Gigs

Just don't blurt out "I'm not here alone!" to people nearby.

I think gigs and cinema trips are perfectly fine to go alone. Better, in fact, as you don't have that weird convo afterwards where one of you liked it more than the other so the enthusiasm from one (or more) inevitably gets dampened.

Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer are in Cardiff Castle next Friday, and I've got the day off, but tickets are 84 quatloos and I don't know if I can stretch to it.

What do people think of planned encores?

You know the type, band walk off, lights stay dimmed, crowd chant and then cheer when the band walk back on, like it wasn't entirely planned.

I've seen quite a few smaller bands who just say goodbye, lights up, house music on, done. Many bands will say they don't do encores and state firmly it's their last couple of songs.

And I think I actually prefer that. Don't faff around.

A genuine unplanned encore would be cool but I've never actually seen one of those.

Went to Taylor Swift at Murrayfield last night. It was amazing.

Paramore were pretty good too.

I currently have less energy than a dead seal so this is as detailed as my review gets for now.

Just on the train back from London after a solo gig to see Weezer & Smashing Pumpkins @ O2.

Weezer were terrific. As not knowing them that well really taken with how great they sounded. Good energy and just very confident and taking energy from a crowd who many of which were up for them on stage nearly as much as SP. Great set, big singalong hits 8/10.

Smashing Pumpkins are undoubtedly big hitters and sound bombastic. Billy was commanding as ever. Great to see James Iha addressing the crowd (always seems veeeery serious) and Chamberlain was epic as ever on drums. The hits were huge but what took the set down a peg or two for me was (and Billy had forewarned fans by interview of this earlier this week) Billy’s insistence on a very mixed setlist pulling songs from most albums, consistently mixing song tempos and not pandering to doing a greatest hits style set for a sellout very big venue. Great for long term fans. But for my takeaway was if they had opted for a more consistent and building setlist with more concentrated hits towards the end might have made for a more enjoyable set then one that chopped around a fair bit. Still class though. 8/10

Overall gig… drum roll… 8/10

We’re all Zeros.

I think the only encore I think was 100% genuine I’ve seen was Orange Goblin playing the rock bar in Newcastle about 20 years ago.

I saw Pearl Jam do three encores once and I honestly couldn’t say how much of that was planned but they did run an hour over curfew.

Planned ones are weird in smaller venues but I kind of get it at an arena show where its basically an excuse for a switch around of stage equipment.

At the other end one of the times I saw Eels, they finished the set, said goodbye, house lights up, fans leaving via all exits, crew started stripping the stage and they crept back out and started playing another song. It did get a bit hairy at the door near the stairs as everyone who heard it tried to push their way back into the venue.

Going solo to a gig is fine, have done so before and no doubt will do again. What is a weirder experience is being one of very few people at the gig. Saw Nerf Herder locally years ago and there was less than 10 of us there. Fair play though they still put on a decent show. At a similar time at the same venue we saw Spunge and there were maybe 20 people there. The last few songs they got us all on stage with them just dancing/messing about while they played the ‘hits’

Felt bad for Nerf Herder as it’s a long way to come from California to play to an empty room.

Going to see Mr Bungle tomorrow, been waiting years for this!

Oxbow and Spotlights in support, should be an evening of excellent music!

They have been amazing every time I've seen them live.

Royal Blood are terrific live!

Foo Fighters tomorrow.

On the one hand one of my very favourite bands, have fastidiously collected all the LPs and haven’t seen them since my teens.

On the other at Old Trafford cricket ground and it’s a heinous venue with one of the worst sounds I’ve ever heard. Been there twice in recent years, to see the Killers and RHCP. The Killers in particular was just white noise.

Hope it’s alright. I’m sure it will be an endurance test.

Pantera are doing a UK tour in February.

The only opportunity I ever had to see them originally was at the Tattoo The Planet all-dayer at Wembley Arena with Slayer, Cradle of Filth, Biohazard and more. It got cancelled because it was due to happen the weekend after 9/11. Then they broke up.