I was expecting to go to a gig this evening, but it's been cancelled, so thought it was about time I posted another one of these. Let's go back to 1999...
SANDKING +
Freeride + South – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 6/1/99
EDISON +
Soundsmith + Moksha – The Louisiana, Bristol 14/1/99
THE BLUETONES –
V3, Newport 18/1/99 (This venue had only opened a few days previously and I'm not even sure if it still exists as it's the only time I've been there. Rather bizarrely, the bar was underneath the stage. I remember catching the coach to Newport and my friend Katie smuggled 'gin & bluetonic' on board for the journey.)
U.N.K.L.E. +
Idlewild + Delakota + Llama Farmers – Bristol University Anson Rooms 19/1/99
WITNESS +
The Junket – The Louisiana, Bristol 21/1/99
SENSELESS PRAYER + Mantra + Rat Salad – The Rummer, Bristol 26/1/99
KENT + Spectrasonic
– The Louisiana, Bristol 27/1/99
DAVID McALMONT –
The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
31/1/99
MADDER ROSE +
Darkstar – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
1/2/99
ANNIE CHRISTIAN + The Middle Twenty – The Louisiana, Bristol 4/2/99
CHA CHA COHEN +
High Coin – The Louisiana, Bristol 5/2/99
MOKSHA +
Assembly Communications – The Louisiana, Bristol 10/2/99
SPIN +
Senseless Prayer + The Psychodaisies – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 15/2/99
ASSEMBLY COMMUNICATIONS + Veto + Bill Cargill – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 18/2/99
DREAM CITY FILM CLUB + Baby Jane – The Louisiana, Bristol 25/2/99
GENE + Muse
– Bristol University Anson Rooms, 27/2/99 (Yes, that's some band called Muse supporting Gene. I don't remember too much about it, but I do remember having previously dismissed them as a Radiohead tribute band and something causing me to change my mind, so I think it may have been this gig. I've lost interest again in recent years, but they've certainly had their moments...)
MOOZ + Keyop
– The Louisiana, Bristol 3/3/99
SYMPOSIUM +
Fungus – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
9/3/99
PYROFLOW +
The Psychodaisies – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 14/3/99
THE JELLYS +
Moksha – The Louisiana, Bristol 17/3/99
dEUS +
Witness – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
25/3/99
SPRAYDOG +
Milky Wimpshake – The Louisiana, Bristol 27/3/99
THE YOYOS +
Lux + Sandking – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
29/3/99
SAYAMA – The
Rummer, Bristol
31/3/99
ULTRASOUND +
Lowgold – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
14/4/99
RACHEL STAMP +
Stimulator – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
22/4/99 (This was one of the very few occasions when I actually went to a gig completely on a whim, without having heard the band. Ended up seeing them several times!)
EL NINO +
Medal + One Lady Owner – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 27/4/99
CUBE + Sofa
– The Louisiana, Bristol 6/5/99
HONEYPOT –
The Salisbury
Arms, Hoddesdon 8/5/99 (This probably doesn't really count as a gig - it was a covers band in a pub - but it remains the only time I've seen a live band in the town where I grew up, so worth a mention for that alone, I suppose!)
DODGY +
Moses – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
12/5/99 (Probably the only gig where I've heckled as it was so bad. This was the brief period when Dodgy carried on with a different singer - thankfully they've since returned to the original line-up.)
PROLAPSE +
Terris – The Louisiana, Bristol 14/5/99 (Terris. Good grief. 'Next Big Thing' claimed the NME...they weren't.)
SUBCIRCUS +
Angel Tech – The Louisiana, Bristol 18/5/99
MOKSHA + The
Physic Garden
+ Echolectric – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
19/5/99
AIRBUS – The
Louisiana, Bristol 20/5/99
WHISTLER +
Chris Starling – The Louisiana, Bristol 22/5/99 (Ah, the sadly overlooked Whistler. They featured Iain Dench, formerly of EMF, but couldn't have sounded less like his previous band.)
FUNGUS + Box
Of Frogs – The Louisiana, Bristol 28/5/99
OOBERMAN +
Keyop – The Louisiana, Bristol 10/6/99
MOON + The
Radon Daughters + Moksha – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 12/6/99 (Moon were a very short-lived band featuring Patrick Duff, ex- of Strangelove, before he carried on as a solo artist. As far as I know, they only released one 7" single, which I didn't buy at the time, but ended up getting hold of some years later when someone on a Strangelove messageboard saw my post about not having it and got in touch with me as they had a spare copy. They sent it to me for free as well - whoever you were, it was much appreciated!)
CAY + Serum
+ Mo Solid Gold – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 16/6/99 (Another band featuring someone who is sadly no longer with us - Anet from Cay died in 2011. RIP.)
ASH +
Crashland – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
23/6/99
HEFNER +
Lucia Libre + Assembly Communications – The Louisiana,
Bristol 2/7/99 (I was convinced I had only seen Hefner as support for Billy Bragg. Somewhat disappointed that I don't remember this gig!)
ANGEL TECH +
Bronze Age Fox – The Louisiana, Bristol 3/7/99
ASSEMBLY COMMUNICATIONS + Dustball + The Screaming Orphans – The Fleece &
Firkin, Bristol
5/7/99
SCOTT 4 +
The Pudding – The Louisiana, Bristol 6/7/99 (Apparently, The Pudding featured a rather young Sam, later of SJ Esau.)
MILES HUNT +
Carina Round – Fiddlers Club, Bristol
8/7/99 (My first ever visit to Fiddlers. It's now the nearest venue to where I live, but sadly they rarely seem to book anyone other than tribute bands nowadays.)
STEVE +
Whirlwind – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
11/7/99
KEYOP +
Steve – Bristol
Comedy Pub 15/7/99
BRISTOL COMMUNITY FESTIVAL 1999: The Marys + Mooz + The Radon Daughters + Keyop +
Assembly Communications + Angel Tech + Feeder + Magick Pink Mission + Edison +
Steve + Dive + Subgod + Doves + Moon + Def, Dumb & Blondie + The
Experimental Pop Band + Darkstar – Ashton Court Estate, Bristol 17-18/7/99
ANGEL TECH +
Banacek + Ricky Spontane – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 5/8/99
STEVE +
Panic Button + Plastic Eyes – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 11/8/99
V99 FESTIVAL: Manic
Street Preachers + Super Furry Animals + Supergrass + Faithless + Kula Shaker +
Regular Fries + Suede + Ian Brown + Happy Mondays + The Cardigans + One Lady
Owner - Hylands
Park, Chelmsford 21-22/8/99 (My first ever festival. Faithless were possibly the biggest surprise of the weekend, as I went to watch them somewhat reluctantly and ended up really enjoying their set. I cheated somewhat by staying with friends' parents in South Woodham Ferrers and being driven to and from the festival site, rather than camping. Thanks again, Mr. & Mrs. Peach.)
READING FESTIVAL 1999: The Charlatans + Reef + Space + Gene + The Dandy
Warhols + Blur + Catatonia + My Life Story + Mansun + The Offspring + Hefner +
Terrorvision + Feeder + The Auteurs - Richfield
Avenue, Reading
27-29/8/99 (Even all these years later, Blur's headline set at Reading '99 is still up there with the best festival sets I've ever seen.)
ASSEMBLY COMMUNICATIONS + Halo – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 1/9/99 (It appears this was the first time I saw Halo, the local band who came so close to cracking the Top 40. Seems ridiculous it was so long ago.)
THE NEW ACOUSTICS + Sean Snook – Bristol
Comedy Pub 4/9/99
SANDKING +
Cruiser + Soundsmith – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 7/9/99
AIRBUS +
South – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
11/9/99
MOKSHA +
High Coin + Stuntdoubles – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 16/9/99
ARAB STRAP +
Dot Allison – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
22/9/99
RACHEL STAMP +
5th Amendment – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 28/9/99
T-REXTASY +
Bill Cargill – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
1/10/99 (I think this is the only time I've paid money to see a tribute band, but it feels more acceptable to me when it isn't possible to see the real band anymore. They were excellent.)
CAMPAG VELOCET +
Lying Boss + Sandking – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 7/10/99
THERAPY? +
Rico – Fiddlers Club, Bristol
12/10/99
MOON + Mooz
+ Moksha – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
13/10/99
MY LIFE STORY +
Younger Younger 28s + The Dum Dums – Fiddlers Club, Bristol 14/10/99
BRASSY +
Moodydood – The Louisiana, Bristol 15/10/99
GUIDED BY VOICES + Beulah – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol 17/10/99
SAYAMA + Rat
Salad – The Rummer, Bristol
26/10/99
LONGPIGS +
Darkstar – Bristol
University Anson Rooms 30/10/99
COLDPLAY +
Bellatrix + Mercedes – The Louisiana, Bristol 2/11/99 (In terms of seeing a band early on who ended up being stupidly huge, this is probably the best example. Coldplay were originally billed as the middle band out of the three, but were moved to headliners as they started to pick up attention. Chris Martin had big hair back then, and his parents were stood at the back.)
SUPERIOR +
Steve – Moles Club, Bath
4/11/99
MOON + Angry
Dolphin – Moles Club, Bath
11/11/99
THE FLAMING LIPS + Spectrum – Bristol University Anson Rooms 12/11/99
ROYAL TRUX +
The Make-Up – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
15/11/99
BANACEK +
Nemo + Sayama – The Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
30/11/99
BLUR –
Wembley Arena, London
11/12/99 (An early birthday present, this was on The Singles tour - an edited version of the set was later released as the extra CD in their 'Best Of'. Following his bizarre appearance at The Seahorses gig at the Bierkeller the year before, I spotted Keith Allen at this gig, too.)
SAYAMA +
Grebo – The Rummer, Bristol
14/12/99
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS – Cardiff
International Arena 20/12/99 (Thanks to transport issues, I missed the support for this gig and also failed to get hold of a heat-changing mug from the merch stand afterwards as the person in front of me snapped up the last one. Great gig, though!)
MANIC
STREET PREACHERS + Super Furry Animals + Feeder + Shack –
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
31/12/99 (Now, most New Years Eves blend into one, but this was a bit special. Only slightly let down by insane queues at the bar - I didn't see Shack as it took around an hour to get served - and having to sleep outside Cardiff Central Station afterwards as inevitably there were no trains. In the morning, I left a couple of drinks for the homeless man as a thank you for lending his spare blanket - hope you soon got off the streets, mate.)