I have NEVER experienced a year like it! I have never been to so many gigs in one year before! I can safely say that I have seen more live music in this past 12 months than I have seen in my previous total sum of gigs experienced. Here’s a rundown of the list…
March 25th – The Stranglers, Cambridge Corn Exchange
April 3rd – Holy Holy, Waterside Aylesbury
May 2nd – John Grant, Union Chapel Islington
May 18th – Simple Minds, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
May 22nd – Simple Minds, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
May 25th – Simple Minds, Bridlington Spa
May 27th – Simple Minds, London Palladium
May 29th – Simple Minds, Colston Hall Bristol
June 3rd – Simple Minds, Brighton Dome
June 4th – Simple Minds, Theatre Royal Drury Lane London
June 7th – Simple Minds, Olympia Theatre Dublin
June 8th – Simple Minds, Olympia Theatre Dublin
June 22nd – Manic Street Preachers Bristol Sounds
August 25th – Warm Digits, The Lexington London
September 23rd – Paul Draper, O2 Institute Birmingham
November 10th – Wolfgang Flür, The Lexington London
December 10th – Alexis Taylor and Green Gartside, Esquires Bedford
Apart from the obvious and overwhelming highlight of all those Simple Minds Acoustic gigs (it’s hard for me to single out the best of them all…but perhaps just for the sheer finalé of it…and how, with each gig they just killed it and killed it…that final Dublin one stands out…but it was ALL amazing), I would say the biggies were…John Grant – an absolute DREAM to see him live (I wish I was again, in Feb/March…but DEF. no funds for that now), The Manics – my first experience of them live and they are everything you’d ever imagine them to be, Warm Digits – I absolutely LOVE these guys…I *will* see them again next year…somewhere!)
Thank you for all the music, everyone…all the support acts as well. You all rock. Special thanks to Catherine Anne Davies for making my attendance of two of these gigs possible. Both of those gigs were amazing!
2018 is set to be another year of great live music for me to see/experience. The tally for Simple Minds again is already currently standing at seven, plus there are gigs from Franz Ferdinand and the Art Of Noise already booked. Who else is on the cards? Well…as just alluded to…Warm Digits HAVE to be seen again…and let’s hope there will be gigs showcasing new material from The Anchoress next year. Beyond that? We’ll see!
PS: I just HAD to share my appalling montage (these have NOT been cropped…they are REALLY THIS BAD!) of epic fails of attempts at getting a pic with Gordy Goudie. The man is a SAINT! Honestly…and people were ASKING ME to take pics of them with Jim?! Lol.
