Metallica with
Machine Head (February 26th 2009 at M.E.N. Arena)
First gig of 2009, what a way to begin! I thought they were slightly better at Leeds festival, but they still played amazing here. I loved the stage layout, the fact we were just feet away from the stage, and the setlist. Played a lot of the new album, plus the classic songs and a few ones i didn't expect (such as Blackened :D). Great great gig. [10/10]
Marmaduke Duke with
Airship (March 1st 2009 at The Deaf Institute)
First time i'd been to a gig there, and i loved it there! I think more bands should play gigs there, i think someone like Radiohead doing a tiny gig there would be just incredible. Anyway, Marmaduke Duke were fucking great, probably the loudest gig i've ever been to, and one of the craziest. I hope to see them again someday. [9/10]
Franz Ferdinand (March 6th 2009 at Manchester Academy 1)
They were a bit of a disappointment to be honest. The setlist was short, they missed out some of my favourites by them, and generally didn't sound that great. Went on a great night out afterwards though ;P [5/10]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (April 22nd 2009 at Manchester Academy 1)
Damn, i arrived late to this gig and missed most of the first song, Heads Will Roll, which is my favourite song off their new album :(. Ahh well, the gig took a few songs to get going, but they got better and better as they went on. Unfortunately the gig was only 70 minutes long, and only had a 2 song encore... far too short for my liking, but they were still very impressive. [8/10]
Cancer Bats (May 3rd 2009 at Manchester Academy 3)
This was a really good gig, not the sort of gig i'd normally go to so it was good to see someone a little bit different. The crowd was pretty fucking crazy, i don't think i've seen that much crowdsurfing and stage diving in my entire life at a gig! (Though i have seen Kylie Minogue live, and she runs them a close second) ;). The set was pretty short, but that's to be expected as they've only done 2 albums of pretty short songs. I was a bit disappointed i missed the support bands, as i got there during the last song by The Plight, and they sounded pretty good. Anyway, still an enjoyable gig! [7/10]
Gallows with
Every Time I Die (May 6th 2009 at Manchester Academy 1)
Pretty good gig again, they sounded good and really got the crowd going, but i think the venue was way too big for them to be playing in. It was only 2/3 sold out, and i think their sound would much better suit a small venue like Academy 2 or 3. That's my only complaint though, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable gig. I almost nearly got knocked over by the guitarist too, who came running off the stage to the back of the room during the encore, and was inches away from running straight into me! Was pretty funny, but well cool how they ran right to the back of the academy and carried on playing the song! [7/10]
Saw the following at Download Festival 2009:
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Hollywood Undead
They were the first band on the main stage, and i thought they sounded alright, though their performance was pretty boring compared to many of the bands that followed them. [6/10]
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Billy Talent
Unfortunately only caught the last half of their set so i can't really fully judge them. They played very well though, and played a lot of my favourites by them, but the singers voice sounded a bit annoying live. [7/10]
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Killswitch Engage
These really impressed me! I only knew 2 or 3 songs by them so wasn't that arsed about watching them, but they blew me away and were one of the best bands of the weekend for me. The singer was very impressive and the guitars sounded heavy as fuck :P [8/10]
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Limp Bizkit
I feel so glad to be able to say that i've seen these live now! They were one of my favourite bands when i was about 12 years old, so seeing them live was a bit of a nostalgia trip. They played brilliantly and the crowd was really into them, and seeing everyone doing that dance during Rollin' was an impressive sight. [8/10]
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Opeth
Caught only about 10 minutes of these. They sounded really boring to me, and the singer even joked that a lot of the people in the crowd were just there cos they were waiting for Motley Crue to come on stage... which was probably true. I reckon they probably would have sounded good to any fan of them, but as i don't know any of their songs, they just didn't sound good at all. [4/10]
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Faith No More
Was SO excited to be seeing these live, they've been one of my favourite bands since i was about 15, and i never thought i'd get the opportunity to see them live. They didn't disappoint me either, they played a near perfect set, with only the Black Sabbath cover War Pigs missing. The crowd was a little bit dead where i was stood, which is my only complaint, but aside from that they blew me away and left me with a big smile on my face. [10/10]
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Hatebreed
I randomly caught the end of their set. Don't know any of their stuff but they sounded quite good, though i reckon i'd have to be in the right sort of mood to enjoy their music. [7/10]
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Down
I thought they were quite disappointing, as i was really looking forward to seeing them despite only knowing a few songs. To be fair i was stood quite far back, and also spent quite a bit of their set walking around trying to find the drinking water taps! If i'd been stood closer to the front and had had more energy, i probably would have enjoyed it. [6/10]
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DragonForce
2nd time seeing them live, and i was bored by them. I was feeling really ill and tired at this point, and actually fell asleep for a bit in the middle of their set :P All their songs just sound the same, and they sound way better on record than they do live. Fair enough though, some of their stuff is going to be pretty difficult to perfectly replicate live. [4/10]
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Pendulum
I was really looking forward to seeing these, as i've had 2 opportunities to see them live before but couldn't make it to either of them. Unfortunately i was feeling so knackered and like i was just gonna collapse with exhaustion at this point of the day that i ended up going back to my tent after a couple of songs. They sounded really good, but i didn't have the energy to enjoy them, especially when everyone else was dancing around me... I swear next time i get the chance to see them i'm gonna go, and i'm gonna enjoy it! [6/10]
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The Prodigy
Only saw the first song they played. The sound was terrible, from where i was stood you could barely even hear them playing. I reckon for the people right near the front it would have been great, but where i was stood you could only hear people chanting "turn it up!". Dissapointing :(. [3/10]
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Slipknot
Fucking amazing, they tie as the best band of the weekend along with Faith No More. I was just lying behind the big screen watching them and just relaxing, so i didn't experience being in the lively sections of the crowd, but from where i was sat it still sounded incredible! They played a great set, playing mainly songs that i know by them, and even the songs i didn't know sounded impressive. I'd probably put them in the top 5 bands i've ever seen live. [10/10]
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Pulled Apart By Horses
They were the first band i watched on Sunday, and also the only band i properly watched in the Tuborg tent. I only know one or two songs by them but they played a really good set, i'm definately gonna see them again when i get the chance (Leeds festival!). [8/10]
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Black Stone Cherry
Black Stone Kerry were pretty good, i caught the last few songs they played, and to me they sounded like a good version of Nickelback :P. I loved the cover of Voodoo Child they did at the end too :D [7/10]
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Journey
Unfortunately i didn't enjoy these :( I thought the singer was good, but everything else about the performance was just bland at best. They turned most of the songs into extended versions with too many long outros and crowd singing sections. One of the big disappointments of the weekend. [5/10]
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Volbeat
Technically i didn't see these, but i could hear them playing as i was walking down the pathway towards the arena. They played the cover of I Only Wanna Be With You by Dusty Springfield, which i think is a brilliant cover. From where i was walking they sounded great, wish i'd caught their set properly. [7/10]
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Dream Theater
Caught the last 10 minutes of these (so only saw one song being played by them :P). They looked very impressive, especially the bass guitarist with his 6 string bass. However, i definately don't think they are a festival band (songs are waaay too long to be played in a 50 minute set!), and from what i've heard off a few people, the vocals apparently didn't sound too good. [6/10]
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ZZ Top
I was completely starstruck watching these! Billy Gibbons is a legend, probably the best guitarist i've ever seen live, and he's cool as fuck too (the whole band is actually). They played a perfect set list, and i got a good spot right near the front next to some massive speakers, where the sound was so great and their songs were so funky sort of sounding that you couldn't help but dance to them. [9/10]
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Whitesnake
I thought these were good, but not as good as what i was expecting. They had similar troubles to Journey, as in they played most of their songs for too long, and had massive sing-a-long bits in the middle of songs which bored me and most of the crowd around me. The guitar duelling bit in the middle of their set was my favourite part, but even that began to get boring after a bit when it just seemed to carry on for ages :\ Still a pretty good performance overall though. [7/10]
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Therapy?
I only saw the last 2 or 3 songs of these when i was walking around bored waiting for Def Leppard to come on. Wasn't really paying attention to their music, but it didn't remotely grab my attention, so they were a bit meh. [5/10]
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Def Leppard
I watched half of their set before heading back to my tent due to it getting cold and me being bored and tired from sitting around by myself watching bands for most of the day hahaha. They sounded good though, and the songs i recognised by them sounded good. They didn't engage me to the full extent that i thought they would have done, though i put that down to me being too knackered to sing along rather than them playing badly. [7/10]
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Nine Inch Nails/
Jane's Addiction with
Mew (July 14th 2009 at M.E.N. Arena)
Mew were the support band, who didn't sound too bad, but i didn't like the singers vocals. Their music also seemed a bit out of place compared to the music of the two bands that followed. [6/10]
Jane's Addiction were on second, and played a set around 1 hour long. They were pretty amazing, and played the perfect setlist (the only other song i would have liked to have seen was Just Because, but ahh well!). Dave Navarro's guitar playing was particularly impressive, and the rhythm section played perfectly. Good stuff [9/10].
I thought NIN wouldn't be able to beat Jane's Addiction's performance, after all i am a bigger JA fan than NIN... but i was wrong! They blew me away, played an amazing set containing a lot of stuff i knew by them, and even did i spectacular Bowie cover. [9/10] Feel so privaleged to have been at this gig, to see 2 bands that i will probably never see again, both playing as good as they possibly could.
Saw the following at Leeds festival 2009:
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Airship
First band i saw all weekend, who i watched on the Thursday evening. They are a local band, who i also saw supporting Marmaduke Duke earlier this year. They were pretty good too, i can definitely see why people are saying they're going to be big. [7/10]
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Mariachi El Bronx
This band was bizarre! Went to the main stage randomly to kill some time before Pulled Apart By Horses and caught the last few songs of these. I was stood quite far band and couldn't hear them very loudly, but they sounded pretty good/funny. Very very random for a punk band to do something as different as this! [7/10]
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Pulled Apart By Horses
A good gig, ruined by bad sound. The band played with lots of energy and people down the front seemed to enjoy it, but the back half of the tent just couldn't hear them very well. In between each song there were chants of "turn it up!" from many of the people around me. :\ [6/10]
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Municipal Waste
One of the best bands of the weekend! They just destroyed the tent with their energy, speed and the amount of fun in their songs. Such a fun band, i love them! [9/10]
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Them Crooked Vultures
They are a supergroup comprised of Josh Homme from QOTSA, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, and John Paul Jones from LED ZEPPELIN!! Two of my all time musical dreams have been to see Led Zeppelin live, and to see Dave Grohl play drums live, and i got to see them both here (well, i know it's not Led Zeppelin, but seeing a member of them live is still pretty fucking amazing). So this meant a LOT to me. I didn't know any of the songs (though nobody knows any of their stuff yet), but they were still brilliant. So glad i got to see them. [9/10]
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The Prodigy
My biggest let down of the weekend. I had been massively looking forward to them, but i ended up really upset and annoyed while watching them. I was very drunk by the point i saw them, and really wanted to get right up to the front. But it was so stupidly busy there and filled with annoying 16 year old chavvy pillheads that i couldn't get anywhere within about 100ft of the stage. And the sound was terrible everywhere i stood. In the end i gave up watching them and went to the toilets and to the bar instead. [2/10]
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Arctic Monkeys
Now i was even drunker by this point! I don't remember much of watching them, and ended up leaving about 2/3 of the way through as they were playing too many new songs i wasn't familiar with. However, i still really enjoyed all the old classics (if you can call them that!) and a few of the new songs, so overall it was an ok effort. [7/10]
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Lethal Bizzle
I really enjoyed this! I went to the toilets near the radio 1 stage and could hear Lethal Bizzle playing my favourite song by him (Police On My Back) while i was sat in the portaloo (haha), so went and watched the rest of his set. I didn't know any of the songs, but it was still really enjoyable. He is a brilliant rapper, and the dj was playing some absolutely sick samples (Smells Like Teen Spirit was probably my favourite one). [8/10]
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Frank Turner
He was sooo good live. This was really enjoyable, i was right near the front, and the whole gig was just one big happy sing and dance along. Another one of my highlights of the weekend. [9/10]
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Vampire Weekend
Missed the first half of their set from sitting around the tents listening to the football (Bolton predictably losing :\), so i only caught the last 5 or 6 songs. They sounded good though, very tight playing and the new songs (i assume they were new anyway) sounded just as good as the old ones. [8/10]
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Unfortunately they were another disappointment to me. The sound for them wasn't too great, the set list was poor, too much of the gig was spent with them playing random noisy bits in between songs, and they did a dire reworking of Maps, their biggest and best song. Ahh well, i hope they play better when i see them again in a few months. [6/10]
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Bloc Party
They played the exact same spot they played last year, and once again were one of the best bands of the weekend. The vocals were possibly a bit too quiet, but the rest of the band sounded great, and they played a very good setlist. The crowd was a bit annoying though, i was stood right near the front, and twice during the gig there were big cruses that caused about 50 people to fall over on top of each other (including me). It was pretty dangerous and i thought someone could have been crushed to death. :\ [8/10]
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Radiohead
Just as i expected, they totally blew me away. I don't think i'll EVER be able to see another band live and fully enjoy it after watching this. Radiohead just put so much effort into getting the sound perfect, they just put every other band i've heard live to shame (including Metallica). The setlist was very good, despite them missing off a few of their biggest songs (Karma Police, Fake Plastic Trees, My Iron Lung etc) and i was gutted to hear that they played Creep at Reading! However, i have to say they are the best band i've ever had the pleasure to see live. [10/10]
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Madina Lake
Wasn't really listening to these much, plus i don't know who they are. :P I guess they sounded alright for an emo band though. [6/10]
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Alexisonfire
I was just chilling on the grass watching these and eating cheese and chips, so wasn't paying much attention to these either. They sounded alright though. [6/10]
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Deftones
I only knew 3 of the songs these played in the end. Had been looking forward to them, and they were alright, but nothing spectacular. [7/10]
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The Aggrolites
I only caught the last 2 songs of these, but i thought they were awful. It just seemed to be really bland ska music, and they ended with a cover of one of the Beatles worst songs (Don't Let Me Down). Didn't like them at all i'm afraid. [3/10]
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Leftover Crack
These were good, though i was too knackered to even stand up while i was watching them. The singer's voice was too quiet, but they played fun songs with a lot of energy in them, and the crowd up at the front seemed to love it. [7/10]
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Placebo
Place Bo i watched while eating a burger (that was a tasty burger!). They were good, but played waaay too many new songs. :\ The only song they played that i really liked was The Bitter End, which they didn't play until 2 songs to the end. [7/10]
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Faith No More
My final band of the weekend, and a very good way to end. I got right to the front this time, unlike at Download festival, and it was just sooo much fun. Everyone was jumping around, singing and really enjoying it. They played an absolutely incredible setlist, with the exception of the last 3 songs (quiet, slower songs that i don't like much). The only disappointing thing was that they didn't get enough time to play a fully great setlist. They even ran out of time at the end and couldn't play an encore, which was a bad note to end on. So overall not as good as their Download performance, but still very very good. [9/10]
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Skindred (October 2nd 2009 at Manchester Academy 2)
I got there quite late so missed the support bands, but Skindred were all i really needed to see to make it a good night! The whole room was bouncing and going absolutely crazy from start to finish, and they played a really good even set of their songs. They're definitely one of the most fun bands i've ever seen live. [9/10]
Muse (November 5th 2009 at Liverpool Echo Arena)
Took a trip all the way to Liverpooool for this one, cos they didn't play in Manchester! :( Anyway, the trip there was well worth it, and they were just as good as i'd expected and hoped for them to be. I've been a huge Muse fan since i was 14, and have always wanted to see them live, so to finally get to see them after many years was really important to me. We were in seating quite far back from the stage, which was pretty crap (i blame Seetickets for that!), but despite that it was still amazing. I wish they had played more older songs (would absolutely kill to see Citizen Erased, Bliss, Sunburn, Micro Cuts etc live) but the set they did play was very good anyway. All of the new songs translated very well live, apart from Undisclosed Desires which is probably my least favourite off their new album, and they played Plug In Baby, Hysteria, Stockholm Syndrome, Time Is Running Out, New Born, Knights Of Cydonia... basically all of their biggest hits. I'm hoping that when they play in Manchester next year on their stadium tour they do a longer set with more of a mix of new and old songs... and also that i can get in standing! Brilliant gig anyway. [9/10]
Biffy Clyro with
Manchester Orchestra and
Pulled Apart By Horses (November 7th 2009 at Manchester Apollo)
In terms of the overall quality of all 3 bands that played this gig, i'd say this is one of the best gigs i've ever been to! I got there mid-way through PABH's set, seeing them for the 3rd time this year, and this was the best performance of them i'd seen so far. The new songs sounded really good too! [8/10] Manchester Orchestra were also very good, their songs perfectly written so they sound amazing live... I think i've seen them before at a Kings Of Leon gig a few years ago, but i can't remember watching them that time. :P [8/10]
Biffy Clyro were the main attraction, and they definitely didn't disappoint. I was a bit worried that the setlist would be entirely stuff off their new album and Puzzle, which although i love that album, i've heard pretty much everything off it live at least a couple of times. They did play most of Puzzle (11 of the 13 tracks as i recall), and played about 1/2 of their new album, but they also stuck in a good half dozen older tracks, including my favourite (JAGGY SNAKE!!) and one i just wasn't expecting (Liberate The Illiterate). Just hearing Jaggy Snake live made my night... :D [9/10]
The Flaming Lips (November 16th 2009 at Manchester Academy 1)
Just got back from this gig a couple of hours ago, and i'm still in awe at many of the things that happened at the gig! I actually very nearly forgot that i'd got a ticket for this, only remembering this morning, and i almost couldn't be bothered going... But i'd payed over £25 for the ticket, so i decided i must go. I only know 1 album by them, and wouldn't call myself a big fan of theirs, but i've heard about how their live shows are supposed to be really good, so i decided many months ago when tickets went on sale for this gig that i'd give them a try.
Overall the gig was pretty amazing. To begin with, the lighting, confetti, balloons, videos, costumes etc were more impressive than at any other gig i've ever been to, including bands like Muse! I loved the man sized bubble which singer Wayne Coyne was bounced across the crowd in at the start, and the way that literally hundreds of balloons and tons of confetti were released into the crowd at the start of the first song. Most impressive and exciting beginning to a gig i think i've ever seen. The lighting on some of the songs was very impressive, sometimes almost excessive... I was actually worried i was going to somehow develop a seizure when the lights were at their most intense... no wonder there was a warning at the start!
...Anyway, onto the music. (ahh, almost forgot about that :P). As i mentioned i don't know many songs by them, but i still very much enjoyed most of the songs they played. The band was very good live musically, though i think sometimes the over the top nature of the stage theatrics and lighting detracted and distracted from their performance. I also wasn't very happy with the big gaps between songs, and points where the singer was talking for too long or trying to get the crowd to clap more. If they had just got on with the music a bit quicker, they could have probably fit another 2 or 3 songs into the set! But that's only a minor complaint... Overall, the gig was pretty fuckin' awesome! So glad i went! [8/10]
DragonForce