HALF A DECADE OF MUSICBLOG89: My Favourite Gigs of All Time

Having ventured all over the UK for 100s of gigs in my lifetime, these are the ten best live performances - I personally have witnessed. Grassroots venues and stadium tours have played a part in my experience of these fantastic gigs, to both signed and unsigned artists. There’s so much incredible un-found talent happening in the least expected places, and some of the more intimate, smaller gigs you go to, you get a better performance than you would from a more renowned artist in a wallet-burning stadium tour. This is a half a decade of musicblog89, here are my favourite gigs of all time.

(In no particular order)

1. Silverchild @ The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent *2015*

Now this gig will stick with me forever. Why? Because I sort of went in… blind. I didn’t do my research. The band asked if I would review them live, in exchange for some tickets. I love going to gigs and I love writing reviews, so of course I said yes! I presumed they were some sort of rock band, but I didn’t really know what to expect… Nonetheless the venue was packed - especially in comparison to a lot of the other intimate gigs I had been to at The Sugarmill previously.

The crowd was 95% hardcore rockers, and the community didn’t make me feel out of place at all. The performance was electric, lead singer Alex Hiley put on a show I will never forget. To read my review click here, but bare in mind this was written in 2015 (so it isn’t the best)! You can stream Silverchild on all major platforms and follow their social media platforms here: Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram / Website

2. The Stone Roses @ Etihad Stadium, Manchester *2016*

The Stone Roses are my favourite band of all time, hence the 1989/89 on the end of my socials - the release date of their self-titled debut album. I was seventeen at the time of the gig, and had a lot of older friends, so my dad started letting my travel outside of my hometown - Stoke-on-Trent - for gigs, meaning I could finally see The Stone Roses live.

When they announced the four night Etihad stadium tour, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some tickets. I had the money. Eagerly, I sat there half an hour before the ticket release - but I didn’t manage to get any tickets. I was absolutely gutted. But being the determined woman I am, I bagged myself tickets for the Friday and Saturday event. Then to top it off, when I already had both tickets, I won a ticket for the Saturday gig off a twitter prize draw! It was meant to be.

Moving forward from the prequel! There’s just something about northern crowds… Even though there were people from all across the globe attending the event, because it was a hometown set of gigs, it just made it that bit better. I managed to get to the front on the Friday - consequently losing all of my friends - but I didn’t care. How could I? The best band in the world were stood right in front of me singing some of my favourite songs of all time. Everyone in the crowd was ecstatic to be there and the atmosphere was just euphoric - indescribable. And to anyone that says Ian Brown can’t sing… f*ck you!

3. Kasabian @ Columbiahalle, Berlin *2017*

Ok, so this was a cool gig. I saw Kasabian, in Berlin, on frickin HALLOWEEN. Even better, it was at a rather intimate venue, Columbiahalle. The venue has a capacity of 3,500 which is quite small for a band like Kasabian, but an impressive audience nonetheless. Slaves supported, which I wasn’t too fussed about, as I didn’t rate their debut album (read review here) but surprisingly, I actually enjoyed them live. However, Kasabian did completely steal the show and rightfully reclaimed their stage, so much so, I actually forgot Slaves even supported.

A little bit spooky, a little bit mental and absolutely electric, was the performance Kasabian presented. Energy, energy, energy! This gig was on the For Crying Out Loud tour, so Kasabian's (then) new classics were played as well as their old tunes, such as ‘Days Are Forgotten’/ ‘Vlad the Impaler’ and ‘Comeback Kid’ to mention a few. With it being Halloween, of course they would play my favourite track, ‘Treat’, and they did. "Trick or Treat?!" Tom Meighan shouts before he breaks into the song. To read my review of the gig click here.

4. The Who @ SSE Hydro, Glasgow *2017*

My dad might have started to let me commute out of Stoke for gigs, but not out of England. However, I always wanted to go to Scotland, and likewise I had always wanted to see The Who. The gigs were scheduled for the next year, so I would be eighteen, and I thought that I would have plenty of money to be able to pay for the hotel I had reserved, my funds up to Scotland and back, and spending money for the weekend.

Anyway, the gig came closer and closer... I had no money and no one to go with. All hail the heavens above, because The Who had to postpone their tour for another eight months. However, this meant that I was now at university in Southampton on the other side of the UK. But my persistent self made it happen!

One of my best friends accompanied me for the gig, and what a sensational performance it was. There was rather emotional, shocking imagery shown from 1965-2017, the time period The Who had been making music. The imagery/ videos contained the Vietnam War, Maggie’s Reign, The Falklands War and every tragic event that happened throughout that time. It was quite an emotional moment to see what their music has ultimately lived through, despite it all.

Over 50 years on and the boys have still got it. Their discography is huge, but this tour was focused on the Tommy album, one of the best in my opinion. Even though the show was seated, you bet everyone was moving, especially when they played ‘My Generation’. Hands down one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to.

Plus, I needed to see the OG rockers before they pass away!

"The WHO first played here in 1966, on the 17th November. 

The Locarno Ballroom, also called Tiffany's, on the site of

the former Charing Cross Cinema."

5. Jamie T @ O2 Academy, Portsmouth *2016*

I used to get my brother’s old phones passed down to me when I was younger (I didn’t know how to download music) so I always just listened to the music he already had on the phone. Jamie T's debut Panic Prevention and second album, Kings and Queens were amongst his collection. I had always listened to Jamie T from that point, but I never really heard much about him touring or releasing new music.

When at university I saw he was playing a gig in Portsmouth - so what better excuse to go and check out one of the local cities around my new hometown of Southampton?

This tour was for his fourth album, Trick (2016), I was gutted I missed the tour for the previous album Carry On the Grudge (2014) as he had gone into the shadows for five years prior. Another artist to tick off the bucket list! The set list was phenomenal. For just Jamie and his drummer, Victoria Smith - boy did they put on a performance!

6. Easy Life @ The Joiners, Southampton *2019*

Easy Life are one of those bands I heard and thought “I like these”… and then I proceeded to go home and binge listen to them for about four weeks. So when I heard they were playing a sold-out gig in Southampton, I had to go. The band had just signed to Universal Records, and the Joiners is only a 200 capacity venue - making this one of the staple gigs within their music career. The Joiners is notoriously known for its grassroots history of hosting now world-renowned artists such as, Muse, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and many more back in the day.

The venue filled up within a blink of an eye. The band walked in from the back, walking through the crowd, and then onto the stage. The energy skyrocketed from the high it was already at, when the lads entered the stage - and completely owned it. Click here to read my review of the gig.

Southampton stripped Easy Life of every song to play, chanting for more, the band played their first ever encore and repeated ‘Pockets’. It was rather humbling to be a part of the first time Easy Life were ever asked to play an encore - and they did. They are definitely a band you should be looking out for (if you don’t know them already). They’re available to stream on every major music platform, and you can follow them on Facebook/ Twitter / Instagram / YouTube/ Website.

7. The Blue Collars @ The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent *2017*

One of Stoke’s greatest music pleasures - The Blue Collars - are no longer together, but what a band they were. The Blue Collars absolutely nailed indie/alt music and pretty much every gig they announced was sold out. The band were destined for great things but unfortunately they grew older and life just got in the way I guess. They’re all now pursuing their careers, relationships and lives outside of music - but no doubt it still plays a big part of it

There was a reason The Blue Collars gigs sold out almost every time, because they were f*cking good. They absolutely dominated any venue they performed in and always gave it 110%, not to mention their absolute bangers. ‘This Old Town’, ‘Happy Pills’ and ‘Agree to Disagree’ to mention a few. Maybe they will return for a reunion gig? (We hope they do!) Read my interview back in 2017 with the band here.

8. Florence + the Machine @ Genting Arena, Birmingham *2015*

Florence Welch is without a doubt, one of the best female vocalists of my generation and I think she’s still massively underrated. Every album is a masterpiece.

Live, she’s even better - everything you’d expect from her and more. She proposed we take off an item of clothing and hold whoever’s next to us - creating a unified sense of community as she breaks into ‘You’ve Got the Love’. The venue was the only thing that let this gig down. It was in the middle of nowhere, no pubs, no restaurants, no clubs, no shops etc… And I just generally wasn't a fan of it. However, next time I see Florence (because I will definitely see her again) it will be in a different venue. She gave me an unforgettable performance, regardless of where it was.

9. Captains Stingray Groove Machine @ The Sugarmill. Stoke-on-Trent *2016*

Now Captain Stingray’s Groove Machine gig was unreal. To top it off, they were one of the support acts! Every single support act absolutely smashed it and they were all so different to one another. There was a beat box act/ a rock band/ and the groove fueled hippies which supported the soulful headliner, Black Water Trading Co. I must mention, the headline act was also great too!

Music aside, the atmosphere was just great, energy was high and everybody was just having the best time. I actually enjoyed the gig and the band so much, that I bought their CD. (even though I don’t have a CD player) support your local bands! They’re available to stream on every major music platform, and you can follow them on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ YouTube/ Website.

10. Kula Shaker @ O2 Academy, Bournemouth *2016*

I’ve seen Kula Shaker twice, and both times they've been faultless. Bournemouth was a bit better than the Manchester gig as I can remember it a bit more… Plus I bumped into one of my best friends and her parents there - what are the chances?

Kula Shaker are a post-Britpop bhangra influenced rock band, using Sanskrit language and Indian instruments throughout their music to create a modern wave of British psychedelic rock. Kula Shaker were a part of the Asian wave movement around the time of Britpop so they have been around for a while. This tour was also the anniversary of their debut album K, so you bet all the bangers were played! Their most recent album K 2.0 was the tour I saw in Manchester, it was still great but nothing beats an anniversary tour in my opinion!

There you have it. The ten best gigs I’ve ever been to. What are yours?!

Thank you for reading my content over the past five years, what a journey it has been! Here's to another five years, and another five after that and another five...

Lots of love, Lucy xx