So, here we are, a complete list of the first year-and-a-bit of gigs I attended after moving to Bristol. God knows why I decided to record every gig I went to in a diary, but it's a habit I've kept up until the present day...looking back all these years later is quite interesting (to me, at least). So many 'where are they now?'s, all those bands seen in small venues and as support bands who ended up bigger than the bands I saw them supporting...and also, admittedly, a fair few gigs I have no memory of going to whatsoever (must be the old age).
A few support bands aren't recorded, which either means I didn't see them or had no idea who they were (or, I suppose, that there wasn't any support). I still have a flyer for the first ever gig I went to - hoarding stuff such as that must be a talent of some sort, maybe...
1996
BENNET + The Psychodaisies – The Louisiana Bristol 19/10/96 (Most people probably have a boy band or something equally dodgy for their first gig, but this was mine. Start as you mean to go on?)
MANSUN + The Nicotines – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 27/11/96
CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE + The Slingbacks – The Square, Harlow 14/12/96 (The day before my 18th birthday. I remember a girl climbing on stage and diving off, only to be missed by everyone and knocking herself out on the floor. Having regained consciousness, a few minutes later she was back on stage and succeeded in being caught second time around. I imagine her head hurt in the morning.)
THE PECADILOES – The Square, Harlow 20/12/96
1997
KENICKIE + Orlando + Aerola – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 24/1/97
THE SLINGBACKS –The Louisiana Bristol 27/1/97
THE BOO RADLEYS + The Supernaturals + 18 Wheeler – Bristol University Anson Rooms 30/1/97
BENNET + Sourpuss – The Louisiana Bristol 31/1/97
SILVER SUN + The Grass-Show + Don – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 6/2/97
THE CANDYSKINS + Crashland + Little America – The Louisiana Bristol 14/2/97
LONGPIGS + Travis + Embrace – Bristol University Anson Rooms 18/2/97
REEF + Feeder + Number One Cup – Bristol University Anson Rooms 22/2/97
MUNDY – The Louisiana Bristol 25/2/97
POSH + Junkie + Kenisia – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 26/2/97
TELSTARR + The Marys – The Louisiana Bristol 27/2/97
BABYBIRD Bristol 1/3/97
PAVEMENT + The Pastels – Bristol University Anson Rooms 5/3/97
GENE + The Supernaturals + Rollerco – Colston Hall, Bristol 6/3/97
THE DIVINE COMEDY + Jacques – Bristol University Anson Rooms 8/3/97
SPEEDY + Sister Ray – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 12/3/97
MANSUN + Travis – Bristol 17/3/97 (This gig was the one and only time I have ever paid over the odds for a ticket from a tout. I even commemorated this in my diary, with '£20 ticket!' scrawled alongside the date. I imagine I soon regretted paying so much, although a few years later, it probably cost that sort of money just to see Travis!)
A C ACOUSTICS + Cable – The Louisiana Bristol 18/3/97
TC:HUG + Elliot Green – The Louisiana Bristol 21/3/97 (This gig reached 'legendary' status as far as me and Chris were concerned, as it went down in memory as one of the best gigs we'd been to, and from a band we barely even knew. We both bought their album in the old Replay by the bus station the following day - my copy was on tape as I still didn't have a CD player - but we never saw or heard of the band again. Maybe this was a good thing, as to this day we still don't know if they really were amazing or if it was just the alcohol. It would be a shame to spoil it after all this time!)
MANTARAY + Mover – The Louisiana Bristol 28/3/97
GORKY'S ZYGOTIC MYNCI + Snowpony – Bristol Bierkeller 22/4/97
CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE + Midget – Bristol 23/4/97
BENNET – in-store, HMV Bristol 25/4/97
THE SMILES + Soeza – The Louisiana Bristol 25/4/97 (I remember going to this gig with Chris by accident, as I was under the impression Penthouse were playing. They weren't, but as we'd already got to the Louie, we decided to go anyway. I've no idea what The Smiles sounded like, but sadly the night has stuck in the memory as it was when both me and Chris were punched by a drunk bloke for no reason whatsoever while on the way to the Bierkeller after the gig. He'd just been thrown out of the Porthouse for fighting and we happened to be walking past at the time. Maybe my black eye and Chris' split lip are the reason I can't remember the gig...?)
GECKO + Sister Ray + Dry – The Louisiana Bristol 29/4/97
THE BIGGER THE GOD + Scooby Does – The Louisiana Bristol 2/5/97
KENICKIE + Ballroom + Capri – Bristol 14/5/97
THE SUPERNATURALS + The Grass-Show – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 19/5/97
SYMPOSIUM + You Am I + 'A' – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 21/5/97
TRAVIS + Manna – The Louisiana Bristol 23/5/97
SALAD – The Louisiana, Bristol 24/5/97
SPECTRASONIC + Sand – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 25/5/97
SILVER SUN + Scarfo + Carrie – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 26/5/97
THE WANNADIES + The Warm Jets + Westpier – Bristol 27/5/97
CABLE + Garageland + Melt – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 28/5/97
SUBCIRCUS + The Pecadiloes – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 3/6/97
AEROLA + Bunker Deep – The Louisiana Bristol 12/6/97
HURRICANE #1 + Wireless – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 16/6/97
LINOLEUM + Feline – The Louisiana Bristol 17/6/97
THE PSYCHODAISIES + Victor – The Louisiana Bristol 21/6/97
THIRST + Contrast + Snug + Stone Pony – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 10/7/97 (Snug featured a certain Ed Harcourt, some years before a dramatic change in musical direction!)
SCARFO + Broccoli + Disco – The Louisiana Bristol 15/7/97 (Similarly, Jamie from Scarfo is now in The Kills and married to Kate Moss. Wonder what he would have said if you'd told him at the time how things would pan out...?)
AEROLA + The Psychodaisies + The Bolsheviks + Cheese – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 18/7/97
THE STEREOPHONICS + The Driven – The Thekla, Bristol 28/7/97
SCOOBY DOES + Strangers Within + Astrid – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 31/7/97 (This wasn't the same Astrid who were signed to Fantastic Plastic Records - I assume they were a local band with the same name.)
GECKO + Copter + Nadir – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 2/8/97
AIRBUS + Sister Ray – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 7/8/97
THE BETA BAND + Park + Sofa – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 2/8/97
FEEDER + Freekspert + Sand – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 12/10/97
THE PSYCHODAISIES + Thirst + Chaser – The Louisiana Bristol 15/10/97 (Chaser were effectively an early incarnation of Halo.)
CATATONIA + Big Leaves – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 26/10/97
RADISH + Addict – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 29/10/97 (Ben Kweller's old band. Embarrassingly, the only memory I have of this gig is that I was asked for ID - I seem to remember everyone was being asked as it was during half term. I didn't have any on me, so had to drink water all night, even though I was less than two months short of my 20th birthday.)
ETHER – in-store, HMV Bristol 30/10/97
WIRELESS + Sister Ray – The Louisiana Bristol 31/10/97
THE FLAMING STARS + Iron Botham – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 9/11/97
'A' + Glitterbox – The Louisiana Bristol 14/11/97
RADIOHEAD + DJ Shadow + Teenage Fanclub – Cardiff 15/11/97 (The first 'big' gig I ever went to - Radiohead on the 'OK Computer' tour. It was outstanding. Unfortunately, sometime during the gig, my friend Paul and I somehow lost each other, having already found out earlier in the evening that the trains didn't run late enough to get home. I ended up sleeping (or rather trying to) outside Cardiff Central station until the first train of the next day, having escaped a somewhat scary woman who was trying to talk me into going to a secret party at a boarded up house where 'everyone's sorted'. Hmm. Paul, meanwhile, stumbled onto the first train that turned up and ended up in Birmingham.)
CARRIE + The Dandys – The Louisiana Bristol 21/11/97
DAWN OF THE REPLICANTS + Crashland – The Louisiana Bristol 28/11/97
ECHOBELLY + Rialto + Bennet - Bristol University Anson Rooms 2/12/97
EMBRACE + Gomez – Bristol University Anson Rooms6/12/97 (I bought tickets to the Echobelly and Embrace gigs instead of paying more to see Blur in Cardiff with Super Furry Animals as support. I doubt this is the last time I made a questionable ticket buying decision.)
THE BETA BAND - The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 9/12/97
An array of videos from bands I saw in '96/'97. Ah, nostalgia...
ECHOBELLY + Rialto + Bennet - Bristol University Anson Rooms 2/12/97
EMBRACE + Gomez – Bristol University Anson Rooms
THE BETA BAND - The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 9/12/97
An array of videos from bands I saw in '96/'97. Ah, nostalgia...
