Blog

Here are my Live Events. I've chosen to list them in order of date, but numbered in order of preference:

Fuse '06
Location: Newbury Race Track, Newbury
Date: Friday 10 November, 2006
Seen Live:
Skindred **
Miss Conduct **
Furthest Drive Home **
The Legacy **
Forever Never **
PDHM **

Comments: I went with a friend to a gaming event run by Ubisoft and met the Frag Dolls, a group of girl gamers used for marketing Ubi products. We got to play some new titles pre-release as well as see some small-time bands play live.
(10) 02 Wireless Festival
Location: Hyde Park, London
Date: Sunday 17 June, 2007
Seen Live:
Polysics *****
Kaiser Chiefs *****
Editors ****
Under the Influence of Giants ***
The Pigeon Detectives ***
The Twang **
The Duke Spirit **
Mumm-Ra **
Mêlée **

Comments: A sunny sunday in Hyde Park and my first true live event. I'm a huge fan of Polysics so it was a dream come true, but I also got the chance to see UTIOG, Editors and Kaiser Chiefs, bands that also enjoy.
Festival Weekend Dance
Location: Parque Juan Carlos I, Madrid
Date: Friday 14 September, 2007
Seen Live:
Vitalic *****
Massive Attack ***
Faithless ***
2 Many DJ's ***
Digitalism ***
Carl Craig **
Sven Väth **

Comments: Crazy stuff, didn't know what to expect. We were right at the front for the entire thing. This was when I first discovered my interest in Vitalic and 2 Many DJ's who both made my night.
Concierto 'Voces'
Location: Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid
Date: Wednesday 24 October, 2007
Seen Live:
Arcángel *
Antonio Carmona *
Conchita *
Antonio Orozco *
Jarabe de Palo *

Comments: Pretty random, didn't enjoy it. Not my thing.
(6) POLYSICS
Location: Carling Academy Islington, London
Date: Saturday 9 February, 2008
Seen Live:
Polysics ***** (2)
Cutting Pink with Knives **

Comments: Travelled back to the UK just for this, went with my brother. It was perfect. Got to meet and talk to Hiro and Yano, 2 members of Polysics. Then stood at the front for the entire event wishing the night wouldn't end. Polysics are a must-see.
MISFITS
Location: Copérnico, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 23 April, 2008
Seen Live:
Misfits ****
Avenues & Silhouettes **

Comments: Pretty cool, the venue was fitting of the band and they played a load of material.
ASIA
Location: Macumba, Madrid
Date: Thursday 22 May, 2008
Seen Live:
Asia ****

Comments: Random stuff going to see Asia. Went with my good friend Mike, we both knew... one of their songs. Turned out they were great entertainment to see live and the night was a success.
(9) Getafe Electric Festival
Location: Auditorio John Lennon, Getafe
Date: Saturday 31 May, 2008
Seen Live:
Metallica *****
Machine Head ****
Within Temptation ***
At the Gates ***

Comments: Wow. This was fucking amazing. Metallica are one of the best bands I have ever seen live, and when they played One it was intense. Then they played Enter Sandman straight after just when I thought they couldn't keep the pace going. The other acts were great too, really enjoyed this event.
(8) Summercase 2008
Location: Boadilla del Monte, Madrid
Date: Friday 18 July - Saturday 19 July, 2008
Seen Live:
Cornelius *****
The Kooks *****
Kaiser Chiefs ***** (2)
Interpol ****
Grinderman ****
Kings of Leon ****
The Verve ****
Los Campesinos! ****
Blondie ****
Maxïmo Park ****
Primal Scream ****
Ian Brown ****
Glasvegas ****
Mystery Jets ****
2 Many DJ's *** (2)
CSS ***
Sex Pistols ***
The Breeders ***
Edwyn Collins ***
Mogwai ***
Los Planetas ***
Etienne de Crécy **
Homeboy **
Tiga **

Comments: 2 days of awesome bands, I got to see some of my very favourites including Cornelius, Interpol and The Kooks. It was exhausting dashing from stage to stage as some great acts were overlapped, and we missed a couple of bands that I really would have liked to see, but overall the event was very enjoyable.
Ola Festival
Location: Playa De Guardias Viejas, Almería
Date: Friday 15th August, 2008
Seen Live:
Björk *****
Soulwax *****
Digitalism **** (2)
Editors *** (2)
Massive Attack *** (2)
Starsailor ***
2 Many DJ's *** (3)
Hercules & Love Affair ***
Junior Boys **
Jape **
Girl Talk **
Goldfrapp (audio only)
Cut Copy (audio only)

Comments: Bjork, Soulwax and Digitalism were awesome and made up for missing MGMT completely, and not seeing Goldfrapp or Cut Copy with my own eyes. It was a nice trip to the south coast of Spain (well, not the travelling - 8 hours each way on a bus wasn't much fun), I got to see plenty of Almería, try the local tapas (including baby squid and swordfish - both firsts for me), and also went to the beach. Met up with some friends of my friends, spoke more Spanish than ever whilst playing on my Kaossilator. Once at 'Ola' (translates to 'Wave' in English - the Festival was next to the sea, on the beach) I experienced great live music - not as enjoyable as Summercase, Editors didn't sound quite as good as they did in Hyde Park, and Starsailor didn't play Way To Fall (!!!), but overall good times! None of the artists at Ola break into my Top 10, although Bjork, Soulwax and Digitalism come very close.
(5) POLYSICS
Location: Club Nasti, Madrid
Date: Tuesday 9 September, 2008
Seen Live:
Polysics ***** (3)
Grabba Grabba Tape ***

Comments: Polysics announced they'd be playing in Madrid the week before the event, and I just couldn't believe it! The gig was very tight and close-up, with them playing on top of a small, half-metre-high platform rather than a stage. Some technical issues due to heat caused equipment to occassionaly cut out for a short period. Apart from this, the event was perfect. They played loads of new material from We Ate The Machine and I spoke to all 4 of them. Bought loads of merch, got my Live DVD and an event poster signed by all, and went home very happy. Next up: King's College, London.
(1) POLYSICS
Location: King's College, London
Date: Sunday 28 September, 2008
Seen Live:
Polysics ***** (4)
And So I Watch You From Afar **
The Strange Death Of Liberal England **
Popular Workshop **

Comments: Perfect. I met up with a bunch of fellow fans and we headed for lunch in London, before moving on to the gig. We waited for several hours before Polysics started, chatting and having a good time. Once the final pre-Poly band had finished, we took place front-centre-stage and waited for them to start. They were amazing. The sound quality was fantastic, the setlist was great, I got so many great pictures and an amazing video (see my Facebook and YouTube respectively) and simply had the best weekend. They are awesome.
INFADELS
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Monday 27 October, 2008
Seen Live:
Infadels ****

Comments: Infadels sound very good live, I really enjoyed this despite having limited knowledge of the band prior to the event. The mix of synth and bassy electronic sounds together with catchy tunes led to an enjoyable set.
Wintercase San Miguel 2008
Location: Joy Eslava, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 5th November, 2008
Seen Live:
Los Campesinos! ***** (2)
Ra Ra Riot ****

Comments: We arrived in time to see Ra Ra Riot for a while, and they were very good - fresh, powerful indie. Los Campesinos! were very impressive and didn't suffer from the sound issues present at Summercase. They played a fast paced hour-long set consisting of songs across their library, including a lot of tracks from their new release, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. The lead singer joined the crowd for the last song and was kindly returned to the stage, crowd-surfer style. A thoroughly enjoyable evening thanks to class acts and a classy venue.
JENIFEREVER
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 12 November, 2008
Seen Live:
Jeniferever ***
Vincent ***

Comments: I went to the concert to find that a friend of mine is good friends with the opening act - who were very good and had a similar sound to Mogwai. Jeniferever were great with an ambient melodic sound.
THE TING TINGS
Location: Joy Eslava, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 19 November, 2008
Seen Live:
The Ting Tings ****
Opening Act (Unknown) **

Comments: Great sound, entertaining act as the twosome swapped between instruments and went straight into the next electropop tune. Plenty of character and [Salford,] London charm.
ESTRELLA POLAR
Location: Costello Club, Madrid
Date: Saturday 24 January, 2009
Seen Live:
Estrella Polar ***

Comments: A band consisting of some good spanish friends of mine. An enjoyable set of thoughtful indie music.
KAISER CHIEFS
Location: Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid
Date: Monday 2nd February, 2009
Seen Live:
Kaiser Chiefs **** (3)

Comments: Kaiser Chiefs entertained me once more with their charm, energy, audience participation and powerful british indie poprock sound. Although some of their older songs are starting to lose their charm for me, the new stuff is very successful when played live.
MISS X
Location: Sala El Sol, Madrid
Date: Thursday 5th February, 2009
Seen Live:
Miss X ***

Comments: A change from what I normally go to see, used a mix of electronic sounds with kaoss pads, electronic drums, guitars and vox. Entertaining.
MOGWAI
Location: Joy Eslava, Madrid
Date: Friday 6th February, 2009
Seen Live:
Mogwai **** (2)
Errors ***

Comments: Beautiful music, moments of tranquility dispelled by moments of hard-charging powerful guitar mixes. This is how Mogwai were when I saw them last year at Summercase, but this time I could appreciate them more in their own dedicated space.
TRAVIS
Location: Macumba, Madrid
Date: Friday 13th February, 2009
Seen Live:
Travis ****
Opening Act (Unknown)

Comments: Not being a real fan of Travis didn't help this night. Until Closer I didn't recognise any songs, however after that point I started to get into the spirit of things and enjoyed myself. The band's sound was okay, but their songs seemed very similar throughout.
MTV Winter Valencia
Location: Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Valencia
Date: Tuesday 24th February, 2009
Seen Live:
Franz Ferdinand *****
Mando Diao ***

Comments: Travelled East to Valencia with 3 friends (Dani, Ico and Miki) for a 1-day event. The trip involved lots of Paella and traditional Valencian tapas, fantastic Gin (and therefore drunkenness), and some brilliant music courtesy of Franz Ferdinand, showcasing their new album amongst older favourites - they were so good, I've slotted them into #5 of my favourite live acts.
THE KILLERS
Location: Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid
Date: Sunday 22nd March, 2009
Seen Live:
The Killers *****
Louis XIV **

Comments: An amazing set of indie rock music from The Killers. The venue and stage were impressive, the sound was top quality and the overall experience was excellent.
S.C.U.M
Location: Sala Caracol, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 22nd April, 2009
Seen Live:
S.C.U.M **

Comments: Dark-wave, Joy Division-like noise rock. Somewhat entertaining and atmospheric but not to my tastes.
THOSE DANCING DAYS
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Thursday 30th April, 2009
Seen Live:
Those Dancing Days ****
MI PEQUEÑA RADIO
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Saturday 9th May, 2009
Seen Live:
Mi pequeña Radio ****
Landa **
ESTRELLA POLAR
Location: Taboo Club, Madrid
Date: Thursday 14 May, 2009
Seen Live:
Estrella Polar ** (2)
THE VEILS
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Friday 22nd May, 2009
Seen Live:
The Veils *****
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Saturday 30th May, 2009
Seen Live:
Great Lake Swimmers *****
MI PEQUEÑA RADIO
Location: Fotomaton, Madrid
Date: Thursday 18th June, 2009
Seen Live:
Mi pequeña Radio *** (2)
(2) Optimus Alive!09
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date: Thursday 9 July - Saturday 11 July, 2009
Seen Live:
Silversun Pickups *****
Los Campesinos! ***** (3)
Klaxons *****
Late of the Pier *****
TV on the Radio ****
Does It Offend You, Yeah? ****
Lykke Li ****
A Silent Film ****
The Kooks **** (2)
Metallica **** (2)
Fischerspooner ****
Black Eyed Peas ****
Placebo ****
Delphic ****
Air Traffic ****
The Gaslight Anthem ****
The Ting Tings *** (2)
Hadouken! ***
Eagles of Death Metal ***
Crystal Castles ***
The Prodigy ***
Lamb of God ***
Trouble Andrew ***
Ghostland Observatory ***
X-Wife **
John Is Gone **
Mr Mitsuhurato **
Boss AC **
Os Golpes **
Os Pontos Negros **
Soja M *


Comments:
THURSDAY - Silversun Pickups were all I hoped they'd be - smiling and happy, producing amazing sounds and playing a fantastic set. 7 songs may seem short but it was played perfectly. The other highlight was Klaxons, who played most of their debut album with intersecting new songs. With every familiar song, the crowd would go insane (me included), but an air of confusion came with every new song, as the people stopped to listen and understand them.

TV on the Radio were fantastic and played songs from all of their albums, and Air Traffic were enjoyable. Metallica did what they always do - play a shitload of metal tracks from across their discography and please an incredible number of fans in the crowd.

FRIDAY - Late of the Pier were completely awesome, playing all but one of their debut album (as well as a new song!) and lived up to my expectations. Immediately after them, I moved over to the other main stage to catch some of The Kooks, who were just as good as they were in Summercase. Placebo were amazing, and Fischerspooner was quite an experience. The Tings Tings played as expected, but didn't improve upon their show since last year in Madrid.

SATURDAY - Against all odds, Los Campesinos! improved upon their previous performances in Summercase festival and the Joy Eslava gig last year, putting heart and soul into every song and throwing themselves into the crowd (and onto me at times). Lykke Li, A Silent Film and Black Eyed Peas were also highlights and rounded off a fantastic experience.
(7) FIB Benicassim 09
Location: Benicassim, Spain
Date: Thursday 16 July - Sunday 19 July, 2009
Seen Live:
White Lies *****
Friendly Fires ****
Mystery Jets **** (2)
Franz Ferdinand **** (2)
2 Many DJ’s *** (4)
Elbow ***
We Are Standard ***
Oasis ***
Glasvegas *** (2)
The Killers *** (2)
CatPeople ***
Tom Tom Club **

Comments: Incredible 5-day break with friends, we stayed in an apartment a minute from the beach, then drank in the festival car park before seeing some great bands. White Lies were the clear standouts, and we didn't see Kings of Leon due to weather conditions (the wind caused almost everything to be cancelled on the Friday).
RUFUS T. FIREFLY
Location: Costello Club, Madrid
Date: Friday 24 July, 2009
Seen Live:
Rufus T. Firefly ***

Comments: Every song sounded different, it was a great set (if a little over-extended).
Sonorama 2009
Location: Aranda de Duero, Spain
Date: Thursday 13 August – Saturday 15 August, 2009
Seen Live:
James *****
We Are Standard **** (2)
Mi pequeña Radio **** (3)
The Sunday Drivers ***
Vetusta Morla ***
nudozurdo ***
Underwater Tea Party **
CatPeople (audio only) (2)
Mendetz (audio only)
Infadels (audio only) (2)

Comments: Fantastic week, ending with backstage access to a 3-day festival. On-stage for We Are Standard.
MI PEQUEÑA RADIO
Location: Costello Club, Madrid
Date: ???, 2009
Seen Live:
Mi pequeña Radio *** (4)

Comments: David pulled Johan and I on-stage after seeing us singing along...
OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Friday 11 September, 2009
Seen Live:
Official Secrets Act ***
Men Called Him Mister **

Comments: Great start, boring middle and they played their only recognisable song at the end. Average but with promise.
DEEP PURPLE
Location: Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid
Date: Tuesday 15 September, 2009
Seen Live:
Deep Purple ****
THE MARY ONETTES
Location: Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid
Date: Thursday 8 October, 2009
Seen Live:
The Mary Onettes ****
Vincent ** (2)
DORIAN
Location: Sala Heineken, Madrid
Date: Friday 23 October, 2009
Seen Live:
Dorian ***
CATPEOPLE
Location: Joy Eslava, Madrid
Date: Saturday 24 October, 2009
Seen Live:
CatPeople **** (3)
(4) THE TEMPER TRAP
Location: Moby Dick, Madrid
Date: Sunday 15 November, 2009
Seen Live:
The Temper Trap *****

Comments: Perfect set, played the entire album with an amazing flow to everything, Drum Song is enhanced when played live (as was every song, to be honest!)
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART
Location: Circo Teatro Price, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 18 November, 2009
Seen Live:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart ***
Atlas Sound ***
THE SOUNDS
Location: La Riviera, Madrid
Date: Friday 27 November, 2009
Seen Live:
The Sounds ***
Matt & Kim **
MUSE
Location: Palacio de Deportes de la Communidad de Madrid
Date: Saturday 28 November, 2009
Seen Live:
Muse *****
Biffy Clyro *****
EDITORS
Location: Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid
Date: Wednesday 9 December, 2009
Seen Live:
Editors **** (3)
The Maccabees ****
Wintersleep ***
(3) PARAMORE
Location: Brighton Centre, Brighton
Date: Thursday 17 December, 2009
Seen Live:
Paramore *****
You Me At Six ****
Paper Route **
Now, Now Every Children **
ARCTIC MONKEYS
Location: Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid
Date: Friday 5th February, 2010
Seen Live:
Arctic Monkeys *****
Mystery Jets ***

Here are my Top 10 favourite live acts:

#1 - Polysics
#2 - Paramore
#3 - The Temper Trap
#4 - Silversun Pickups
#5 - Klaxons
#6 - Muse
#7 - Los Campesinos!
#8 - Late of the Pier
#9 - White Lies
#10 - Metallica

Statistics:
Bands Seen Live: 143
Events Attended: 46

5 Star Reviews: 27
Polysics (4)
Kaiser Chiefs (2)
Vitalic
Metallica
Cornelius
The Kooks
Bjork
Soulwax
Los Campesinos! (2)
Franz Ferdinand
The Killers
The Veils
Great Lake Swimmers
Silversun Pickups
Klaxons
Late of the Pier
White Lies
James
The Temper Trap
Muse
Biffy Clyro
Paramore
Arctic Monkeys


Optimus Alive!09 - FULL REPORT
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date: Thursday 9 July - Saturday 11 July, 2009

Thu 9th July

[Bands Seen]
Full
Silversun Pickups *****
Klaxons *****
TV on the Radio ****
Delphic ****

Majority
Lamb of God ***
Air Traffic ****
Metallica **** (2)
Mr Mitsuhurato **

Partial
Os Golpes **
Crystal Castles ***

Ear
Ramp
The Bombazines
Machine Head
Tiguana Bibles
Nuna Lopez

Missed
Mazgani
Mastodon
Slipknot
The Vicious Five
Erol Alkan

[Comments]
Silversun Pickups were all I hoped they'd be - smiling and happy, producing amazing sounds and playing a fantastic set. 7 songs may seem short but it was played perfectly. The other highlight was Klaxons, who played most of their debut album with intersecting new songs. With every familiar song, the crowd would go insane (me included), but an air of confusion came with every new song, as the people stopped to listen and understand them.

TV on the Radio were fantastic and played songs from all of their albums, and Air Traffic were enjoyable. Metallica did what they always do - play a shitload of metal tracks from across their discography and please an incredible number of fans in the crowd.


Fri 10th July

[Bands Seen]
Full
Late of the Pier *****
The Gaslight Anthem ****
Does It Offend You, Yeah? ****
Fischerspooner ****
The Ting Tings *** (2)

Majority
Os Pontos Negros **
The Kooks **** (2)
Placebo ****

Partial
Eagles of Death Metal ***
Hadouken! ***
The Prodigy ***
John Is Gone **

Ear
Youthless
Bezegol
DJ Ride
Coldfinger
Zig Zag Warriors

Missed
Blasted Mechanism
Zombie Nation

[Comments]
Late of the Pier were completely awesome, playing all but one of their debut album (as well as a new song!) and lived up to my expectations. Immediately after them, I moved over to the other main stage to catch some of The Kooks, who were just as good as they were in Summercase. Placebo were amazing, and Fischerspooner was quite an experience. The Tings Tings played as expected, but didn't improve upon their show since last year in Madrid.

Sat 11th July

[Bands Seen]
Full
Los Campesinos! ***** (3)
Lykke Li ****
Black Eyed Peas ****
A Silent Film ****
Trouble Andrew ***
Ghostland Observatory ***

Majority
X-Wife **

Partial
Boss AC **
Soja M *

Ear
Linda Martini
Deadmau5

Missed
Olive Tree Dance
Ayo
The Pragmatic
Chris Cornell
Madame Godard
Auto Kratz
Dave Matthews Band
DJ Kitten

[Comments]
Against all odds, Los Campesinos! improved upon their previous performances in Summercase festival and the Joy Eslava gig last year, putting heart and soul into every song and throwing themselves into the crowd (and onto me at times). Lykke Li, A Silent Film and Black Eyed Peas were also highlights and rounded off a fantastic experience.


Silversun Pickups Setlist:
[01] Growing Old is Getting Old
[02] Well Thought Out Twinkles
[03] There's No Secrets This Year
[04] The Royal We
[05] Future Foe Scenarios
[06] Panic Switch
[07] Lazy Eye

Late of the Pier Setlist:
[01] Space and The Woods
[02] Heartbeat
[03] Random Firl
[04] NEW SONG (Blueberry)
[05] Broken
[06] Whitesnake
[07] VW
[08] The Bears Are Coming
[09] The Enemy Are The Future
[10] Focker
[11] Bathroom Gurgle