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Posts Tagged: Gig

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5 months ago    |   Tags: The Human League Phil Oakey Synth Pop Gigs Gig Concert Music Review Brighton 2012   |   Notes: 1

The Human League @ Brighton Dome, Brighton - 23 November 2012

The Human League @ Brighton Dome, Brighton - 23 November 2012

This is Nige talking, I want to tell you what I’ve found to be true…

The Human League @ Brighton Dome, Brighton - 23 November 2012

The last time I saw The Human League play live they were supporting Siouxsie and The Banshees at The Rainbow in Finsbury Park, that was in 1979. The other support band that night were Marco Pirroni’s Rema Rema (anyone else remember them?).

I saw The Human League a few times in their early years.  In those days their shows were accompanied by a fairly rudimentary set of slideshows. The song “Circus Of Death” was a particular favourite of mine when they started.

Back to the concert where they supported Siouxsie and The Banshees, my friend and I nearly got beaten up that night for having the temerity to dance to them.  I recall that the majority of the crowd sat down stony faced as The Human League went through their set of early pioneering arty synthpop classics.  A particularly large and aggressive punk told us to stop dancing or…

Listen to the voice of Buddha, saying stop your sericulture…

The Human League @ Brighton Dome, Brighton - 23 November 2012


So were we beaten up?  Fortunately a bouncer saved us.  Unusual in the seventies as older readers will doubtless recall.
If you’d have told me back in 1979 that I’d be watching a version of The Human League in 2012, and that they’d be running through a set chockablock with poptastic hits, for an ecstatic crowd of predominantly middle aged gig goers who were dancing from start to finish and demonstrating consummate showmanship, I would have found it impossible to conceive.  Truth really can be stranger than fiction.

I listen to a lot of new music and enjoy a lot of new bands however this year I’ve seen an extraordinary array of older bands.  In 2012, at the Brighton Dome alone, I’ve also seen Public Enemy, Dexys and Sparks - all of whom were excellent.  I’ve also seen Johnny Moped, Public Image Limited, The Monochrome Set, TV Smith, The Rockingbirds, and The Blockheads.  To one degree or another they’ve all been great.  Sparks, Dexys, PiL and The Blockheads were superb.  The amazing thing is that many of them have released great new music too.  

The Human League were great.  They may be mainly about nostalgia these days but they know how to make people happy, and I loved every second.

Keep feeling fascination, passion burning, love so strong…

The Human League @ Brighton Dome, Brighton - 23 November 2012

The Human League @ Brighton Dome, Brighton - 23 November 2012

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11 months ago    |   Tags: The Time and Space Machine Richard Norris Gig Concert Live 2012 Brighton Hove Brighton and Hove  

The Time and Space Machine

Lazer cover

The Time and Space Machine play their debut gig as a five piece band at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton, on Friday 1st June 2012 @ 7pm - 10pm (band on at 8.30pm) and it’s a mere £5 for one of those golden tickets. The Time and Space Machine band will feature drums, bass, guitars, harmony vocals, backwards noises, Hammond freak outs, plus a light show from Innerstrings Light Show.  I think you’d be a fool to miss it.  

New album “Taste The Lazer” is great.

“I’m trying to make music that has a feeling of sensation to it, that moves your head, heart and body. I’m attempting to take the dynamics you get from a really strong piece of electronic dance music — hypnosis, repetition, trance, elevation, tension and release — and putting them into a band. It can only turn out to be psychedelic.” 

The words of Richard Norris the Time & Space Machine main man.

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1 year ago    |   Tags: Green Door Store The Monochrome Set Put It On Promotions Put It On Platinum Coils Music LIve Music Gig Concert Brighton Hove England Sussex 2012 Bid Lester Square Andy Warren Punk Post-Punk Virgin Dindisc   |   Notes: 2
The Monochrome Set @ The Green Door Store, Brighton - 12 April 2012 on Flickr.Andy Warren and Bid went to school together, Lester Square and Adam Ant both attended Hornsey School of Art. The latter two formed a band called “The B-Sides”, which Andy joined sometime in 1976. Bid also joined a couple of months later, and Adam left shortly after. Lester, Andy and Bid occasionally continued to write and rehearse together (it was around this time that some of the songs later to be used by The Monochrome Set were written, e.g., Goodbye Joe, He’s Frank, Puerto-Rican Fence Climber, Lester Leaps In), until Adam formed The Ants with Lester and Andy. Whilst Andy continued on with Adam to record the first Ants album, Lester left The Ants in 1977, to form, firstly The Zarbies & The Ectomorphs with Bid and Jeremy Harrington, and then The Monochrome Set with Bid (Jeremy joined later). To quote the Asahi Evening News, 1993: “When B-Sides singer Adam Ant quit the band for an ill-fated solo career, The Monochrome Set was born.”

The Monochrome Set @ The Green Door Store, Brighton - 12 April 2012 on Flickr.

Andy Warren and Bid went to school together, Lester Square and Adam Ant both attended Hornsey School of Art. The latter two formed a band called “The B-Sides”, which Andy joined sometime in 1976. Bid also joined a couple of months later, and Adam left shortly after. Lester, Andy and Bid occasionally continued to write and rehearse together (it was around this time that some of the songs later to be used by The Monochrome Set were written, e.g., Goodbye Joe, He’s Frank, Puerto-Rican Fence Climber, Lester Leaps In), until Adam formed The Ants with Lester and Andy. Whilst Andy continued on with Adam to record the first Ants album, Lester left The Ants in 1977, to form, firstly The Zarbies & The Ectomorphs with Bid and Jeremy Harrington, and then The Monochrome Set with Bid (Jeremy joined later). To quote the Asahi Evening News, 1993: “When B-Sides singer Adam Ant quit the band for an ill-fated solo career, The Monochrome Set was born.”

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1 year ago    |   Tags: Future Islands The Haunt Live Music Gig Pop Music 2012 England Sussex Brighton Hove Brighton and Hove   |   Notes: 4
Future Islands @ The Haunt, Brighton on 9th March 2012 on Flickr. I only became aware of Future Islands at the end of 2011 having seen them play at the ATP, Nightmare Before Xmas event in December. They’re a trio of a brilliant an understated bassist, a Chris Lowe-esque synth player, and crooning frontman Samuel T. Herring. Samuel T. Herring makes me think of Jaz Coleman’s younger, smaller, funkier brother. Same intensity, same passion, similar appearance - but Samuel is much more nimble on his feet. He’s a brilliant front man. Constantly moving. Very expressive and displaying an extraordinary range of emotions, with dramatic hand gestures, occasionally grinning like a madman, even slapping himself across the face now and then. There’s no half measures with Samuel T. Herring - he gives every line of every song everything he’s got. He’s also one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen. That alone would make Future Islands a compelling live experience however there’s more. Future Islands trade in a wonderful brand of splendid synthpop that’s chockablock with hooks and swelling melodies that generally seem to involve love, loss, yearning etc. It’s a heady brew.

Future Islands @ The Haunt, Brighton on 9th March 2012 on Flickr.

I only became aware of Future Islands at the end of 2011 having seen them play at the ATP, Nightmare Before Xmas event in December. They’re a trio of a brilliant an understated bassist, a Chris Lowe-esque synth player, and crooning frontman Samuel T. Herring. Samuel T. Herring makes me think of Jaz Coleman’s younger, smaller, funkier brother. Same intensity, same passion, similar appearance - but Samuel is much more nimble on his feet. He’s a brilliant front man. Constantly moving. Very expressive and displaying an extraordinary range of emotions, with dramatic hand gestures, occasionally grinning like a madman, even slapping himself across the face now and then. There’s no half measures with Samuel T. Herring - he gives every line of every song everything he’s got. He’s also one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen. That alone would make Future Islands a compelling live experience however there’s more. Future Islands trade in a wonderful brand of splendid synthpop that’s chockablock with hooks and swelling melodies that generally seem to involve love, loss, yearning etc. It’s a heady brew.