Gigography - Part 2: 1998

So, somehow almost another year has gone by without another post - if starting this blog was a New Year's Resolution in 2012, then...maybe I should try again.  Time for a bit more nostalgia - here's the gig list from back in 1998, which seems to have been a year full of injuries, ill-health and meeting celebrities in bizarre circumstances...

1998

MIDGET + Glitterbox + Idlewild – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 21/1/98 (Back in the good old days when Idlewild were shouty and full of energy, although admittedly their later stuff has grown on me in recent years.  Maybe I'm mellowing with age like they did?)

THE STEREOPHONICS + Asian Dub Foundation + The Warm Jets + TheAudience – Bristol University Anson Rooms 24/1/98 (Sophie Ellis-Bextor on first, doing her pre-making it 'indie band' thing.)

GREEN DAY + D Generation – Brixton Academy, London 31/1/98 (My first ever experience of the sloping floor of Brixton Academy - having my toe knackered by scary 30-something punk types jumping around at the front.  In hindsight, I probably should have had it properly looked at rather than just putting up with it when the initial dose of antibiotics did nothing - and the loss of many a multi-coloured toenail - for years afterwards.  Too much information, but I still don't need to cut the nail on this toe as much as the others - it's never really recovered!)

SANTA CRUZ + Mainstream – The Thekla, Bristol 5/2/98 (Speaking of injuries, my only real memory of this gig was Santa Cruz's drummer gamely still playing the gig, despite having his leg in plaster.  Good effort Mig!)

THE PSYCHODAISIES + Victor + Mantra – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 7/2/98

SIX BY SEVEN + Formula One + Soeza – The Louisiana, Bristol 10/2/98

HURRICANE #1 – in-store, HMV Bristol 13/2/98 (I still have the, ahem, cassette of their first album, which I had signed at this in-store gig, including by a post-Ride, yet-to-join Oasis Andy Bell.) 

RA RA RA + Stick Boy + Scooby Does – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 19/2/98

ULTRASOUND + Dawn Of The Replicants – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 23/2/98

MANTRA + Brilliant Blue + Coupé – The Rummer, Bristol 26/2/98

THE CANDYSKINS + The Hormones – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 3/3/98

THE PSYCHODAISIES + Stone Pony – The Louisiana, Bristol 7/3/98

URUSEI YATSURA + Prolapse + Magoo – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 8/3/98

KRIMO + Antenna + Breaker – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 9/3/98

THE YOUNG OFFENDERS + Crashland – The Louisiana, Bristol 13/3/98

MONSTER + Kerb + Mantra + The Millicents – The Rummer, Bristol 16/3/98

CARRIE + Crashland – The Louisiana, Bristol 20/3/98

CLASS A + Mantra – The Bristol Brewhouse 21/3/98

THE WARM JETS + Six By Seven – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 23/3/98

DREAM CITY FILM CLUB + Copter + Assembly – The Louisiana, Bristol 24/3/98

JOLT + The Pecadiloes + Satellite Beach – The Louisiana, Bristol 27/3/98

THE MONTROSE AVENUE + Mo – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 29/3/98

CAMPAG VELOCET + Melys + Bug – The Louisiana, Bristol 2/4/98

MANTRA + Bamboo Chicks + Skydive – The Bristol Brewhouse 4/4/98

THE PSYCHODAISIES + Chaser – The Louisiana, Bristol 7/4/98

LIBIDO + Glitterbox + Ballroom – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 13/4/98

CHINA DRUM + The Pecadiloes – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 14/4/98 (There seems to be a theme developing in this year's gigs - as far as I recall, this is the only time I've seen someone leave a gig with a nosebleed - not me, but some unfortunate chap who must have been caught with an elbow/foot in the face.  It was a bit 'lively' down the front.)

THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH + Mark Mulcahy – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 16/4/98 (A band who rather unfairly suffered with the expectation of having Thom Yorke's brother Andy as their lead singer - no, they weren't Radiohead, but a decent enough band in their own right.)

ARNOLD + Copter – The Louisiana, Bristol 17/4/98

60FT DOLLS + The Hormones – The Louisiana, Bristol 27/4/98 (I think this was the first time I went 'backstage' at The Louie.  Richard from 60ft Dolls offered me a drink, but I opted for a soft drink as I was on antibiotics for the aforementioned toe and still believed the myth that alcohol should be avoided! Two of the band signed my 'Pig Valentine' 7", but only on the premise it was for me and not because I wanted to flog it - I missed out on a third signature as their drummer was already on his way home to Newport...)

LINGERIE MASTERMIND + Moksha + Curly – The Rummer, Bristol 28/4/98

FEEDER + Everclear + Carrie – Bristol University Anson Rooms 29/4/98

IDLEWILD + Dustball – The Louisiana, Bristol 1/5/98 (Dustball later became Dive Dive, who later became Frank Turner's backing band.)

EARL BRUTUS – The Louisiana, Bristol 6/5/98 (I remember being slightly aggrieved at there seemingly being no support for this gig when the ticket cost something like £6.  Seems daft now.)

SPEARMINT + Saltlake – The Louisiana, Bristol 8/5/98

WHITEOUT + Everbloom – The Louisiana, Bristol 9/5/98

HEATHER NOVA + Lee Griffiths – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 10/5/98

HEADSWIM + Seraphim – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 12/5/98 (Several weeks gap in between gigs after this - having struggled with inexplicably low energy levels for the past few weeks, I finally took myself to the doctors and a blood test revealed I'd had glandular fever 'for some time'.  Only I could drag myself to gigs without realising I was that ill - not recommended.)

KENICKIE + Seafood – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 1/6/98

BRONZE AGE FOX + Oil Experts + Mantra – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 2/6/98

SYMPOSIUM + ‘A’ – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 3/6/98

BALLROOM + New Rising + The Animal House – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 8/6/98

THE PSYCHODAISIES – The Louisiana, Bristol 10/6/98

SCOOBY DOES + South – The Louisiana, Bristol 11/6/98

SPLITSCREEN + Mantra – Moles Club, Bath 15/6/98

SANTA CRUZ – The Louisiana, Bristol 19/6/98

MANTRA + Splitscreen – The Louisiana, Bristol 24/6/98

BLUR + Idlewild – The Pavilion, Bath 25/6/98 (First time I ever saw Blur live - at a Glastonbury warm-up gig in Bath.  I don't remember too much about it, other than Graham getting irritated by technical problems.  Sadly, Idlewild didn't take the opportunity to play their shouty cover of 'Girls & Boys' which they'd recorded for a radio session and, as far as I know, have never released.) 

RUTH + Krimo + Swill – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 9/7/98

OKAPI + Blueprint + Chaser – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 14/7/98

AFTERGLOW + Beaker – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 15/7/98

BRISTOL COMMUNITY FESTIVAL 1998: Chaser + Crashland + Spiritualized + Santa Cruz + Howlite + Dayshine + Bug + Rodney Allen + Carrie + Portishead – Ashton Court Estate, Bristol 18-19/7/98 (Oh dear.  That Saturday at Ashton Court became something of a 'lost day' as a result of far too much, shall we say, 'over-indulgence'.  I seem to remember that Chaser were on first, by which point I'd already consumed far too much cider - eye-witness accounts allege that I was down the front singing along, then collapsed in a heap and at some point when they weren't looking, disappeared.  My friends only bumped into me again several hours later, glowing like a beacon thanks to being vividly sunburnt and still rather the worse for wear.  I only saw three bands all day, as a result of several hours either passed out or being looked after by a girl from Nailsea called Megan.  Thanks, Megan, wherever you are now...)   

SPARKLEHORSE + The Paradise Motel – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 21/7/98

COPTER + Butcher + Moksha – The Rummer, Bristol 23/7/98

THE PSYCHODAISIES + Moksha – The Louisiana, Bristol 25/7/98

THE SILVERSTONES + Cupid – The Rummer, Bristol 29/7/98

THE SILVERSTONES + Kayto – The Frog & Toad, Bristol 6/8/98

THE SEAHORSES – Bristol Bierkeller 19/8/98 (Odd 'celeb'-spotting fact - I left this gig at the same time as a very drunk Keith Allen stumbled out of the door.  Being slightly 'tipsy' myself at the time, I wasn't sure if I'd imagined it, only for the local paper to report the following day how he'd been drunkenly singing 'Vindaloo' at people in the bar nextdoor later that night.)

SOFA + Career – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 29/8/98

PURESSENCE + Fanducci – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 3/9/98

OKAPI + Moksha – The Louisiana, Bristol 17/9/98

MAGOO + Snow Patrol – The Louisiana, Bristol 18/9/98 (That support band, Snow Patrol - whatever happened to them...?)

GORKY’S ZYGOTIC MYNCI + The Olivia Tremor Control – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 30/9/98 (A decidedly off-form and recently dropped by their label Gorky's were completely upstaged by The Olivia Tremor Control, who as far as I know, never played Bristol again.)

TIM KEEGAN & THE HOMER LOUNGE + Sand – The Louisiana, Bristol 2/10/98

RED FRIDGE + Bikeshed + Moksha – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 5/10/98

TOPPER + Assembly – The Louisiana, Bristol 5/10/98

THE DIVINE COMEDY + Pelvis – Bristol University Anson Rooms 6/10/98

DREAM CITY FILM CLUB + Assembly + Sandking – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 7/10/98

STONY SLEEP + High Coin + The Middle Twenty – The Louisiana, Bristol 9/10/98

ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT + You Am I – Bristol University Anson Rooms 10/10/98

BERNARD BUTLER + Arnold + Mojave 3 – Bristol University Anson Rooms 14/10/98

MANSUN + Gay Dad – Bristol University Anson Rooms 17/10/98

KERB + After All + Sandking – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 23/10/98

MOKSHA + Magick Pink Mission + Audio Cloud – The Rummer, Bristol 27/10/98

LINOLEUM + Sofa – Moles Club, Bath 29/10/98 (As stories of meeting 'celebrities' go, this is a decidedly strange one.  Various groups of excitable, whispering girls gave away that something was afoot, but to say I wasn't expecting to meet a member of Take That at a Linoleum gig in Bath would be something of an understatement - Mark Owen had been recording solo material in the studio at Moles and popped down for the gig.  My opening line when I said hello? 'I didn't expect to see you here!'.  Cringe.  To his credit, he laughed and said, jokingly, to pretend I hadn't seen him as he 'shouldn't be seen in dives like this - I'm meant to be famous!'.  Nice bloke, but very surreal to see him dancing to The Charlatans after the gig finished.  In retrospect, I think 'my sister's got all your records' would have been a preferable opening line...) 

REPUBLICA + Gel – Bristol University Anson Rooms 30/10/98

GRIP + Moksha – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 1/11/98

SHED SEVEN + Puressence – Bristol University Anson Rooms 4/11/98

ELECTRASY + Moa – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 8/11/98

ALTASTATE + Franklin’s Tower + Mantra – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 10/11/98

THE PSYCHODAISIES + Bill Cargill – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 11/11/98

BILLY BRAGG + Hefner – Bristol University Anson Rooms 14/11/98

BILLY MAHONIE + Seafood + Tiny Too – The Louisiana, Bristol 27/11/98

DRUGSTORE + Annie Christian – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 3/12/98 (Not quite up to the standard of the Mark Owen story, but this was the first time I went backstage at The Fleece.  I mentioned I was hungry as I hadn't had time for dinner and the singer from Annie Christian gave me some cheese.  Rock 'n' roll.)

ALTEREGO + New Dandy Sugar + Moksha – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 7/12/98

AIRBUS + Lube + Bronson – The Rummer, Bristol 11/12/98

MILES HUNT – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 13/12/98

MANIC STREET PREACHERS + Catatonia – Cardiff International Arena 21/12/98 (Somewhat belatedly, I finally saw a band live who I'd been listening to since 6th form, albeit already a member down by this point.  A good way to end an eventful year!)