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Nik Kershaw!
Kiss at Bingley Hall in Stafford 1984 I think so I was twelve. It smelled like a cow shed (it was) but they were pretty epic.
W.A.S.P. at the Edinburgh Playhouse October 30, 1986
Green Day, manc Apollo, sept 24 1995.
Transvision Vamp at Aston Villa Leisure Centre, 1990?
Proper one - not some weak covers band at the campsite we always used to go to as kids (I still remember their name though...Quest) - would be Depeche Mode. At Whitley Bay ice rink. Very shortly after (like a few days) was House of Love at Newcastle Riverside which is still in the top 5 gigs ever.
First proper gig, Black Sabbath - May 17, 1974 St. George's Hall, Bradford, (supported by Black Oak Arkansas)
Tears for Fears, Apollo Manchester - December 1983.
Superb set. Bloody cold evening though.
Curt and Roland signed my program - which I have since lost...
Gary Glitter at the NEC. 🙁
Buzzcocks - Leeds University Students Union circa 1977
The Faces, Blackpool Winter Gardens. A very long time ago.
The Cult at Manchester Apollo 1985. I was 15 and absolutely blown away by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy both in full on rock god mode at the height of their ‘She Selks Sanctuary’ pomp. Absolutely awesome introduction to live music
You didn’t tell us if Nik was any good Harry?
Manics, January 29th 1994, Anson Rooms
Reef, 1996 Derby Assembly rooms.
Supported by Cable, and Travis who were absolute dish water, as ever.
First proper gig was Donington '90 for me. Thunder, Quireboys, Poison, Aerosmith, Whitesnake.
I think my actual first gig was Animal Kwackers at Hyndburn Sports Centre...
Sensational Alex Harvey Band at Bracknell Leisure Centre - around 1975 I think. A few months later I went to see them at Hammersmith when they recorded Delilah.
The Beat at Friars, Aylesbury 1979 - supported by the Equators who had 3 encours, which I then thought was normal 🤣
Marillion Glasgow Apollo. .. Superb....gies a bun .
Accompanied by an adult, Queen, Kind of Magic tour, Maine Road.
Un-accompanied, Primal Scream, Bradford Uni.
Queen, Maine Road in 1986, age 12. Status Quo we’re supporting and I had to go outside as it made my ears hurt. Edit. Snap @mos!
If only I could remember that far back. Possibly Dr Feelgood, dunno really.
The Yardbirds at the Crawdaddy Club, Richmond circa 1964.
Queen, Knebworth, 9th August 1986.
It hasn’t got any better than that in 36 years.
Another Buzzcocks here, at Middleton Civic Hall 77 or 78.
Nirvana at the Mayfair in Newcastle! 😁
My dad took me to see the dave clark 5 at the top six club in London, early 1960 s., i was about 7 or 8 years old.
1st proper own my own gig was Alice Cooper on the brutal planet tour.
It was ace
I also saw led zed in the Royal Court doing song remains the same. They were excellent. Paul Kappas solo stuffs ace
You didn’t tell us if Nik was any good Harry?
He Rocked, in a safe and briefly financially successful kind of way. His mullet was very excellent.
Second gig was The Mission, third was The Pogues followed by ACR, The Happy Mondays and New Order the night after.
first proper band...The Alarm at one of the greenbelt festivals in the late eighties
New Order, the Barras, 86 I think.
Def Leppard, time of release of Hysteria can't remember the exact year. Southampton Mayflower. Tesla supported, not sure I have seen such an energetic support act ever since! Maybe I was swayed being a first timer to a rock gig!
Piranhas at west runton pavilion around 1979. on a camping holiday there with my mum and dad and spookily saw one of my school classmates there too.
Brian May Band at the Edinburgh Playhouse, 4th June 1993. But I'd sooner claim the second one, which was backstage passes from Kerrang! magazine to go and see the All-****ing-mighty at the Usher Hall in 94.
Simple Minds, Wembley Arena March 86. We had to leave before the encores to catch a train home 🙄
Rush, Deeside Leisure Centre, June 16th 1980...I was 16 at the time and had to sneak out my RE "O" level exam early to get down there...
Gig was awesome but I got a "U" grade in the exam 🤣
John Otway and wild Willy Barret at Oughtons, Dumfries.....late '79 / early '80. A great night, didn't see another gig for 18 months. Life in the sticks!
SLF Malvern 1978
Echo and the bunnymen Birmingham odeon 1984
Guns N Roses at Gateshead, 1993. Soundgarden and Faith No More were the support acts. Stood for hours behind a Duff and Slash lookalike double act so not sure I actually saw the openers and waited so long for Axel etc to come on stage that I went for a sit down and then they decided to come on. It was all surprisingly professional and a bit dull.
PS might have been the Singing Kettle.
Oasis at Knebworth. 21 years old before I went to a gig! I made up for lost time though.
Saxon, 1981, Wolverhampton Civic Hall. I was 15, went on my own. Ended up at the front as the noise and general mayhem appealed. Can't remember being that into the group though.
Blondie. Glasgow Apollo. Dec 31st 1979.
This one.
Stiff Little Fingers. Portsmouth Locarno 1979
Last one Shygirl, Bristol March '22 - rather different 😀
Thompson Twins in March 1984 at the Birmingham Odeon. Got dragged along by my then girlfriend at the age of 15. But then a few months later was MY first real concert. Sisters of Mercy at the Victoria Halls, Hanley. Someone at the local travel agents was a massive music fan and used to organize tickets and busses to ferry teens to all the local gigs from Coventry up to Manchester.
@Cougar:
First proper gig was Donington ’90 for me. Thunder, Quireboys, Poison, Aerosmith, Whitesnake.
I was there, too... you didn't wave 😉
First proper gig:
Motorhead, Bristol Studio, 1989. I still have the t-shirt 🙂
Start as you mean to go on!
Simple Minds, Dundee Caird Hall, 1982
Someone at the local travel agents was a massive music fan and used to organize tickets and busses to ferry teens to all the local gigs from Coventry up to Manchester.
I'd forgotten that! same from Reading to gigs in London, organised by the coach co - travel and entry included. The standout was a coach load of goths to see Siouxsie and the Banshees at the Albert Hall. No drinks on the coach not particularly enforced as the premixed 2 litre bottles of snakebite and black were passed round.
Therapy? at Sheffield octagon, April 1994 I think. Awesome
Thin Lizzy at The Winning Post Whitton Middx. After Whisky in the Jar but before The Boys are back in Town so probably 74 or 75. Cost me £1.
AC DC bingley hall Stafford 1979,Jesus it was loud.
The Jam - Leeds Queens hall 1982 - so many people were at that gig that i met later in life - including my future BIL. Amazing gig.
Charlie Pride when I was a nipper.
Happy Mondays was my first gig that I was allowed to with mates.
Also Thin Lizzy, Southampton Gaumont Dec 1977. I still think that it was the best live show that I have ever seen, closely followed by Jethro Tull in the early 80’s
Either "Diamond" Dave Lee Roth or Heart, can't remember which. I was 16 so presumably this was 1988 or thereabouts. I'd like to say my taste in music has improved, but according to my daughters I'd be wrong 🙂
Steeleye Span, among quite a few others at the first, and only Lacock Folk Festival, May 1972. The next actual gig was Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the Trilogy Tour, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, the same year.
Next ones were, in no particular order, Supertramp, at Chippenham Technical College, a warm-up gig prior to the release of Crime Of The Century, 50p/ticket, and I saw them at the Colston Hall later that year, 1974, when I also saw Pink Floyd at Bristol Hippodrome on the Wish You Were Here Tour.
There have been a great many other gigs since.
Accept 1983. Got dragged along by a metal head friend and I was allowed to go as it wasn’t a scary punk gig (which my parents barred me from, I was 13)
Blew me away and created my my 80’s love of early thrash (it was just hard core punk with solos and satan after all)
Billy Bragg on his Red Wedge tour when I was 6. At an old peoples home.
July 81, Royal Wedding day all dayer at the Mayflower Club, Belle Vue, remember only two bandsOblivionandVaricose Veins`. Everyone walked back down to Piccadilly after and the Apollo was kicking out at the same time, chips and gravy at a late night chippy and the last bus back to Oldham, halcyon days.
Stranglers, Edinburgh playhouse, 5th March 1990
November 8th 1990.
A coach trip by magpie records in Worcester to see Queensryche at Newport centre. The Empire tour where they played the entire mindcrime album. It was awesome.
I was 16 and nearly got into a couple of fights, cos, well, Newport is rough.
Hadn't got a clue how to get back from Worcester at gone midnight though. Fortunately a coupe if guys in 6th form managed to fit me in their chevette.
Marillion 1988 Edinburgh Playhouse
Elder son ha ZZ Top 2017 (I think) Manchester O2
And younger son will be Alice Cooper 2022 Leeds Arena supported by The Cult (hopefully)
The Eagles - 1976 New Bingley Hall, Stafford.
My 17 year old friend has passed her driving test that week. She borrowed her mum's mini to drive us from Stockport, crashing it on the way home. Her father was not very pleased when he had to collect us all.
bigblackshed - I was at that Queen gig (Knebworth). There was a massive food fight. The security guards were taking the whole ticket and not giving back the stubs, then selling them on outside the gates. The park was heaving. It took us 4 hours to drive out of the grounds, but well worth being covered in food and drink, and not being able to get to a loo. Superb.
Oasis, Kentish Town Forum August 1994
It was a about a week before Definitely Maybe was released and pretty sure I also passed my driving test that week.
Peters and Lee ,Gt Yarmouth early 70’s
Llama Farmers at Blackheath Halls in 2000(? Maybe 99).
Ian Gillan Band, Double Trouble tour, 1981 at the Liverpool Empire, supported by....Budgie! Let's rock!
The Lemonheads in London when I was 16 or 17. I was a fan and chaperoning my sister and her friend, who spent the gig on my shoulders. I think my next gig was Dinosaur Jr. The early 90s were a brilliant time to be a teenager.
The police 1980 Milton Keynes Bowl.
Mad Caddies & Fenix TX at the garage in glasgow I think.
I watch a flaming droplet fly up into the air from a fire breatheron the stage* it arked high and came down slowly as i was wedged in the front, it went straight into my eye**.
*I think it was one of the Fenix TX band members rather than a professional one.
**it was out by the time it hit me but wholy shit it stung.
Dr Feelgood, 1982 at Salford Uni Union bar. Wilko Johnson looked like he hated the lot of us!!
Monsters of Rock 88. I was 14. Lots of hair, denim and warm cider. It was awesome.
Montgomery - was at another show on that tour, Budgie were the better act for me.
Foo Fighters at Newport Lesiure Centre. Followed the next night by the Prodigy in the same venue! 1995 I think, was still in high school anyway. Third gig though was a long time afterwards, System of a Down at Brixton Academy in 2002 possibly. I'm not great at remembering dates.
CountZero
Steeleye Span, among quite a few others at the first, and only Lacock Folk Festival, May 1972. The next actual gig was Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the Trilogy Tour, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, the same year.
Bloody hell I was there too, my mum was a massive Folk fan and I got dragged along, I was only 8 at the time and fell asleep at 8:30pm but it meant my mum didn't have child minder worries.
I would have loved to see the Supertramp gig as Crime Of The Century is still one of my favourite albums.
First real gig would have been The Jam 1979 Colston Hall Bristol
ACDC, Leeds Queen's Hall, 1981 followed by Ozzy a couple of months later at the NEC in Birmingham
Motörhead at Hammersmith Odeon Christmas 1990 aged 15.
Told me mum that I was going to a party at lee’s house. Lee told his folks that he was going to a party at my house….
Happy days😄
Sex Pistols, Lesser Free Trade Hall, 1976.