[Closed] Best live band......

I've never seen a bad Foo Fighters set (appreciate they are massive these days).

So also, Walter Schriefels solo album (Quicksand, Rival schools, Gorilla biscuits). At the Haymakers in Cambridge, doesn't even have a stage, band all clearly mates and enjoying playing with each other.

Alexisonfire at the Junction Cambridge, pretty much my favourite band ever, lost my wedding ring in the pit, 10+ years later I'm still not sure I've been forgiven!

I was dragged to a Simply Red gig by my wife when they were topping the charts,they started playing and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck, blew me away.
Another stand out group was Living Colour, just sensational.

For the whole performance and experience I would say Imagine Dragons in Birmingham in 2018 (i think). I'm not a huge fan of them recorded but live they are brilliant.

As a standout band whose music i love i would say Highly Suspect in Kentish Town a couple of weeks before Imagine Dragons. They blew me away. I wanted to see them again when they came back to the UK but the venues they chose were so small the tickets sold out in seconds

A special mention to Stereophonics as well. Saw them in Birmingham just before lockdown and they were incredible

What’s the criteria?

Leftfield at the Mayfair in Newcastle, New Order at the Reading Festival in 1990-something or Metallica at the Newcastle Arena thinger in 2009.

The Hamsters. Every single gig.

In contrast to a post on the "worst" thread, New Order absolutely blew me away back in '84. I was expecting bad singing, but didn't notice cos the music was so ****ing awesome. Remember it like it wasn't over 30 years ago!

I mean, I've got loads more..

Death Grips - so loud it hurt, so powerful. A sound like nothing else on the planet.
The Jam - another vivid memory from the 80s. Weller playing so hard the neck snapped off his guitar.
A Human - The most charismatic frontman no-one's heard of.
LCD Soundsystem - dance your arse off you middle-aged throwback
Idles were pretty damn amazing, but only while they were playing, not while he was talking in a very [i]nice[/i] way between songs. That pissed me off. Be more PUNK.
Girl Band: A guitarist strangling very un-guitar like noises out of his erm guitar.
Wonder Stuff, couldn't listen to em now, but they were great live.
!!! (chk chk chk) - seen em loads and always in small venues and they entertain proper. Dance your etc.. 🙂
Amazing Snakeheads/And Yet it Moves... the late great Dale Barclay. Best/scariest frontman I've ever seen. Welling up that I'll never see him again. RIP.

Think my favourite one to date for the whole performance was chemical brothers at Alley Palley two years ago, i’m not the biggest fan but the whole experience between lightning, visuals, props and music was truly special.

Other one would be prodigy in 2008, first time seeing them and they didn’t disappoint. Have seen them a number of times since and haven’t been as good but that is more due to gig etiquette and people wanting to film the whole thing rather than dance.

Queen at Maine Road just after Live Aid with full Mexican Waves and Radio GaGa crowd action. I have been to hundreds of gigs and festivals in my lifetime but that is the single one I will always remember.

Slade in 83, Nod got the audience clearing the chairs away so everyone could dance and join in. Rock and roll music, amusing jokes, proper music hall stuff. I saw them in 73 in Birmingham town hall but that was too loud for comfort, they'd turned it down a bit by 83.

Blondie in Barbarella's a worthy second.

Michael Jones in Centre Balavoine completes my podium. Unexpectedly excellent.

Eddie Vedder solo on Dublin sublime and as a side

Any pearl jam gig...

I love the wildhearts but they can go either way on a night.

Oh n massive Waggons Christmas shindig was carnage

Gomez on the recent Bring It On tour were pretty damn good - the whole of Bring It On, followed by their best from the subsequent albums as well.
Carter USM is always an excellent show.
Flaming Lips are very good entertainment

But my best in recent memory was Toots and the Maytals 2 years ago in a smallish venue. Absolutely fantastic and an amazing atmosphere

Bruce Springsteen is not someone I listen to much at home, but I've been to see him live probably 10 years ago and it was an absolute belter of a show. No support act, lasted about 3 hours or something and some brilliant music - not just his but a whole bunch of stuff.

He does this requests bit where the audience ask for tunes - not sure how prepared they are in reality, but it makes for a brilliant time.

Here's an idea from a show around the same time :

David Bowie at Glastonbury 2000 for me.

My initial shortlist...

The Go! Team in Oxford promoting their debut album - so fun and fresh.
Spiritualized promoting Lazer Guided Melodies at UEA - mind-blowing
Penguin Cafe Orchestra at Union Chapel - all the feels
Iggy & the Stooges at Hammersmith - the original and best

My two standouts are:

White Stripes at Empress Ballrooms Blackpool
Radiohead at Empress Ballrooms Blackpool

Such a small intimate venue (only holds 3000) to see two amazing bands at.

I forgot.... Rolling Stones at Twickenham about 14 years ago on the Bigger Bang tour. Best birthday present I ever got.

My two standouts are:

White Stripes at Empress Ballrooms Blackpool
Radiohead at Empress Ballrooms Blackpool

Such a small intimate venue (only holds 3000) to see two amazing bands at.

I'll have been at both of them!

Recent standout for me was Tame Impala at the Empress. Only really went because it's on my doorstep, baulked a bit at the ticket price, but as it was the Glastonbury warm up gig, we got a full on festival performance, with all the lights etc', but in a small venue. It was excellent.

I know there'll be plenty turn there noses up at this, but Shed 7 are a brilliant live band.

Oh... so many great gigs over the years

Queen ( with Freddie ) always a top show,
Springsteen for pure energy and longevity of show,

But some of the smaller ones have also been brilliant,
I can thoroughly recommend going to see ( in no particular order )
Holy Moly and the Crackers...
Jah wobble
Alabama 3 ( acoustic set now we have lost the Reverend)
Lee Scratch Perry... mad as a box of frogs but in a good way

I guess there are others but those are the stand outs

I have been addicted to watching this the last week or so, would of been awesome to see live.

But the best live band i ever saw was Ralph Myerz and The Jack Herron Band at The Big Chill.

My two standouts are:

White Stripes at Empress Ballrooms Blackpool

What tour was that @benman? I saw them at Glasgow SEC about 15 years back, prob the greatest performance I've ever seen and not by a small amount either - like they're not my favourite band (altho I like them fine), it didn't have that personal significance that some gigs can have, but just a next F level display from Jack White.

Remember saying to my wife driving over that it might be a bit iffy - huge barn of a venue, there's just the two of them and it's pretty simple music - couldn't have been more wrong as they absolutely slayed it.

@Garry_Lager it would have been about 15 years ago! Touring the Get Behind Me Satan album.

Jack White is pretty immense live.

Killing Joke at the zombie hut in Corby, small venue just down the road from me and full of mates that I hadnt seen for years... and any Prodigy gig

Faith No More at the International in Manchester. First Mike Patten Tour. Met them all backstage, a personal highlight of my gigging career 🙂 Could not have been any more chaotic, but they were just perfect.

I was at that. It was amazing. Me and my mate slept / mooched about around Victoria Station until the first train home the next day. It was bloody freezing!

Sonic Youth playing Daydream Nation was a highlight. Sticking to one album prevented them from flying off into pointless noise and feedback and it's an all time favourite album anyway so it was amazing.

Mars Volta jamming furiously for two hours was more exciting than it sounds. They played hardly anything that was recognisable as an MV tune but still good to watch them work.

Rage Against the Machine just before they split in 99. Incredible band, classic songs, always on form. Every bit as intense as expected. I actually had tickets to see them this August with Run the Jewels and I'm gutted it didn't go ahead.

Rocket from the Crypt, Rollins Band, Iggy Pop, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Fugazi.... too many amazing gigs spring to mind. I've seen far more good stuff than disappointments luckily. I'm sure some people love to walk out early because they enjoy telling people later that the band was so bad that they just went to the pub next door.

off! at king tuts . Band walked on , just started playing, crowd was jumping.

Rocket from the Crypt at king tuts .

The dwarves at abc (or maybe abc 2) , great gig

New model army , quite a few but I can't remember where

Can everyone just shut up about seeing the White Stripes please! Thank you! 😠

White Stripes at Empress Ballrooms Blackpool

I was there too (some time soon after Seven Nation Army came out) - sorry @DezB. I wasn't that impressed TBF, but I've always been pretty much 'Seven Nation Army then I'm out' about them.

I've got loads of live stuff recorded off the telly just cos of how amazing Jack was. And missing that Brighton gig goddamit.

....and you will know us by the trail of dead.
one of those gigs that you dont expect a lot from cos you havent heard much, but then leave open-mouthed. quiet/loud/quiet/loud/loud/loud/even louder/quiet etc....
singer disappeared into the crowd and ended up singing from underneath the table we were stood on (nottingham boat club, not reet big).
band smashed the equipment up, then chucked it in the crowd with the drums, so we thought thats it, end of. then they piled into the crowd, retrieved it all, built it up again whilst the guitarist was sending out squalls of feedback, then they carried on playing.
when the gig was over they played an impromptu set outside by the side of the trent.

for some reason the albums dont do much for me, but LIVE? immense every time ive seen them.

spooky. as i type this theyre being played on 6 music, hardly ever hear them on the radio.

No RATM mentions?

Edit: oops yes there was

Vulfpeck are actually right up there also

PWEI at Sheffield university refectory in 1990.

So much energy.

Fugazi at the Birmingham insitute, I'd just split up with my GF and was in a bit of a state but was dragged along and I'm eternally grateful I did, spine-tingling stuff.

Clutch on NYE in Baltimore, last minute home-coming show of the back of touring Beale Street, Jean Paul's mum was there, so much groove.

Stampin' Ground at the Flapper and Firkin, got knocked out in the pit, came to and dived straight back in, they are still possibly the most ferocious live band I've ever seen.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard deserve a mention. Especially for the singer leaping into the crowd and getting us to carry him to the sea for a swim in the middle of the gig. The band played on... Concorde 2, Brighton. Not sure it could've been done anywhere else 😀

Subhumans always put on a great show.
New Bomb Turks at the Zap Club in Brighton 94? was memorable.
Or maybe the Instigators at the Boardwalk MCR, late 80s...

Jack White is pretty immense live.

I saw Jack White at Lolla a couple of years ago and he really wasn't. I was so disappointed as I'd really expected a great show.

Actually, festival sets:
- The Vaccines are really good
- Django Django put on a great show (big ole drum in the middle of the stage for some reason)
- Alt J are pretty solid
- LL Cool J was absolutely top notch, gave it proper welly despite having a 45 minute slot at 4pm one day.

I cant recall how many times I've seen Mew

Consistently amazing - and 156 gets me every time

Godlike

Every A-ha gig I've been to has been fabulous.

Crash Test Dummies at Manchester Apollo in '94. Incredible show.

The Mighty Lemondrops, Hacienda 1987. Just right for the time: jingly jangly, catchy indie shite.

Disturbed always give a good gig.

Last time I went with the wife she said they sound exactly like their recoded songs which is a good indicator.

But I've been very impressed with jinjer live.

Female vocalist with the voice of a metal goddess and the screams of a demon.

I saw Prodigy at Bridlington Spa in 2015. Absolutley blew me away, I was sober also which I must have been the only one.

The acoustics in that place were superb and it was amazing.

Green Day @ London Astoria in 1998. Final European date of the Nimrod tour.
Place was electric, set was awesome, after the encore they trashed the stage until it was just BJA, his guitar, an amp & good riddance (time of your life) left.
Best gig of my life.

Lamb are always a great band to see live. I must have seen them 10 times so far and I hope to increase that number at some point.

The band who blew me away has to be Gogo Pennguin. Their Royal Albert Hall gig was stunning.

zzjabzz - Subhumans are ALWAYS great live as were the Instigators 🙂

The mark of a great live band is one where you can see them multiple times and they never disappoint. So on that basis i have to say:

Rocket From the crypt
Fugazi
Mighty mighty bosstones
And you will know us by the trail of the dead
Entombed
Neurosis
At the drive in
The refused

@Mister-P GGP - I have a couple of their CDs. That is frenetic jazz!

Slade. (the original one, in 1981)
I've seen hundreds of bands since then, none match the energy and performance.
Some come close, The Stranglers have been excellent, Alison Moyet was sublime.

LCD, RATM, DFA1979  other abbreviations, plus weirdly i think James are brilliant live

Motorhead 1979.

I was asked by one of the young uns at work, what were they like?

Only way to describe the gig was........ Imagine being driven in a car at 150mph, and sticking your head out the sunroof for 2 hours, and your close

The boss took me to see Alabama 3 at the Ironworks in Inverness for my 60th and I was bouncing like a youngster for most of the evening.
Absolutely the best gig I've ever been to.

The Clash - Leeds Uni
Thin Lizzy - Bridlington Spa
Stiff Little Fingers - York
INXS - outdoor mini-festival in Cardiff Bay are. Support were The Brand New Heavies, Echobelly, and Stereophonics before they were famous
Massive Attack - Queen Square, Bristol circa 2005
Sigur Ros - Colston Hall, Bristol
James - various
Hothouse Flowers - Glastonbury 1993ish
Blue Aeroplanes - Ashton Court Festival Bristol / Glastonbury

The Comet is Coming last year were incredible. Early Stone Roses gig in a leisure centre was pretty special as a teenager.

Does Chemical Brothers count? Not a band as such but superb in a festival tent in 2000.

Finally, Roni Size with Reprazent, also in a festival tent at Reading circa 1998

Massive Attack – Queen Square, Bristol

I was there for that. Easily their best gig I have seen. Shame when I saw them in Leicester they were a bit dull.

Saw blondie two years ago , thought they would have been a bit tired and dull.They were raw and brilliant , what a great night

I went to see Being As An Ocean in Manchester in 2018, they were a support act for a different band (that I didn't even bother to stay and see as I wasn't a fan) and they were absolutely amazing. I think they had been on stage for all of 5 minutes before the lead singer launched himself into the crowd.

On valentines day I went to Star and Garter to see Chapter and Verse, Parting Gift and Dream State. Absolutely amazing gig. Dream State were amazing and got to have a good chat with Aled and CJ from the band. Only a few people there but the interaction between all the bands and the crowd was amazing, a really great intimate gig with some genuinely great, friendly musicians.

Saw Fred V and Grafix at the Deaf Institute and they were brilliant, the support acts were good too. Really great gig with a good atmosphere too.

Linked to my "shite bands" thread I went to see Biffy Clyro last summer and despite not being a fan I really enjoyed it and they put on a fantastic show. One of the support acts, Fatherson, were seriously good and put on a great set despite just playing in one corner of a very big stage, they really seemed to fill out the whole place and got the crowd really engaged.

James. Yes. Saw them in 1991 at GMex. Booth has so much energy. Brilliant

A couple of honourable mentions, both from the early 1990s at Harlow Square...

Snuff (several times) - so much energy and good vibes
The Egg - Amazing party band with an original take on indie-dance - why weren't they massive?

Trouble Funk.
You know when bands try to get people to join in? It doesn't always work that well in England, but Trouble Funk had every single person screaming and shouting "Freaky Deaky", of all things, at the top of their voices.

James Brown was excellent as well- total pro, complete command of the audience.

I've seen Lee Perry dozens of times. Every gig was either brilliant or terrible, he doesn't do anything in-between.

I saw Prodigy at Bridlington Spa in 2015. Absolutley blew me away, I was sober also which I must have been the only one.

The acoustics in that place were superb and it was amazing.

I was at that gig and while I think it was brilliant, I was definitely not sober, and I really can't remember it very well sadly!

Pantera on the Vulgar Display tour , supporting Megadeth.
Pantera on the Far Beyond Driven tour, headlining.
Wildhearts and Backyard Babies co-headline tour .
CJ Ramone in a shitty little club woth about 50 people tops.
Michale Graves doing the two Misfits albums he wrote back to back, before he commited career suicide .

Oooh, Elvana too. Fun bit of nonsense .

I’ve been going to live music since I was 13, but the gigs I’ve enjoyed the most have all been recent:
- Bad Religion and the Offspring in Birmingham in 2016. I was at the front and had an imprint of the metal barriers in my knees for a few hours afterwards.

- The Temperance Movement acoustic gig at the Manchester Deaf Institute 2016

- The Virginmarys at the Masonic Hall in Macclesfield a couple of years ago

Pantera on the Vulgar Display tour , supporting Megadeth.
Pantera on the Far Beyond Driven tour, headlining.

I had tickets for Pantera in London but 9/11 happened a few days before. I've really disliked extremist terrorism ever since.

David Bowie. My first ever gig, at Wembley on the Station to Station tour. 15 years old and as I remember it, the first song was the title track, a 10 minute intro building and building, before he strolls on stage, cigarette in hand. He looked so incredibly cool, totally commanding the stage. An amazing gig, which I can't imagine will ever be bettered by anyone.

Springsteen at Roundhay Park a four hour party.

Thin Lizzy at Wembley

Live Aid

Any Flaming Lips gig.

Modest Mouse for sheer musicianship

Smashing Pumpkins in a small venue in Brussels

The Proclaimers. Sister in law took us, wasn't expecting much but it was bouncing. Cracking night.

Bruce Springsteen. Wife was a fan, we went and I came away a fan too. Superb.

Muse. Sonically fantastic.

The Orb. Also sonically sublime.

Foo Fighters at Lancashire cricket ground was probably the best, well oiled gig I’ve been to. Honorable Mentions to the Verve at Haigh Hall Wigan for there homecoming gig (more for what it meant than the actual quality of the music) Royal Blood at the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool was also a great night.

Chuck Berry - (no I'm not that old, I was 12 and 13ish) - he did need reminding which song he was in having got lost in the solo

Iron Maiden - choreographed, technically fantastic, engaging, fun, just yeah

Pato Banton - yes, I know but I was 14 and playing the same bill (Derby Uni summer ball 1993)
They did their 'hits' of the time but it was feel good, jumping, tight, feel good fun and the band dance choreography was awesome

It's a toss up between The Cramps at Leicester Mr Kiesers in 84 or the Clash at De Montfort Hall in 82. Both great gigs.
Hmmm.. I've been to some great gigs..
Nirvana Reading festival 91
Beastie Boys, Run DMC 87 Brixton
Pixies 2009

All of these gigs immediately spring to mind for one reason or another.

I think the Pixies have it.. No er the Cramps... Oh I can't decide

mercuryrev. Full Member

er, have you forgotten someone..? 😉

Faith no More, doesn't matter what location loved every gig I've been to see them.

Most intense would be Machine Head came out of that one black and blue.

As for the ultimate gig experience Pink Floyd Pulse tour at Earls Court.

zzjabzz – Subhumans are ALWAYS great live as were the Instigators 🙂

Oh and Salvo normally knock the ball out of the park too.
Fuel Cafe gig with Sikkapillu was a memorable night... 🙂

Otway and Barratt, 1979, oughtons in Dumfries - my first gig and therefore brilliant.
Jeff Buckley in Nottingham ?rock city? Just after grace came out.
Hawkwind, Edinburgh liquid rooms in 1997
More recently seen the fat white family a few times, they do a good gig.
And a mention for the current version of the Chameleons who surprised me by delivering a fantastic script of the bridge gig a couple of years ago
Gigs are great!

Saw the Blockheads a few yrs ago, a lot better than I expected. Squeeze were really good at V in 2006 . (Amy Winehouse that year but she wasn't in a good state that day I'm sorry to say)

I saw daft punk at Global Gathering.

Lots of awesome bands mentioned already, tbh I could give a different answer tomorrow- it's pretty much always going to be Trail of Dead, F***ed Up, Muse Before They Were Shite, Hell Is For Heroes, Hundred Reasons, Biffy or the Hold Steady, though. Frank Turner might get a look in but he's so erratic, a good Frank show is pretty wonderful but an average Frank show is average.

I'll give it to Biffy though, because yes all those bands can put on amazing shows but Biffy have absolute killed it everywhere from support slots at King Tuts, to headlining festivals, and casting my mind back to those early shows that just seems so god damn unlikely. I've never seen another band that could just get it perfectly right regardless of the venue size or crapness. Let's make Perth Ice House into a sweatbox. Let's make Fopp in Glasgow into a church. Let's turn T in the Park main stage into a sort of terrifying cult gathering. And let's make the crowd bounce up and down at the Barras so hard that the intro CD skips.

The Levellers of course

Vinegar Joe
Free
Focus
Family - many times
Wishbone Ash - in particular at Buxton Pop Festival and at the Kursaal Southend

Oh and the Muffin Men.

Mogwai
The Jesus Lizard
Pixies
Wolfgang Press
Penguins Cafe Orchestra
Townes Van Zandt
Tindersticks
Butthole Surfers

All amazing in their own different ways.

Ozomatli

And Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Both amazing.

Muse give a cracking show, but seen the chemical brothers last year and it left me stunned, in a what did I just see experience!

The Pogues. What a party that is.

Forgot Shellac and Papa M somehow.