polvo 2 weeks ago

flying out to london to see my bloody valentine 2 weeks

was that good? i wanted to go but was broke.

Did you go to the Times New Viking gig at the Corsica Studios?

Yeah, it was great. They were powerful, genuinely funny, and the drummer a hero for continuing to play with a bleeding, fucked-up hand, and then diving into the crowd right at the end, and said crowd held him aloft like a returning war hero.

I'd struggle to complete this list for this year, let alone the last 12 years of giggage.

First: Stiff little fingers (1994)

Last: a guy playing a Kora on the streets, Monday (unless you count the fact that I listened to some industrial machinery for 20 minutes on lunch today, which was gorgeous).

Edit: And before the guy playing the Kora it was about an hour-and-a-half of bell-ringing in a local church. Awesome, it was.

First was a Bad Manners gig at the East Ham Odeon in about '83, the last was Shellac at Koko last year. Without wanting to state the obvious, Bad Manners were better.

that is an honor, I have only gotten to Ratdogg, speaking of which, I have tickets for ratdog in a month!

In roughly reverse chronological order

Dinosaur Jr (x2)
Jonathan Richman
Silver Jews
The Fall (x2)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Bjork (x2)
Chris Corsano
Acid Mothers Temple (x5)
PUSA
Holy Fuck
Chrome Hoof
Kling Klang
Eels
Fuck Buttons
And So I Watch You From Afar (x3)
Kinski
DJ Scotch Egg
Prince
Caribou
Liars
HTRK
Dan Deacon
The Evangelists
Iggy Pop
Rahzel
Camera Obscura
The Jimmy Cake
Shy Child
Marlena Shaw
Hot Chip
Erasure
Malajube
Electrelane
Deerhoof
Easy Star All-Stars
Thomas Truax
Charlie Parr
The Aliens
The Melvins
Big Business
Porn (Men of)
Gruff Rhys
Frank Sidebottom (x2)
Broken Family Band
Super Furry Animals
Dead Meadow (x2)
Divine Comedy
Mark Lanegan
Queens of the Stone Age (x2)
Tomahawk
X-Girl
Devendra Banhart
Sir Richard Bishop
Moldy Peaches
Sonic Youth (x2)
Cornelius
Chris Brokaw
Evan Dando
Eugene Kelly
Idlewild
Jeffrey Lewis (x4)
Misty's Big Adventure
Clem Snide
Kimya Dawson (x2)
Schwervon
Major Matt Mason USA
Dufus
Joie Dead Blonde Girlfriend (x2)
Jenn Lindsay
Prewar Yardsale
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Radiohead
Antipop Consortium
Melt Banana
Flaming Lips (x2)
Alfie
Muse
Fun Lovin' Criminals (x2)
Blur
Belle and Sebastian
Gomez
The Frames
The Dandy Warhols
The Prodigy
Less Than Jake
Foo Fighters
PJ Harvey
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Hundred Reasons
Sparta
The Libertines
Ash (x4)
Son of Shrimp (x3)
Clone Quartet (x3)
Panda Kopanda (x3)
U2 (x2)
Green Day
Meat Loaf

The Jesus Lizard (10+)
Cracker (10+)
Sugar (10+)
Drivin N Cryin (10+)
Kevn Kinney (5+)
Sonic Youth (8)
R.E.M. (6)
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (5+)
Camper Van Beethoven (5+)
The Monks of Doom
Fugazi (4)
Laurie Anderson (3) (once speaking)
A Tribe Called Quest (3)
Yo La Tengo (3)
Old 97's (3)
Dinosaur Jr. (3)
J. Mascis & the Fog
Jane's Addiction (2)
Apples in Stereo (2)
Bob Dylan (2)
Bruce Sprinsteen & the E. Street Band (2)
Bruce Springsteen acoustic solo
Mission of Burma (2)
Patti Smith (2)
Superchunk (2)
Hole (2)
Beck
Beck (solo)
Sebadoh (2)
Folk Implosion
U2 (2)
Melvins (2)
Butthole Surfers (2)
Deerhoof (2)
My Bloody Valentine (2)
Violent Femmes (2)
Blues Traveler (2)
Indigo Girls (2)
Pavement (2)
The Flaming Lips (1.25)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young w/Booker T and the MGs
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
REO Speedwagon
fIREHOSE
Mike Watt All-Stars
Hovercraft
Nirvana
Mudhoney
The Rolling Stones
The Police
Van Halen
The Cure
Ministry
Metallica
Guns N Roses
Faith No More
Spin Doctors
also saw the singer guy (Chris Barron) long story haha (like some of these)
Steve Morse
Eric Johnson
Cypress Hill
Coolio
Blonde Redhead
The Roots
Pharcyde
Skinny Puppy
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Sinead O'Connor
Live
RatDog
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians
Robyn Hitchcock & Pete Buck
The Make-Up
Stereolab
Social Distortion
Mike Ness
Mogwai
Polvo
Crash Worship
Pixies
Frank Black & the Catholics
L7
The Cramps
Palace Brothers
1964 (The Beatles)
The Back Doors (The Doors)
AC/DC
ZZ Top
Jello Biafra (speaking)
The Breeders
Robert Fripp
The Wailers
Manic Street Preachers
G-Love & Special Sauce
George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars
The Ohio Players
Brad Mehldau Trio
Herbie Hancock
Living Colour
Luscious Jackson
Nine Inch Nails
Love Battery
Screaming Trees
Tuatara
Babes in Toyland
Codeine
Jad Fair
Nation of Ulysses
Bill Laswell
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Legendary Pink Dots
Syd Straw
Pearl Jam
Steel Pole Bathtub
Dwarves
Cows
Dumptruck
Fishbone
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Cat Power
Eugene Chadbourne
Sleater-Kinney
Mira
Royal Trux
Huggy Bear
Helios Creed
Siouxie and the Banshees
Digital Underground
Sugar Hill Gang
Helmet
Ice Cube
Ice-T & Body Count
Melt-Banana
Mogwai
Animal Collective
Battles
B-52s
Calexico
Rollins Band
Bongwater
Meat Puppets
Eyes Adrift
Helloween
Slayer
Anthrax
Circle Jerks
Suicidal Tendencies
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ween (3)
The Ordinaires
Ancient Baby (I don't know, 4?)
The Drovers (2)

Automatic Baby

mostly local/regional...some of these are known
(there's two additional local Athens bands that I've seen many times and I can't even remember either band name...burned out haha)
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies (I don't know, 30+ times, probably 40+)
The Healers (20+)
Me'an Mills (20+)
Flat Duo Jets (10+)
Olivia Tremor Control (10+)
Vigilantes of Love/Bill Mallonee (10+)
Jack Logan (10+)
Hayride (5+ times)
Follow For Now (5+)
Magister Ludi (5+)
Harvey Milk (5+)
The Gerbils (5+)
The BTU's (5+)
Fuzzy Sprouts (5+)
Skin Pops (5+)
Neutral Milk Hotel (2)
Of Montreal (5+)
Elf Power (5+)
Drive-By Truckers (5+)
Widespread Panic (3+)
Magnapop (3)
5-8 (5+)
Zumm-Zumm
Redneck GReece Deluxx (3)
The Normaltown Flyers (3)
Magneto (3)
Dashboard Saviors
Porn Orchard (5+)
Col. Bruce Hampton Aquarium Rescue Unit (3)
Trinket (3)
Vic Chesnutt (3)
The Possibilities (3)
Macha (3)
Nashville Pussy (3)
Landshark (2)
Kachina (2)
Guadacanal Diary (2)
Time Toy (2)
Sci-Fu (2)
Oh-Ok (2)
Jucifer (2)
The Amber Lykins Experience
Satan's Cheerleaders
Kids On Helium (XTC)
Japancakes
Dairy Queen Empire
Asi Nisi Masa
Bar-B-Q Killers
Jack O' Nuts
Love Tractor
The Squalls
Vic Varney
Gobblehoof
Rev. Horton Heat
Man or Astroman?
Maroon 5 (yes, haha I saw them many years ago at a Best Buy or somethin' in Atlanta as part of some radio promo)
Beggar Weeds (5+) (Jacksonville)
Something (3) (Savannah/Atlanta)
Hash Palace (local to Dallas)
can't remember local acts other than most of the Athens ones, but I've seen them all over the place

as many as I can remember right now...

missed my chance to see one of Jerry's last shows when a g/f and I broke-up
(she ended up going)...to the victor belong the spoils
haha

Well, I've got more than a few other rare appearance shows in the memory bank to kind of make up for it.

when I went to see RatDog, my then g/f scored from the bassist backstage
Went to an Eric's Trip show once and they didn't show up.
Cat Power did that once too. At GNR/Metallica, Axl left early after a scuffle and they played Led Zep covers to fill out their opener set.

They're one band I really regret not seeing. Such a great band.


These/him too. Had the chance a few times but kept doing the old, ahh next time, thing until there was never gonna be a next time. Bummer.

missed my shot at Live Skull here too

I think they only played London the once and if everyone who says they were there actually was, the venue would've needed to be a football stadium!

^^^dr666 - Neil saw them, and Thalia Zedek kept hassling all and sundry for smack. Needless to say, our man was most amused ;)

was he standing behind the goal, or in the upper north bank?

At the Selhurst Park "Arthur Wait" stand, I believe.

On another tip, me and demon can happily attest to seing the first ever Boredoms gig in the UK (Feb 1994 at the Islington Garage). Really, you should have all been there. But you weren't, so ha!

I saw Harry Crews and got to stand next to Thurston Moore and Gibby Haynes in the crowd. I was young, and up to that point they were probably the only Americans I'd seen that close and I remember wondering if all Americans were that tall. Just as well Ronnie James Dio walked in soon after.


PS. I lied. RJD never was at the Harry Crews gig.

cool you saw Harry Crews...

Jon Spencer (you posted about him the other day) sidled up next to me back to the bar for one opening band that I cannot remember the name of...something to do with "zoo" or "aquarium" maybe...perhaps someone knows...at an early JSBX show...first two times i saw 'em they were opening for TJL and so it was the 3rd time seeing 'em, first time headlining

they used to be great live (they were only average the last time a few years ago)...

just one brush with greatness at a show (this could go on)

Great gigs part zzzzzz: Me and DR666 (before we knew each other) saw Skullflower at the Marquee in 1992 - still one of my fave all-time gigs.

Years back I noticed Lydia Lunch browsing in a bookshop I was working in. I think I might have let out a little fart of excitement. Again, I was young.

I once think I spotted Rowland S Howard in Clapham Junction. I'm not ashamed to say that I did a bit of a sex wee.

I stood next to Lydia Lunch at a bar. I let her rub her boobies against my midriff.

OK then, Billy Ficca bought me a drink once. Oh, and the same night Jennifer Herrema gave me a kiss goodnight. I was dancing in puddles all the way back to my hotel.

I punched Rollins on the arm. He flinched.

OK. I shot Kurt Cobain and got my girlfriend at the time, Belinda Carlisle, to forge the suicide note. Then we fucked all night listening to Killdozer 7"s ... on acid.

Sister Nancy
Kiddus I backed by legendary China Smith
Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus [4]
Israel Vibration backed by Roots!Radics! [3]
Sly and Robbie [2]
Sonic Youth [6]
Subhumans [7]
Mary Timony [1]
Shannon Wright [1]
A Global Threat
The Varuckers
Queen Ifrika
Sleater Kinney [8]
Ratdog [2]
Anthony B
Sizzla
Midnite [2]
Naked Aggression [2]
Eek-a-mouse [4]
Gregory Isaacs
Bunny Wailer [3]
Stephen Marley [2]
Ziggy Marley [2]
Damien Marley
Culture
Morgan Heritage
The Itals [3]
Groundation [5]
Don Carlos [3]
Deftones [4]
Toots and Maytals [well only Toots but it was billed as Toots and Maytals]
The Grouch feat Zion-I
Pato Banton [2]
the Gladiators
Steel Pulse [2]
the Abyssinians [3]
Easy-Star All-stars do Radiodread

updated

I was at the Slayer gig at the Astoria where they encored with a run through of the whole of Reign in Blood. If they'd advertised that they were gonna do that as a main set they coul've probably filled Wembley stadium.

I once saw John Clegg walking down the street.

bullshit!

I once did a wee in Danielle Dax's toilet. Beat that!

S'true. And I've seen Don Estelle sing a few times as well.

This sounds totally unbelievable but is actually absolutely true. My mum is really good friends with ex-Sigue Sigue Sputnik member Martin Degville.

I hope you didn't sprinkle.

^^^What what what?!?!? (And, ahem, why haven't you invited him round for dinner yet?)

Of course it's true. If you'd made it up you would have mentioned somebody we might have actually heard of.

Seriously, it's absolutely true. they met on a holiday in Kenya and have been good friends ever since. He's been to my old house to see her but I'd moved out by then so I've never actually met him. But yes, Martin Degville has done wees in my toilet.

Shit. the man who helped create Love Missile F1-11 is one of my mum's best mates. That is seriously fuckin' cool. I don't give a toss what anyone says.

No, I saw them at Barden's, great stuff, yourself?

i stood next to david yow at the urinal

Off topic, but "pissing with the stars" is more interesting anyway.

I once pissed next to Robyn Hitchcock. ("cock!" he he)

I edited in another 19 or 20...

Demonrail, I have to admit, when I saw Live Skull I went off with my friend to get high before they went on and we were in this gallery I used to work in by the club, and we were tripping pretty hard on LSD. I put on this Jefferson Airplane tape and we actually kind of enjoyed that more than Live Skull when we went back in. It was the perfect juxtaposition of psychedelic extremes though!