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakko_Jakszyk

[BlueMoon]

Not quite on topic, but I'll give it a go.

I was at a urinal once. A small guy steps up beside me; I see the top of his long curly hair, long fur-type coat. He was humming away to himself.

We both get on with it..........looking ahead, at our feet etc., as you do.

At the wash basins (yes, I do wash my hands), I look in the mirror, adjust my view slightly downward, and there was Leo Sayer.

He was playing at the uni that night. Just a regular guy.

Must have been around 1975 or thereabouts.

[mikel]

Not me, sadly, but our bassist at the time. 1972, he worked in a music shop in Newcastle and he had an electric upright bass for dale in the classifieds. He gets a phone call about the bass. "I am interested in the bass, can I come and have a look?" Aye, no problem I'll be home at 5.00. Gives the guy his address. Whats your name by the way? "John Paul Jones" says the caller. Yea, right, thinks our chum, one of the other music shops doing a wind up as Zep are on at the City Hall that night. "Ok, see you at 5.00 says our hero."  5 o clock comes, knock on the door, and there stands JPJ with a taxi ticking over outside. My mate picks his jaw up off the floor. JPJ buys the bass and says "Are you coming to our gig tonight?" No says our guy, its sold out. JPJ gives him some sort off pass or ticket and tells him to come to the stage door. They pitch up and are told to sit on the steps at the back of the stage, they get some odd looks as they are the only people on stage, until Zep start playing. To say he enjoyed it would be an understatement. He still dines out on that experience.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 11/03/2020 at 15:47, Bilbo said:

Just a bit if fun for the old farts on here.....

 

I just saw a post on Facebook that reminded me that I was there when Marillion were doing their early gigs and were making a bit of a splash. I saw their first appearance at the Reading Festival. I began considering what other musical events or occasions we have all been party to that turned out to be important in some way. It doesn't matter how trivial it may have been. A few I can recall include:

I saw New Wave of British Prog band Twelfth Night when Geoff Mann was the lead singer.

There will be more. What about you guys? We are all part of history. Where were you?

 

I was at Reading '83 too, you can get a DVD of the Twelfh Night perfromance and because the BBC recorded the whole festival it spawned an amazing collection of live LPs.

Some listed here:

http://www.stubmandrel.co.uk/14-music/105-i-was-there

For me the highlight of the festival was a 'new' blues guitarist who was supposed to be a dab hand at playing Hendrix covers on his first tour of the UK... on Stevie Ray Vaughan. Mid you I even enjoyed Black Sabbath with Ian Gillan 🙂

[Stub Mandrel]

I remember being 'local crew' for a few gigs in Aberystwyth, the biggest being Slade, promoted by a mate. Too in awe of them to say hello!

Also Sky, their road manager said he'd put us all on the guest list for the following evening in Swansea. When we got there the door wouldn't let us in but my mate found the road manager who kicked off and we all got in. For some weird reason the Brangwyn Hall gig was dead posh  - there were people in penguin suits and ball gowns, I kid you not! Of course we we all smelly afghans, denim and leather etc. 🙂

One fun moment was watching Nik Turner's All Stars at a club on Barry Island. End of the set everyone (including the band) shot off to the bar, leaving me standing alone, face to face with a very sweaty Nik. We had a great chat, lovely bloke!

Then there was the time I was in Brighton and the friends I was staying with suggested we head to a pub that had a folk duo on who were supposed to be quite good. The room was tiny, so small they decided not to bother with their amps and  spent the performance keeping out of the way of the fiddler's elbow. Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy.

[pete.young]

On 11/03/2020 at 15:47, Bilbo said:

Just a bit if fun for the old farts on here.....

 

I was in Baghdad when you were still in your Dad's bag!

Must have been about 1975, I'd just done a floor spot in Sandwich folk club with a couple of guys I'd met in the pub earlier (the confidence of youth!) A big tall scary guy with a crew cut and an Afghan coat comes up, says 'Really enjoyed your playing', gave us a few suggestions for next time, disappeared into the night. When he'd gone, someone turned to us and said, "Bloody hell, that was Davy Graham."

Saw Blondie on their first visit to the UK, 1976, supporting Television at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester.

1977, drove past a gig in South Manchester somewhere, on my way to a folk music session. Some band called The Police, I wonder what ever happened to them?

[tony_m]

22 hours ago, 4000 said:

A recently formed and as yet unknown Blizzard of Ozz played a couple of warm up gigs in 1980. One was at the Norbreck Castle down the road from me. Myself and a friend went down in the afternoon, trying to blag a way in to the soundcheck. The venue itself was kind of tacked on to the hotel, sticking out into the car park. We stood outside talking to a guy who said he’d already met Ozzy; after a while he disappeared into the venue. Shortly after a door at the back of the venue opened and 2 guys walked out. I went over and asked them if they’d seen our acquaintance. One of them said he might be inside and gestured towards the door, so we went in. We found him inside and asked where Ozzy was. He gestured to the door and said “he went out there”. Turned out the guy I’d asked was Ozzy. As a huge Sabs fan at the time I’d expected some great big larger than life bloke, but he was quite small and almost unrecognisable; he’d had his hair cut a lot shorter and was dressed nothing like I expected. Long story short,  we stayed to watch an entire afternoon’s sound check, met and chatted with all the band, including a then unknown Randy Rhoads, Bob Dailey and Lee Kerslake (as a huge Heep fan too I was very impressed by this). Bob Dailey was absolutely deafening, shaking the whole venue, which Randy tried to point out and which Bob was having none of. 😂 Ozzy spent much of the afternoon swearing at roadies or soundmen, but all the band were very pleasant to us. I still have a promo copy of Crazy Train, loads of which were handed out after the gig, and a signed copy of Sabs Vol 4, which I took along.

Also saw a lot of the NWoBHM bands at the same venue. In fact I recently found out that in certain quarters 2 of my earliest bands were considered part of it, which made me laugh. 

Saw Lem and the boys a few times on the Ace of Spades tour, when they first really hit the big time. Met them too. Lem was a gent.

Roadied for Grand Prix once at one gig; anyone remember them? 

Hah, I was just going to post about the Blizzard of Ozz warm-up at the Norbreck, but then saw you'd beaten me to it! Ditto the NWoBHM bands we saw there who then went on to bigger things (Iron Maiden with Di'Anno, Def Leppard, Saxon), and the ones who didn't quite make it but are still going, or have been and gone and come back again (eg Angel Witch, Vardis and Witchfynde). Oh, and Hanoi Rocks at the Bierkeller on the Prom. Happy, heady days... 😎