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Underground > Radio & Music >

Going seeing a band no-one knows about vs going seeing "everyones favourite"

All Acting Regiment

21:23 / 01.11.03

I just wondered what you thought- i mean people are always saying "oh i knew them when they first started". What do you prefer- that strange little band that could be, could be amazing in the local pub or that, erm, big band that everyone thinks is good?

uncle retrospective

22:41 / 01.11.03

Emm... Both?
Small gigs with unknowns or unheard of's can be great, I've seen Therapy? play a pub in my shit hole hometown in 92 and it was great.
At the same time, watching David Bowie playing to about 90,000 people at Glastonbury was one of the best experiences of my life.
The moods are different yes but if the music is good who cares. After that I think it's a kind of music snobbery.

12:08 / 02.11.03

yeah - since when was it an either/or situation? If you dig the music, go to both.

My big thing though is that I never DON'T go to a gig (or a film or whatever for that matter) just becuase nobody else is interested. I think that attitude just sucks.

Some of the best performances I've ever seen have been ones I've gone to on my own and witnessed in the company of very few other paying customers.

The Oxbow show in Leicester about 18 months ago is a case in point - it was in the upstairs room of a dodgy pub and aside from the support band and organisers there was, like, four people there. A pretty singular experience - as was seeing Lift to Experience in similar circumstances after hearing them for the first time on the radio the previous evening.

Not that I'm boasting or anything - just pointing out that due to a lack of media exposure or word of mouth or whatever, exceptional bands do often end up playing to practically no one, and people who stay at home cos nobody else they know wants to go are missing out..

Danzig: He Pitys the Fool!

13:27 / 03.11.03

The only type of shows I can't stand are arena shows. The venues just seem to kill whatever you're watching. The sound is always abysmal, there is no vibe, I just hate them. Anything up to about 5,000 capacity i'm happy with, after that I want 90,000 at a festival with Iron Fucking Maiden headlining!

Danzig: He Pitys the Fool!

13:33 / 03.11.03

Sorry, totally missed the point of the question.

It doesn't matter to me where I see a band, as long as the band isn't playing an arena show.

15:28 / 03.11.03

there is no vibe

Likewise, I wouldn't say that I prefered either, but I think that one of the problems with seeing bands who are more successful is the response of the crowd to the support. Often, bigger bands get excellent opening acts, who are ignored by the crowd who are just waiting for the headliners to come on.

Seeing Therapy? play sounds brilliant -does this mean I get to say "I saw Placebo at King Tut's"?

However, I've not been to a small gig in ages, and am really feeling the need now...