LONDON BABY!! Brand New, Wembley Arena 23/01/2010

Mmm LONDON BABY! Now this was exciting, I haven’t been to London in years. Never mind ever going to a gig there. 344 mile round trip. 4 eager lads wanting to see some great bands. One small 1.1L 10 year old Renault Clio. I was a bit anxious I’m not gunna lie. However, this was to see Brand New, Thrice AND Glassjaw in one gig..... I quickly forgot all problems. So setting off at mid-day ish (Mike’s the most unreliable person to be on time in the universe) we aimed to be there at 5, half 5 leaving time to grab a 'Sub Of The Day' and get into Wembley for doors opening. Most importantly I had control of the music all the way down hahahahaha.
The trip down was smooth, picking John up in good time in Nuneaton (which me and Adam compared to Goole at every given opportunity) and getting into London pretty early at about 4ish. London or Wembley at least, was exactly like I imagined. To the point where one minute Mike said to me ‘There’s a big chance we may see someone famous’ and the next, the trusty little Clio passed a stretch red Ferrari with tinted windows.... I did the typical thing of a tourist and took photos of everything. Why not? We somehow managed to get parked with ease in a car park about 10 mins walk from the arena, costing us a mere £2. So far so good. Been early we thought we’d get to a Spoons and watch Sky Sports News to keep up to date with the Leeds score. To our surprise, they only went and bloody put the game on! However.... we were in a London pub, watching Leeds play Spurs... we kept as quiet as we could. BEER IS MORE EXPENSIVE IN LONDON! I know this is no surprise but in spoons the ‘Price Freeze’ is 45p more expensive in London than Sheffield. Outrageous I know.

Anyway to the gig we went, got in, got merch (I got a lovely Wembley gig exclusive Brand New t-shirt with the daisy cover image on the front :) ) and went inside to the arena area. Anti-climax was the word I would use for what I was expecting from the inside. It looked just like all other arenas. I shouldn’t have thought it would be so much better... but it’s LONDON! It was ok though... for what it lacked in expected size and luxury, it gained in lack of size and the fact I was about to see 3 of the greatest alternative rock bands in the world, one after another. After the night before with Jamie T, I was praying I wouldn’t have to wait around for too long again. I wasn’t disappointed, dead on half 7, Thrice took to the stage.

Opening with ‘Of Dust and Nations’ Thrice didn’t fail to entertain what so ever. Pure skill and energy is what made them what they are and when they burst into (possibly their biggest song) ‘The Artist in the Ambulance’ the crowd went mental. It was AWESOME! Unfortunately they only had a half an hour set and managed 7 songs, finishing on their new track ‘Beggars’, which I gotta say, I like the sound of. It was ok though because next up was alt-hardcore act Glassjaw! The crowd got a bit more energetic for Glassjaw, mainly because I think they saw how lead singer Daryl Palumbo was jumping around with and followed. People ignored the ‘No Crowd Surfing’ signs and went for it. As great as it was, I felt the venue was a bit large for them, I imagine seeing them in a smaller place would have been amazing.

So, it came to that time. Brand New were on next. I was so excited, my stomach buzzed with butterflies. I FRICKING LOVE THIS BAND! They came on stage and straight away screeched into ‘Welcome to Bangkok’. Lead singer Jesse Lacy seemed to have just a presence about him that very few artists do. That ‘I’m not trying to be cool or famous, I just wanna play decent music’ look about him is what ironically makes him infamous and very very cool. Following the amazing intro into the set, they played a song off their latest album ‘Daisy’ called ‘Sink’ which simply blew the roof off the arena. The real highlights however started to come from 5 or 6 songs in, in the form of ‘Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't’ and ‘Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades’. The whole crowd sang every word back to Jesse with passion in their voices and smiles on their faces. It was truly stunning. Later Jesse did a great acoustic version of ‘Limousine’ with a large chunk being a fantastic solo.

It then was that time where usually the band would go off stage, the crowd would chant their name and they arrive back to stun with an encore. Brand New however don’t work like that, they kept playing. The last 5 songs were still mind blowing without their 10 minutes absence. Starting off with the crowd favorite and one their biggest songs ‘Jesus Christ’ people were getting louder and louder. The girl next to me looked like she was gunna cry with happiness. Me and Adam, being one person from the front, lapped it all in with arms in the air. Then it happened.... they played ‘Jude Law’.... now for any normal person this won’t matter, for a Brand New fan, this was a big deal. As soon as Jesse sang the words ‘Whatever poison's in this bottle....’ Adam (in front of me) threw his hands in the air, knocking out what ever poor person was next to him. The crowd SCREAMED the words back at Jesse and the atmosphere went from been amazing to purely magical. So last three songs of the set, how can they top that?

First album favourite ‘Seventy Times Seven’, power of new album's ‘At The Bottom’ and glorious acoustic (with help from Glassjaws Daryl) ‘Play Crack The Sky’ in which the 10,000 punters sang every word and even raised lighters and I imagine a glass or two to the marvel that is Brand New. A slow but oh so fitting end to one of the most amazing gigs I’ve ever attended. With them recently saying in an interview they’ll be back in the summer... I’d advise to every person who even remotely likes them... GO SEE THEM!! I’ll be at as many shows as possible.

So in conclusion, my first gig trip to London was very successful. Got there smoothly, parked smoothly, got a fairly cheap pint, didn’t have to cue to get in, got decent merch, didn’t have to wait long between bands and all three bands did not fail to impress.

Gotta say, all of this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Mike and his trusty little (aptly named) Jesse the Clio. Same again soon?

Next gig – Kerrang Tour on 31st Jan. Carry on with the rock!

Peace

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Well let's get started.... Jamie T 22/01/2010 Sheffield O2 Academy

Right, so first gig of 2010. Mind you, it is only 3 months and 12 days due. You see Jamie T postponed his ‘Kings & Queens' tour in October due to laryngitis. Its ok boys and girls, he bloody well made up for it.
Let’s get the bad points out of the way. I seemed to wait for bands during this gig more than actually seeing them. Doors open at 6pm the internet said.... 6.45 I think they meant. Then once inside, it was a good 45 mins before the support came one for a short half hour set. Just before they left the stage the support called to the crowd 'Enjoy Jamie T, he'll be on in about half an hour’.... Lies, lies, lies. 53 mins the crowd waited, leaving time for usual 'YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE' chants as well as a harsh sounding 'WHERE THE FUCK IS JAMIE T, WHERE THE FUCK ISSS JAAAMMIIEE T'. Another negative point I have is the choice of support band, in the form of the Cold Ones. They were a punk band, and I mean proper old school British punk band. This gave the arseholes of the crowd a chance to create a mosh pit, which created pushing and shoving, which created whining and ear piercing screaming from the hundreds of 14 year old girls who I'm guessing go to very little gigs. Last point I’m gunna complain about is the fact that because I was standing... I couldn’t get rid of my coat to the cloakroom until all balconies had entered. Thankfully a friend on the Merch desk did me a favour and took it for me, Cheers Dan.
Well that’s enough of that, time for the great points. I got a drink, had a chat to Dan on the merch desk and headed for the crowd.
In the crowd I found some friends from Goole, so I stuck with them while waiting for my other friend. Funnily enough I actually ended up with them all night. Can't complain, great company. The support band (Cold Ones) was interesting, I enjoyed them as far as appreciation for what they did, but due to the pure confusion of the choice of them and the fact I couldn’t understand a bloody word the singer was saying I also seemed to grow weary of them very quickly. So onto Jamie T then.
I really didn’t know what to expect from Jamie’s set list apart from the singles. The last time I saw him was at Leeds Fest, just before he released his new album. So this time I expected lots of the‘Kings & Queens’album. He came on and surprisingly yet successfully opened with ‘The Man’s Machine’. The crowd actually went mental. The memory of getting crushed at gigs suddenly flooded back. I liked it. After a couple more songs he went on to play my personal favourite song of his ‘Back In The Game’. I hadn’t been that energetic so far due to been so tired and the thought of going to Wembley the next day took away a lot of the nights excitement. But once I heard ‘Take your brother down to the sea, Have two’s on a cigarette.’ I joined the rest of the crowd in going a little bit mental. The rest of the set seemed to be a massive sing-a-long to be honest, except one song he played off his 4 song, pre album EP ‘Sticks and Stones’ called ‘Dance Of The Young Professionals’. Only a handful seemed to know it. Where I was, only me and Ryan seemed to be singing... During the set he played the expected ‘Sheila’, ‘If you’ve got the money’, ‘368’ etc but the song that stood out for me was ‘Emily’s Heart’. A stunning song with powerful lyrics. Live, it was just lovely. The encore was exceptional. Bursting out into ‘Spiders Web’ followed by ‘Chaka Demus’. Then finishing by raising some hell, in his words, with ‘Sticks and Stones’. Mr. T (no pun intended). You were worth the wait...
So, a good gig altogether. Afterwards me and the guys and gals from Goole headed for a pint. Brown Bear, of course. First gig of 2010 was a great one, will my second compare? Brand New, Thrice and Glassjaw at Wembley. I think it may stand a chance.

Peace
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What it's all about.

Right well, i spend a lot of time at gigs, a lot of money on gigs and 90% of my spare time thinking/talking about gigs. Music can define a person, it can create memories, amazing experiences, friendships and relationships. It brings people together in a way thats in no way competative or argumental. When in a crowd of 100 people or 50,000 people wathcing a band, every person there is there for the same reason. So I've decided to document my gigs on here. I'll write a little review, stick a picture on and perhaps to make it more personal write down what else I personally enjoyed about the gig. I've always wanted to do a blog and a friend of mine has recently started one, therefore I was inspired. Iv'e been to many many gigs (a list of my 2009 gigs is on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/jamiedrink?v=app_2347471856&ref=profile#/notes/jamie-andrew-drinkwater/my-year-in-gigs-2009-/231671887020) The picture by the way is Radiohead at Leeds Festival 2009, In my opinion the best live band Iv'e ever seen.
My next gig is Jamie T on 22nd of Jan 2010.
Should be a good un'.