Top 10 2008 (gigs)

Posted by jill on February 8, 2009

A bit late, but these were my favourite shows of 2008.

1. Gonzales, ICA 28-04-08

I’ve never been to a gig quite like a Gonzales show. Maybe this was my fault, spending all my time listening to musicians who take themselves quite seriously. The Gonzales show was funny, interactive, entertaining and the music was great too.

2. Jeffrey Lewis, the Scala 18-09-08

Sometimes it’s good to have a break from some bands, just so when you revisit them you are reminded of just how good they are. It had been a while since I had seen Jeffrey Lewis (back in the Oxford days). Another favourite, for the consistently great and funny shows.

3. Low, Union Chapel 19-04-08 and Retribution Gospel Choir, Water Rats 21-04-08

From front pew on the Saturday to only one of approx.100 on the Monday. What more can I say?

4. Department of Eagles, Borderline 03-12-08

The album took me a while to get, but this lowkey show certainly helped.

5. dEUS, Scala 16-04-08

One of those shows that makes you reassess a band’s music. For me, dEUS had always been a gentle band (from songs like Little Arithmetics). Little did I know that they rock out very well too.

6. Los Campesinos, the Windmill 14-04-08

There are bands who are just more suited to playing smaller venues. Since first seeing Los Campesinos at the Port Mahon, all their subsequent shows always had something missing. This was the perfect combination of a small venue and a friendly crowd.

7. Soulwax, Royal Festival Hall, 24-04-08

Dancing till 2am on a school night, in a place where seemingly everyone we knew in London had congregated to.

8. Final Fantasy, Forum 29-02-08

Taking away the disappointment of the venue and the people in the crowd, it was great to see Final Fantasy at last. Though next time, I hope to see him somewhere where more people knew who he was.

9. Mae Shi, Old Blue Last 23-01-08, Mae Shi, Gramaphone 30-01-08 and Field Day

If there was one band who was 2008 for me, it would be the Mae Shi. Starting off the year with their tour of the UK, which consisted of 5 gigs in venues near my flat, I very quickly became a fan of their live shows. They were also the highlight of a damp, disappointing Field Day.

10. Slottsfjell, 19-20-07-08 and Cornelius and Fuck Buttons, Shepherds Bush Empire 03-08-08

The other band of 2008 were Fuck Buttons, or to be accurate not catching Fuck Buttons. By the summer, it was turning into a joke just how many times I had not been able to see them (clashing gigs, being too late to catch their support set or for Slottsfjell, waiting to get my ticket while they were playing). So finally all the effort was rewarded, by catching them supporting Cornelius in August.

3 months?

Posted by jill on February 8, 2009

Um, yeah. I’ve been a bit terrible at keeping this up to date, but on the music front you haven’t really missed anything (apart from a visit to the Borderline to watch the Department of Eagles – maybe the Borderline on/near my birthday is turning into an annual thing.

It’s slightly worrying, the way that suddenly I’ve lost the desire to go out to seek new things to listen to. Actually, that’s wrong, I still like listening to things I haven’t heard before (in the last month I’ve had Smile – Live at Wolf Creek by Boris on repeat). Maybe it’s the loss of the need to go out to gigs all the time, preferring to stay at home and watch DVDs.

Maybe it’s just a phase. Who know? by the end of this year I might be off going to shows every night. Or maybe it’s just that there aren’t that many good shows at the moment. In anycase, I’ve a feeling this year may be a turning point for the way I approach music.