Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Yes I too have many many fond memories of Brixton Academy but I really wouldn't go back there again unless it was a gig that I REALLY had to go to.


The start of the downturn for me was the Pixies a few years back. The gig was completely oversold and we were packed in like sardines. I have seen some top artists at Brixton (e.g. Rolling Stones, Springsteen) but you could still comfortably get to the bar, get a drink, and get back to your space. That was out of the question at the Pixies gig because we were so tighly packed in. I almost had a panic attack at that gig - I was really scared. That was the beginning of the end of my beautiful relationship with Brixton Academy. These days I prefer to go all the way across town to go to, say, Shepherds Bush Empire or the Scala at Kings Cross or Koko. The Coronet would be perfect if it was used more.


I haven't been to Indigo2 yet but I will give it a try. I saw Prince at O2 a few weeks back and we had great seats and it was a great gig. I really wouldn't want to be on one of the high tiers there though - they really are nosebleeds. O2 will attract a lot of the artists that would otherwise play Wembley. If it's a toss up between Wembley and O2 then O2 wins hands-down for easy access to South London.

i too saw prince at the o2 and think that it's a great venue, not just because there are enough toilets and food but because it's easy to get to and you just step out of the tube station to the dome. unlike wembley it was built with crowds in mind so it works for the big events.


i have hated the academy for years, it has just fallen down without ever trying to get up. town and country (can't remember what it has been renamed) i haven't been to in years and i hate earls court and both wembleys, although haven't been to the new stadium. i'm pleased o2 has opened, it may force some venues to sort out their own acts!

  • 2 months later...

Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott's last night was just jaw droppingly good. Awesome doesn't even come close to describing it. There were so many times when my mate and I who is a pretty nifty guitar player himself were left open mouthed in awe and wonder. "How the f**k does did he do that?" Just amazing. Here's a review from Jazzwise if you're interested.


Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott's

Must have been good to be jaw dropping...............I once enjoyed the Fureys company after a gig in a small place in Erin. They were what you call tinkers here but good guys and not bad musically. Most observations are subjective so who knows what's good. My teenage son thinks noise is good..........well I call it that.

I accidentally went through a phase of seeing very old men play, and most of them could pee from a height on the musicians of today.


Best of all was Buena Vista Social Club shortly after the first album. Seventy year old men grooving like cats, and singing about "priapic animism" for two hours. I couldn't stop smiling for a week.


Went to see Motorhead at a festival a few years back. Rolf Harris was playing to their crowd, who are actually well behaved but very drunk. someone in the crowd kept heckling, so RH asked what he wanted. He handed over a Stylophone, and asked Rolf to play it. He had a bit of a fiddle with it, said something to the band, and they started to play Moon River. The crowd joined in, and at that precise moent the sun went down behind the stage. Now that's talent...


Ultraconsultancy

"Road Rage" tour at the London Astoria, biggest mistake of my life ha! couldn't hear for 2 days afterwards, among others - Il Nino, Spineshank and Chimera played, went along to the Nighwish concert, (the one before their last gig as a group, they have now reformed with a new lead singer) but I really loved the mix of the amazing classical operatic voice of Tarja with wild heavy Rock/Metal, it really worked and I became a great fan. She has such a powerful brilliant voice she hardly needed a microphone and this was over the din of wild rock. Was impressed.

hey, I saw Buena Vista more or less about that time, felt exactly the same.

They made me want to start learn the piano now, so that I can be playing it well by the age of 70.






Ultraconsultancy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I accidentally went through a phase of seeing very

> old men play, and most of them could pee from a

> height on the musicians of today.

>

> Best of all was Buena Vista Social Club shortly

> after the first album. Seventy year old men

> grooving like cats, and singing about "priapic

> animism" for two hours. I couldn't stop smiling

> for a week.

>

> Went to see Motorhead at a festival a few years

> back. Rolf Harris was playing to their crowd, who

> are actually well behaved but very drunk. someone

> in the crowd kept heckling, so RH asked what he

> wanted. He handed over a Stylophone, and asked

> Rolf to play it. He had a bit of a fiddle with it,

> said something to the band, and they started to

> play Moon River. The crowd joined in, and at that

> precise moent the sun went down behind the stage.

> Now that's talent...

>

> Ultraconsultancy

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------


>

> Anyway, I love going to gigs, so post on here if

> there's something I should be seeing!

http://woodentopsmusic.com/idiotcity2.jpg


monday only. tuesday tickets were too slow for mr rocknroll promoter. Its going to be a stunning night. A few places left.

water rats is kings cross. I will see if i can do a thing whereby somebody says 'east dulwich forum' they get in cheaper.

yep. pimping gigs is my game.

The water rats is a fantastic gig - I only heard about the woodentops playing the other day when i was trawling for something else, and i'm double booked already when they are on. must keep a closer eye on things.


I got turfed out the scala a couple of years ago, and went round the water rat to have a beer. two quid in, i was told, some local boy playing the guitar a bit, and an ex member of utah saints on piano. thinking this a fine recommendation i stood and watched james blunt for an hour, and thought him very good, as did one of elton john's agent, who was in the two dozen strong crowd. my mate and i helped put his gear in the van, and he kept saying "i'm james, do come and see me again..." the rest is history.


Ultraconsultancy

Annasfield - I saw Glenn Tilbrook sing at the TUC Mayday Festival [and what happened to that?] on Clapham Common about ten years ago. A huge cheer went up when he did Up The Junction, obviously; and he got us to sing along to I'm a Believer just by saying "giz a hand with the chorus on this one". But I was terrified by how much he drank while performing; I think he's sober now, which is good cos he is one of Englands great songwriting poets.


Ultraconsultancy

I'm going to see the Klaxons tonight. We?ve also got tickets for some after party where Lilly Allen is DJing.


I don?t really know very much about either of them, my suspicion is that if they were any good my radar would have clocked them already.


Either that or I?m just getting old.

Keef -

Yeah, its a woman called Anette instead of Tarja leading the group now, she looks similar to her but does't do the operatic bit which did kind of make Nightwish stand out amongst rock groups. Check them both out on Youtube, Tarja vs Anette some good videos on there, wish I knew how to copy them would add to my message!

Thanks to Woodie :)-D I'm going to see The Woodentops http://www.myspace.com/thewoodentops and Anchorsong at the Water Rats in Kings Cross. To be honest I haven't been to a gig in years and years so am pretty hyped up about it as its a great combination of styles and the venue is apparently great from what I've read. I reckon the place is gonna be absolutely packed and it'll probably be like that time I saw Clerks at the Prince Charles cinema when I was laughing like mad and this American bird whispered to me "Is this your first time"? I nodded then she shouts out "Clerks Virgin!!" and everyone turned round and laughed..:))


Brendan you spoony bard! Klaxons eh? Do tell what it was like cos they are bloody amazing! :))

Went to see Cesaria Evora a few weeks ago at the Festival Hall - enjoyed her thoroughly. Going to see Rodrigo Y Gabriela at Hammersmith this Sunday night. Going to see Led Zeppelin at the O2 on Monday night - that will be my last gig of the year (I'm going away at the end of next week) so I do hope it lives up to the hype - I am really looking forward to it anyway!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The issue must be everywhere at the moment. I was visiting a friend last week in Bermondsey, think we were walking  down Linton Rd & we dodged 7 dog poos. It was disgusting. 
    • Thanks for your message — I actually took the time to look into what CityHive does before posting my original comment, and I’d encourage anyone with questions to do the same. Yes, the Companies House filings are overdue — but from what I’ve gathered, this seems likely to be an accountant or admin issue, not some sign of ill intent. A lot of small, community-based organisations face challenges keeping up with formalities, especially when they’re focused on immediate needs like food distribution. Let’s not forget CityHive is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered CIC — not a corporate machine. As for the directors, people stepping down or being replaced is often about capacity or commitment — which is completely normal in the voluntary and community sector. New directors are sometimes appointed when others can no longer give the time. It doesn’t automatically mean bad governance — it just means people’s circumstances change. CityHive’s actual work speaks volumes. They buy most of the food they distribute — fresh produce, essential groceries, and shelf-stable items — and then deliver it to food banks, soup kitchens, and community projects across London. The food doesn’t stay with CityHive — it goes out to local food hubs, and from there, directly to people who need it most. And while yes, there may be a few paid staff handling logistics or admin, there’s a huge volunteer effort behind the scenes that often goes unseen. Regular people giving their time to drive vans, sort donations, load pallets, pack food parcels — that’s what keeps things running. And when people don’t volunteer? Those same tasks still need to be done — which means they have to be paid for. Otherwise, the whole thing grinds to a halt. As the need grows, organisations like CityHive will inevitably need more support — both in people and funding. But the bigger issue here isn’t one small CIC trying to make ends meet. The real issue is the society we live in — and a government that isn’t playing its part in eradicating poverty. If it were, organisations like CityHive, The Felix Project, City Harvest, FareShare, and the Trussell Trust wouldn’t need to exist, let alone be thriving. They thrive because the need is growing. That’s not a reflection on them — it’s a reflection on a broken system that allows people to go hungry in one of the richest cities in the world. If you're in doubt about what they’re doing, go check their Instagram: @cityhivemedia. You’ll see the real organisations and people receiving food, sharing thanks, and showing how far the impact reaches. Even Southwark Foodbank has received food from CityHive — that alone should speak volumes. So again — how does any of this harm you personally? Why spend time trying to discredit a group trying to support those who are falling through the cracks? We need more people lifting others up — not adding weight to those already carrying the load.
    • Well, this is very disappointing. Malabar Feast  has changed its menu again. The delicious fish curry with sea bass no longer exists. There is now a fish dish with raw mango, which doesn't appeal. I had dal and spinach instead, which was bland (which I suppose I could/should have predicted). One of my visitors had a "vegetable Biriani" which contained hardly any vegetables. Along with it came two extremely tiny pieces of poppadom in a large paper bag.   This was embarrassing, as I had been singing Malabar's praises and recommending we ordered from there. The other mains and the parathas were OK, but I doubt we will be ordering from there again. My granddaughters wisely opted for Yard Sale pizzas, which were fine. Has anybody else had a similar recent poor (or indeed good!)  experience at Malabar Feast?
    • Another recommendation for Silvano. I echo everything the above post states. I passed first time this week with 3 minors despite not starting to learn until my mid-30s. Given the costs for lessons I have heard, he's also excellent value.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...