Thetownend.com

Right this time I'm starting a thread and I've actually done a search to see if its been done before.  I cant find it if it has.

So I've been reminiscing with the manager of Manchester Apollo tonight about gigs of our youth.  Very similar tastes at the age of 15 it would seem.

So my first gig was supposed to be The Waterboys at Diggers.  Bought a ticket for £4 and then got on to an outward bound course In Pencelli (or something like that.  In Wales so probably a few more LLLLLL's and a lot more phlegm) so missed out.  So instead we got our business studies teacher, Mr Lowery to get a school minibus and take us to Milton Keynes bowl and see Simple Minds.  We promptly fucked off as soon as we got in the car park.  Didn't want to be seen with a teacher.  So uncool.  We genuinely thought that, little be-mulleted twats that we were.

The bill on the day was Doctor and the Medics, Big Audio Dynamite, Lloyd Cole and the commotions and the Waterboys before the pounding beat of 'waterfront' hailed the arrival of the scotch messiah.  Loved every minute except the minute where Kerr announced the score of England Argentina saying 'England Won' I screamed with delight before he said Argentina two.

Not my best gig.  Best gig was probably some dead obscure malarkey.  American Music club at the Fleece in Bristol springs to mind or maybe all the great ones I saw at the Bierkeller in brizzole (nirvana, smashing pumpkins, NIN, Stone Roses) All probably bettered by the cure in '89 on the prayer tour.  To my tiny mind dry ice, flashing par cans and 12 minute long doomy goth rock songs was heaven.  They knew my pain and anguish.  They knew no one understood me.  I probably went home and wrote some poems, pretentious little twat (I've not changed)

Worst gig - Fuck knows.  Primal scream are occasionally dreadful or have been in the past.  Bobby Gillespie fucked makes Ian Brown sound like Pavarotti.  But there is some shite I've seen.  Napalm Death.  Now they were pointless shite.  The cocteau twins.  That's probably it.  Music was fucking lovely.  But music you should listen to in your bedroom not in the Bristol studio.  2 hours standing up tedium of the first degree surrounded by chin stroking aren't we clever listening to a woman making whale noises twats.

So.  Any memories if we haven't done this before? 

 :band:

I was at that Simple Minds Gig in 86

First gig was Status Quo's fairwell concert at the Bowl in 84. My Dad worked at a paper nearby at the time and i used to get into all the gigs at the Bowl in the 80's, sold some papers in the day to get some money and then saw a free gig at night....

Best Gig, hard to pick one out of the 100's i've been to (probably one of my many Foo Fighters concerts i've seen), so i'm going to choose one which suprised me by being much better than i thought it would be. OMD at Birmingham NEC in 91, Radio One sponsored the gig, The Railway Children and River City People were the two support acts; when OMD came on everyone was up from the first song, the sound was excellent and i really enjoyed it....


Worst Gig, has to be Whitney Houston at Wembley Arena in 86. Went with my girlfriend at the time, she sang the fast songs slow and the slow ones even slower, everyone was sat down the whole gig and it was awful.

Following on from one of your points Saxondale, the track Disintegration off the Wembley live album Entreat.... that is the high water mark of live performance for me.

First two: Depeche Mode and Echo & the Bunnymen in the same week in October 1984, a lifetime ago but both still hanging around.

Best is almost impossible: My Bloody Valentine in Sheffield, the Pixies in Kilburn - the day Lou Macari left us and a million other unforgettable things, Christy Moore anywhere and everywhere...sometimes it's the big set piece gigs - Pulp in Sheffield, a Pogues reunion in Brixton, seeing Frank Turner sell out Wembley Arena a year after the back room of the Bully in Oxford or the Manics playing 37 singles at the o2.  But really, it's the surprises that endure, Catatonia (yes) in their pomp or a host of unplanned, unheralded local pub nights that become magical. Thank you most recently to 1000 Mile Highway and Cooper Black.

Worst, by a distance, Miles Hunt, on his own giving it the big one and getting what he deserved from the nice people of Cowley Road.

First was Therapy? at the Oxford Zodiac in 2001.
Best was Kings of Convenience at Warwick Arts Centre in 2009 or Billy Bragg at The Assembly in Leamington Spa in 2010. Met him after the gig, he was wearing a lovely jumper.
Worst was Morrissey at the Oasis in 2009.

First, queen,  royal Albert hall jubilee day 1977, but taken by parents so doesn't really count, so sham 69, oasis 1979 ( I think)

Best, Mudhoney, nirvana, tad london Astoria 1989

Worst, Julian cope in Portsmouth 1990ish, had a whiteout and spend most of gig chundering in the gents.

First - The Roots at Lakota, probably '97.
Best - Hard to say, so I'd probably go for the above being as I'd never been to anything like it before, and seeing Rahzel beatbox live was incredible.
Worst - Klashnekoff.  The little mincer.

Before I answer, do festivals count for individual acts, the full weekend or disallowed?

SY, I was at that gig at the Zodiac (airless smokey little room with low ceilings). Therapy? were fucking awesome though.

First - Thin Lizzy, Bristol Colston Hall, 1977 - was brought up in a city with no live music venue whatsoever so needed to wait to have my own transport to get there!
Best - tough to chose, but must include The Clash, Coventry Tiffany's 1980 and The Pogues on Paddy's Day in Town & Country, Kilburn, sometime around 1987 ish.
Worst - probably The Fall at Cheltenham Town Hall, Mark E Smith clearly didn't want to be there.

Worst? Tonight. Pete Doherty in Riffs bar. 12.15am, no sign of him. Apparently he was buying a second-hand Jag in Hammersmith.

First - Lindisfarne, Octagon Yeovil. My dad took me. I can't have been more than 9, remember sitting down and meeting the band afterwards (they signed a cap that I still own with pride).

Best - Difficult, but right now I would say the Zebrahead/Less Than Jake double header I saw in Hammersmith about 2 years ago. I've been lucky in that I've seen some amazing bands in the few years I've been old enough to properly enjoy live music, but that night sticks in ky mind for the friends I was with, the fun we had before and after the gig, the quantities of booze that were enjoyed, and the fact I went home with an absolute stunner.

Worst - oh boy, there are so fucking many. I used to write freelance for a music magazine at Uni and fuck me did I get asked to go to some awful shite. The most well-recognised one would probably be the Black Eyed Peas in Cardiff though. That was the biggest pisstake of a gig I've ever been to. They turned up an hour late and I thought they were an appalling tribute band. Truly dire. For the amount of youngsters in the audience too, there was some really quite gratuitous soft porn/dancing going on, the set dressing/costumes looked cheap as owt, and for what was a nearly £40 ticket I was appalled at how short the sets were. I liked the BEP's until that moment (their first album is still a favourite).

First - Went to quite a few at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford from about 1991 onwards, but first 'proper' one was Blur at Kilburn Ballroom.

Best - Few, Neds and PWEI in various locations (1991-1994), Carter and Sultans of Ping FC at Brixton Academy, Hermans Hermits (only went as the bassist drank in the pub my mate worked in) in Newcastle during Euro 96, dancing on tables.

Worst - Been some stinkers but the one that sticks in my mind is a band called 'On a Friday' which we went to see at the Jericho Tavern, they were truly dreadful. It was announced in the Oxford Music paper (cannot remember what it was called) the next week that they had changed their name... to Radiohead!

First: Reel Big Fish - a long time ago.

Worst: LostProphets at the Plymouth Pavillions, tagged/dragged along. Arctic Monkeys at the Pavillions were shite too and Reel Big Fish at Plymouth University was embarrassingly bad.

Best: I went a Halloween Punk show in Boston which was amazing fun. Brain Failure-The Phenomenauts-River City Rebels-Street Dogs-Big D & The Kids Table. Everything about that show was brilliant.

Seeing Robert Plant perform at the Fiddlers in Bristol was ridiculously good and Rancid are never bad.

First - struggling to remember. Carter at Gloucester Leisure carter in 1991ish I think.

Best - New Order at Reading 98? (waited ages to see them), James 'last' gig at Wembley Arena (Brian Eno on backing vocals for a bit!).

Worst - struggling, I mean there are a number of support bands I thought were shit, but that's expected and you should be in the bar anyway.
There was Collaberation Festival in Lechlade: Expected 5000 people, got about 200 and the music was good but at times there were 10 or 20 people watching an act (Sorry for mentioning Wiggy)
I think the 'winner' was the time I drove a mate to Dudley to see his friend (signed) metal band, and he'd got the day wrong.

Haven't been to many gigs in my time.

The first was Teen Spirit, an Australian Nirvana tribute band. Must've been about 2002 and I think it was in Aldershot.

Worst was definitely my decision to take the wife to see the Backstreet Boys a few years back. Utter, utter tripe.

First: Stranglers early 80s
Best: HMHB mid 80s
Worst: King mid 80s - They didn't turn up!

First - The Driscolls at the Link Centre Arts bit - indie pop for 12 people and good on them,they made some ace singles

Best - Chapterhouse and Five Thirty at Bristol Uni . Dont even know why I think of this as my best gig neither are my favourite bands but this was just ace a couple of hours of strobes,wah wah pedals and Alaisters Crowleys door.

Worst - I can't think of a worst

First - Green Day at MK Bowl supported by Jimmy Eats World & Hard-Fi

Best - Maybe Hard-Fi at that gig, Courteeners were awesome in Oxford this year too. Seen Madness live numerous times and they're fantastic everytime. Had a band support them in Bournemouth called Aggrolites, they're fucking superb.

Worst - Dragonforce in Bristol..  :doh:

First- I think rage against the machine at London apollo- fuck knows what year. I remember it because they got some horrible emo fatty on the stage to ruin killing in the name of.

Best- Everytime I have seen the foo's they have been amazing

Worst- Lou reed at V festival- Mid 00s

I used to live around the corner from there at about that time, so was possibly at some of those as well.  Anyway, not a prolific gig goer, but here goes.

First Gig
INXS at the (now long gone) Docklands Arena, 1990.

Best Gig
Can't say for sure, but the Stone Roses last Saturday in Glasgow comes close.  Atmosphere made it for me.

Worst Gig
No contest: The Lighthouse Family, MEN Arena, Manchester in about 1998.  Before everyone dies laughing, the girl I was seeing at the time was going with her workmates and I got dragged along.  It's the truth.  The crowd consisted mainly of middle aged & menopausal women, most of whom will be pensioners by now.  I can only imagine that the local bingo halls were very sparsely populated that night.  In mitigation, I should point out that the girl who dragged me along had an incredible pair of knockers, so it was all in a good cause.

Presumably the band were shit, otherwise how could this be regarded as a bad thing. Your mitigation is wholly understandable

First Gig
Buzz Fizz  :-[  1981 with my Parents Paignton Pier

Best Gig
Loads and Loads but stand outs
Billy Boy and the Wild Bananas, a secret Carter USM warm up gig at The Joiners, Southampton 2008
Portishead acoustic tent at Glastonbury 98
 PWEI Reformation gigs 2005, Rock City in particular.
Worst Gigs
Never really had a bad gig as even if the band is shite you generally meet up with people you have not seen for a while, however I was very disappointed in the Happy Mondays when I saw them at Hereford Leisure centre, 99, i think.

First - Slipknot 2002 aged 15. Supported by American Head Charge, One Minute Silence and In Flames.

Best - Rammstein, Download 2013

Worst - Really not sure, have enjoyed pretty much every gig I've been to. Urm... Plan B at Reading maybe? Mostly because I got dragged away from Wolfmother.

Also the strangest was The BMX Bandits who where at the time supported by a little known band from Manchester called Oasis, Me and 3 mates turned up. They played a few songs then came and chatted and drank played a few more and so on, turned into a messy night that.

I went to the party in the parks at Lydiard as a kid, so unfortunately whichever one of those crapfests I went to first would probably count as my first!

Best: Tie between Slipknot and Rammstein at this years Download. Both put on ridiculously epic shows.

Worst: Scouting for Girls. Went with an ex who liked them, they were fucking terrible.

A Bucks Fizz tribute act?  :sherlock:

First: Oasis at Wembley, 1999. I loved them back then, so to see them at the home of football was special - and I still love listening to 'Familiar To Millions' every now and then.

Best: Cheating slightly, but Glastonbury 2009 Springsteen Saturday followed by Blur Sunday. Two of my favourite ever acts, at what used to be the greatest festival (and I never got to see Blur first time round). Closely followed by Stone Roses at Heaton Park last summer, and The Music at the Hammersmith Palais back in 2004.

Worst: Toploader on the pitch last summer. They are a terrible band. Paolo's cameo was funny though.

First: The Members at Manchester Uni Union. Reminds me to look out Sound of the Suburbs again.

Best: Ooh, the U2 October tour date at Salford Uni with Comsat Angels and Wall of Voodoo in support was a good night - went for one band in their prime, and got into three - bargain. Also loved Hard-Fi's first album tour in Paris about five years ago.

Worst: toss-up between Julian Cope who stropped off mid-set in the 80s and The Buzzcocks in Oxford about 5 years ago -  bands who write songs about teen angst really shouldn't be performing them in their 50s.

ah  bloody auto correct

First and best: The Cure, Brum NEC, December 1987. Epic 2 to 3 hours.
Interesting: Fields of the Nephelim (sp) at Bath pavillion circa 1988.
Also enjoyed: The Damned at 12 Bar, Swindon.
Worst: none

First Gig: Bryan Adams at the County Ground in 2006. Not the coolest first gig ever. I saw Bon Jovi the next day just to improve my creditability early on...

Best Gig: Frank Turner at Wembley Arena probably, just for the general feel of the whole place- most people there had seen him play in a venue a fraction of the size fairly recently, everyone knew every word to every song and Billy Bragg was the support act (and Turner's mum came on stage at one point to play Harmonica).

Worst Gig: Reading 2009- Kings of Leon were fucking awful and got shity with the crowd for not knowing anything that wasn't on Only By The Night (look at your album sales figures gents, probably should have anticipated that) on Friday, on Saturday the Arctic Monkeys were stoned off their faces and mumbled into a mic (have heard good things about them elsewhere but they were dire today) and on the Sunday I got a fucking diabolical slice of food poisoning and missed Radiohead while I was expelling all bodily fluids in the Sunday night festival toilets. Tim Minchin was about the only thing I enjoyed all weekend.

Billy Bragg supporting Frank Turner makes me scratch my head in confusion

Would it confuse you more if I said they did a duet on The Times They Are A'Changing?

First proper gig I went to was Oasis at Southampton Rose Bowl in 2005, was very good. Supported by The Coral who were ace, Babyshambles also supposed to be there but didn't show (shock!)

Favourite, there's been so many it's hard to choose. Oasis at Cardiff Arena in about 07/08, The Specials at Brixton in about 09 and Stone Roses at Finsbury Park just a few weeks ago all contend.

I've never gone out of my way to see someone and left feeling short changed. Shit gigs are are usually ones like 'Party in the park's' but I don't class them as proper gigs.

First gig - Budgie at the Oasis. My second was Talking Heads supported by Dire Straits at the Oasis
Best - so many, Ozzy in 84, Neil Young Hop Farm a few years back, Diamond Head at the Brunel in the early 80s, Seth Lakeman at the Wyvern a couple of years back. As Christy has said Christy Moore was a bit good. Cara Dillon is pure class whenever I've seen her.
Worst - probably a group called the Dumb Blondes at the Brunel in the early 80s. They thuoght they were the dogs danglies,went down like the Titanic, said they hated Swindon and ended up being bottled off.
I'll add a new one - the weirdest, which had to be either the Fabulous Poodles or the Meteors.

Oooh, just remembered that I saw Towers of London at some indie club in London. They were the worst thing I have ever seen. Easily.

First - Monsters of Rock, Donington 1985 - ZZ Top, Marillion, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Ratt, Magnum

Best - Clash of the Titans, NEC 1990 - Megadeth, Slayer, Testament and Suicidal Tendencies

Worst - Extreme at Donington in 1994. They were pelted with bottles of piss and threatened to walk off, which is of course what every Sepultura fan (who were on next) wanted!

First gig...Sham 69 at the Oasis in 79 or 80 they were ok.

Best gig...no shadow of a doubt even though it wasn't a gig as such but I was at Live Aid in 85 what an awesome day. But many have come close to that but mostly I do festivals now rather than individual gigs, Madness at Madstock was brilliant as were the first reunion of the Specials while Nev was still part of them.

Worst gig....a close run thing, The Fall I just did not get but the worst ever must be The Anti Nowhere League....made my fucking ears bleed.

One that wasn't bad but in hindsight I have no idea why I went was The Wurzels at Oxford Zodiac.

Oh I had forgot about them, I was disappointed in them when they supported my band twice...they played to click track and didn't play their own instruments and mimed to more than half their songs....bad show that.

Saw Seth Lakeman in Marlborough back in 04/05 and really very good.

First -The Wonderstuff back in 92'

The Best - Blur at Alexandra Palace in 94/95ish

Worst - Radiohead - Supported James back in 94, absolute rubbish.  Have to say I like the band and think they've improved since

First - Around 1986-7 sneaked past bouncers into a simply red concert at the oasis,stayed for a couple of songs then walked out. Acutally saw Animal quackers as a small kid at the oasis but have no memory of it.

Best- Prodigy 1991 Eclipse Coventry.

Worst- Some utter shite at the vic in old town whose name i cannot even remember. Paid a few quid and walked out almost immediately. Loud trashy shit and some greaseball sceaming.

Prodigy are shit hot live. Favourite non rock / metal gig by a country mile!

I have that album on my iPod, incredible.

First gig: Plain White T's in Birmingham Academy. I fucked up my leg at football training the night before and could barly walk, standing for the gig was painful as hell!


Best: Probably The Killers in Hyde park in 2011. That was awesome.

Worst: One of the shite I saw at one of the Big Weekends, possibly N Dubz.

First: Not sure on first, it was either The Kennedy Sountrack at Swindon Vic or Puddle Of Mudd in London Astoria (rip)

Best: Jimmy Eat World at London Roundhouse, it was there last gig on tour and they played an extra seven songs. Also i loved watching Silverchair a few times, they sound prefect every time.

Worst: Backstreet Boys with the wife

What about venues? Best for me was the Assembly in Leamington Spa,  worst was probably 12 Bar (?) In Swindon

First - Roxy Music, Neald Hall, Chippenham

Best - Queen, Knebworth

Worst - Hot Chocolate, Top Hat, Spennymoor

I can see that that would have been a relationship-defining moment.

Relationship fucking ending I should think.

First Gig...The Ruts at Cirencester Corn Hall.

Best Gig...Elvis Costello and the Atractions/X Ray Spex at the De Montford Hall Leicester.

Worst gig...The Jam at Brunel....shocking and kept walking off.

Other great bands i have seen....Stranglers at the Oasis(kept playing all there new stuff)..XTC  a few times way back and was privelidged to have seen Desmond Decker in London(The Israelites being one of my fave ever records)

 Saw an old mate at the weekend, we go back a long way, he happened to mention that he is trying to do a list of all the gigs he's been to.  He's having a bit of problem with some of the late 60's early 70's stuff and wondered if I might help....very difficult, because when you go to loads over a period of many years, you just forget the average fodder.....the thing to do is to make a note....but who can do that?  Rummaging around in the memory banks though between us we could remember some good stuff, I'd previously forgotten.

Anyway....1st. Marty Wilde and the Wildcats. Bormuff Winter Gardens 1960 or maybe 61

               Best. Captain Beefheart. Univ of Soton student refectory 1972

               Worst.  Crass. The Greyhound 80 or 81. Read about it here in this fun blast from the past.

              http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=7163.0

I saw Desmond Dekker play the Monkey Club in Rodbourne back in the 80's.

Toots and the Maytals was pretty good too, I almost forgot him.

Seen clips of Beefheart.....a bit like Dr Feelgood i wish i had seen them.

I have recently really got into Dr Feelgood.

First : I think it was The Cure at Wembley Arena in 1987 (I think)

Best : Half Man Half Biscuit at Reading in 1990 just after they had reformed, a couple of thousand people under a big top screaming along to all of the classics...  Also Ride at the Co-op Hall in Cowley at the time of their first EP Chelsea Girl were cracking

Worst : HMHB at Oxford...  Back in the pre internet days, I saw that they were playing at the ice rink in the NME gig guide page.  So we turned up just before the doors were due to open at 11.00pm, not thinking anything was unusual.  The doors opened and everybody went in we followed the crowd, and suddenly realised that they were all queueing for ice skates.  So we decided to find the stage and then realised that it was a Freshers thing, and we realised that the stage was right next to the rink, and so to get near the front you'd have to go on the ice.

We thought that as we were there we'd make the best of it and get some skates so that we could get close to the stage, but when we got to the front of the queue they didn't have any skates bigger than a size 3.  So we were forced to watch from a few chairs from the opposite side of the ice rink, while several hundred students virtually ignored them and skated round while they played.  To add to this they were supported by MC Buzz B(not sure on spelling)  

 
 

I thought the 12 bar was a decent enough venue,although I only saw the Wedding Present there. Boarded up now :(

Birds Nest,Bubbles...The Affair? up by the Wyvern was a bit pokey.

So many people liking The Cure

We really wouldn't have got on.

The Cure are a fucking brilliant band, one of the few bands that I still haven't seen and wish to.

First - Probably Prefab Sprout and Hurrah! at the Hammersmith Odeon

Worst - Probably my first Glastonbury 1985 - It pissed down, I had a huge row with the girl I went with, and missed pretty much the entire bill.

Best - I can't decide - right now I want to say Springsteen at the Ricoh, but that might be because it was last night, and  Glastonbury the year after the worst gig - 1986 - sunny, went with a bunch of mates, off my tits for the entire weekend, bill including:

 The Cure
 Gil Scott Heron
 Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
 The Housemartins
 Madness
 The Pogues
 The Psychedelic Furs

was fucking ace. Gill Scott Heron was immense.

In Swindon I have to go for the Selector at the Monkey Club. Really fun night.

Been waiting for someone to say queen. Was this the Live magic tour?
If I could pick a concert that I could go back in time to it would have been one of those dates of that tour.  Their Wembley concert looked amazing from the footage. Didn't the knebworth one break some attendance records?

Liked music but never really went to gigs.

First was the great Gary Glitter...great showman....dirty bastard!

Best was The Specials first comeback gig at Brixton.

Worst (for me) was Rod Stewart when he did all that American songbook shit !

I was with you,  spacey (RIP) and bennett I think? Enjoyed the gig but saw fuck all.

 Rubettes Brunel rooms,
 Clash Poole arts centre 79.
Jam .  Brunel rooms 79  .

Am I the only one who dosen't like gigs ?  :hmmm:

Once went to a V Festival day - hated it.

Don't get me wrong, I like music but only as an accompaniment to something else and not the main focus.

Having said that I find watching Glasto on telly strangely addictive.

Been to V and hated it, full of pissed up chavs, I like to watch one band at the NEC/ 02, the trouble with festivals is there is to much going on and you end up missing all the bands

As I've gotten a bit older and less sure of my own wisdom, I've realised that the stuff like gigs, festivals, football matches, going to the pub, etc., has become less about the headliners and more about who I meet, what drugs we do and if I fall in love.

In those heady situations it's very easy to fall in love, and later on it can be hard to remember names of faces, but these events highlight moments in our lives, which is what makes them special.

It's not that Glastonbury 20xx was or will be great (although it's a weekend away which would be nice), if you're 17 it's a first chance at freedom, if you're 27 it's a break from work slavery, if you're 37 then you've probably made peace with life being shit and are just happy to get on with it.

But it's these things we look forward to, and plan for, that we define our lives by: First dates, gigs, football games, special holidays, round the world trips, birthdays, engagements, weddings, death. They are special because if we make the effort, then we remember them. They act as milestones for our lives. Making the effort isn't a work thing, it's a throwing yourself into it thing - a memorable gig is still a memorable gig if your mate gives you a spare ticket at the last minute - but it's not a milestone if you aren't emotionally invested.

I can't remember what I was doing Christmas 2001, but I can remember who I fancied and who I went to Glastonbury with in the summer of 2002. Can't remember many bands though (Stereophonics were dog shit)

Which is the excuse I give for all my favourite gigs being shit.

Sometimes when I'm a bit fed up and life is feeling a little monotonous, I realise it's because I haven't had one of theses 'events' in my life for a while. I've been doing the same thing over and over with nothing interesting to put down and measure where I am, been or going.

It sucks, and sometimes it's hard to gather friends or afford something special. Life can be a big long rut if you don't regularly do anything to get out of it.

Two of the best posts ever seen on here. Why do you keep disappearing?

Sometimes I just start fights. Although it's like anything, if you start too many fights then they aren't special. I guess that's like anything, I can remember my first Swindon game but I can't remember by 48th.

I digress.

I was completely hammered, but remember my heart thumping just before a BNP member knocked my drunken self to the floor, but then I don't remember the other week when I was completely hammered and apparently 'belittled' a loud UKIP supporter. Don't think I got hit. Wouldn't remember if I had.

I however did make a cake at work a few weeks back. First cake I've made in years, I used to do a lot of baking (I'm sure there are TEF posts to back that up). It was a wonderful cake that everybody said was delicious. Sometimes it's nice to be proud of your work.

I don't really get into fights.

Can we have another sandwich competition Ben?

Can I let you into a secret my young buddy?

I'm just saying the obvious that anybody older than mid-late-twenties would have realised by themselves. I'm probably late to the party, or at least late to bring it to the party in writing.

I just thought I'd put it into wordey words because I was board and it makes me feel better.

Oh and I like to pop up and be random now and again.

If someone organises it then I'm in, although to be honest with all the tapas I'm cooking I haven't made anything better than a home honey glazed ham, brie, slow roasted tomato, with whole grain mustard & mayo bagel in months.

In better relation to the question, the best gigs are the ones you never got to, the ones you've only been told about, the ones at festivals where you went to see the band on the other tent, and most of all the ones before you were born.

Ben: It's not that Glastonbury 20xx was or will be great (although it's a weekend away which would be nice), if you're 17 it's a first chance at freedom, if you're 27 it's a break from work slavery, if you're 37 then you've probably made peace with life being shit and are just happy to get on with it.

Excellent philosophy!

Glastonbury has never appealed to me, at any age.

Nor me, my band did it one year so I did it as we got free tickets obviously, hated it and most of the snobby acts there too.

First and best-Family 1973,Winter Gardens Bournemouth. Worst gig-Bob Dylan O2 2010,what a disappointment