What are the crowds like usually where you live?
I've not been to big gigs here in ABERDEEN, but I've been to lots and lots of 100-800 capacity gigs and the crowds are pretty much fantastic thanks to how gig-starved we all are. The security is shit now since they banned moshing at every venue yet continue to book metal bands, but still, the non-moshing gigs are absolute perfection without exception.
I refute the claim of 'absolute perfection without exception'
when describing audiences in any place in the world.
Well I gig around Yorkshire mostly
cos its closes...
York is a mixed bag really, a few people realy into all the bands I have seen. Not very many hipster posers which is nice, but quite a few standing around random people you wonder if they are their for the band or not. If its a lil band not many peeps have heard of its usualy pretty empty and you get to hang out and talk with uma lil bit. I said hello to most of JoFo and all the Mae Shi recently. and I always nearly trip up Whiskas from forward russia accidently when I see um.
Leeds is realy good at the some places and drenched in posing hipster/larger boys in other places. Over all its pretty good though.
Hovingham Village hall is where I go quite a bit and thats full of old people and all sorts from all walks of life hehe. Its brilliant. They dont do many gigs though. and when they do its jazz.
I go mostly to Leeds
and in general the crowds are good. Lively when they need to be and not when they don't. Obviously it depends on the band you're seeing as to just how good the crowd is. I've never had a gig ruined by a crowd though
very true
Leeds is usualy damn good. I like it there lots. The Fav has its fair share of hipster peeps, I have only been once for Nasty Fest though.
Just a little more hipsters than I'm use to, as I live in a lil town where most people look like farmers hehe
Peterborough when back from Uni...
Terrible. I've hardly been to anything in the last view years - as there's been little on thats any good.
And the gigs I have been to (JoFo, Oceansize, err thats it) have been dead. Really dead.
Stoke during Uni time is no better.
Where're you at uni?
It's all local bands here in Scarborough really...but the crowds on the occasion we do get a "bigger" band are OK. This does not occur very often though, everyone has a good time because they know it'll probably be another year before anyone of status comes again.
Scarborough
is a good laugh, I have seen some good acoustic stuff and a mad DJ/Video set in a train shed there. It is indeed few and far between though.
Once White Stripes played in Whitby :) I didn't hear about it in time though :(
Do you live in Scarborough or go to uni there?
I live there :)
White Stripes in Whitby? As if! We do have a few good local bands so we're not gig-starved :) 'Tis annoying though 'cause York's not far away but it's quite difficult to get back when the gig's finished :(
Yeah the transport is lame
round our way, I have a car though hehe.
White Stripes in Whitby was freakin ages ago now mind and there aint been anything like it since
Sorry!
And now I look at your profile...was just wondering 'cause I'm (hopefully!) off to Keele in September and am a little worried about the gig situation.
I enjoy Beached in Scarborough
everyone there is always friendly, and even though most of the bands are nothing special, its a good atmosphere
Beached is fun :)
I have been quite a lot.
aye it is
forgot about that, I were just thinking of gigs in clubs and stuff...not many there! Although Beached this year is headlined by One Night Only bleurgh
oh no not them again :(
They played last year and they are still rubbish :(
If you're going to keele expecting lots of gigs you'll be disappointed
Theres very little going on gig-wise, apart from the odd fairly rubbish band in the big union room. I notice coming up Keele has the delights of One Night Only, The Rifles, Enter Shikari and nothing else.
Hardly a stellar lineup of gigs, I think you'll agree. I didn't even go to a gig at the uni all year.
Stoke itself is not bad, The Sugarmill gets a few decent tours, and there's a couple of pretty good promoters in stoke www.myspace.com/wrongpop and www.myspace.com/welikedanger.
Although don't expect to be able to find anyone to go with, everyone is far too self-absorbed with the keele bubble.
If you want to know anything else, send me a message and I'll let you know.
Actually the wrongpop link is
www.myspace.com/wrongpoppresents
Newcastle
have immense crowds in my opinion when it comes to seeing a high tempy act you can really get stuck into, maybe not so god for acoustic and slower stuf. Sometimes over exuberant but always massively vocal and appreciative; wild without they're being a nasty edge, drunk without being obnoxious and just generally an enjoyable environment to be in. The Music at newcastle uni was a great example, people dancing as far back as the bar and belting out the choruses to every song. the band really feeding off it too.
Manchester where I'm at uni sometimes has a 'go on then, impress us feel' particularly with hyped acts who are still pretty fledgling, Night and Day crowds are normally ace for acoustic acts, really attentive and appreciative, Roadhouse is a mixed bag but generally good. The Academy's sometimes feel a bit cold? Having said that 65DaysOfStatic in Academy 2 last autumn was absolutely electric.
Bournemouth
Some crowds are pretty good (Acoustic Ladyland, Reckno nights), but most arn't that busy or have a focused audience. However, most of these gigs are ones that I'm on the line up of, so I guess that makes sense.
Hello!
Yeah, re: Bournemouth..........
The Gander always seems to be pretty good, a slightly older crowd who are usually into the music.
iBar gets a younger and more lively crowd, but associated problems of silly pseudo hardcore kids trying to roundhouse kick in Bournemouth's smallest venue.
60 Million Postcards put on a lot of fairly decent free shows (Operator Please and Klaxons recently), it's always crowded, but the sound isn't that hot and the sound of the barflies can drown it out of you're not right down at the front.
The BIC? MEGALOLZ.....there hasn't been a decent gig there since the Beta Band played on their farewell tour, but they get all yer stadium faves if you like that sort of thing. Typical megagig audience from all over the South.
Special mention to Southampton's The Joiners - A pleasure every single time, best small venue in the UK? Quite possibly.
I miss the Joiners so much.
All of the best crowds that I've experienced have been there, pretty much.
Bands I saw at joiners:
include:
Oasis
Mogwai
Ash
best I've experienced
have been Glasgow,Cardiff and Dublin. Worst, Bristol by a mile. All subjective though. Or is it objective?
Lancaster
utter shite.
nobody has taste.
in edinburgh
we have this thing branded "the edinburgh horse shoe", where a curved audience forms around the front of the stage, as everyone here seems to be afraid of the front middle stage..
London
Well, everyone knows what London crowds are like, right? I was at a Cobra Killer gig a while back and on stage they were going beserk, pouring bottles of red wine on each other and jumping around &c. Meanwhile, most of audience was standing around in small groups talking loudly. Allofasudden Annika leaps off the stage and goes splat on the concrete floor. Everyone looks surprised for a bit, then goes back to talking.
Sheesh.
Southampton
is shit, apart from the 10 or so Ejector Seat regulars, who love great music and show appreciation for it. everyone else would rather get drunk and dance to The Killers like they did last Friday.
Winchester is pretty good, the Nob Out Rooms crowd is the best in the land and will dance to absolutely anything, whether it be folk or drill n bass.
Bournemouth is also good. THe Reckno kids rule supreme.
Reckno nights are always great.........
I used to work with Ed (bassist from True Swamp Neglect) who helps run them.
I think you're being a bit harsh on Soton though.......
The Joiners is quite possibly the best small venue in the country and touring bands are forever commenting on how great the audience is there.
Shoreditch crowds are
FUCKING SHIT
Really honestly the worst crowds in the country
Just terrible.
Los Angeles
Everybody stands around 2KewlferSkool ...which, y'know, generally suits my temperment fine.
The last band I saw, the dude literally had to say: "Hey, we're over here." hehe. They weren't very good.