Boards

The xx live and crap crowds

zahidf [Edit] [Delete] 58 replies 16:06 September 11th, 2012

Ok, the xx was great last night at SBE. However:

1. Don't clap along to the songs please

and

2. Don;t talk to your equally fat and ugly mates throughout the gig, staring at each others phones, and ruining the gig for those around you. I don't think they looked at the stage once. I shushed them once, they started again after one song, and i wish i had screamed at them after that. They might have been so traumatised that they decided never to go to a live music gig again, thereby saving the rest of us. If they weren't women, they would've deserved a good kicking.

Top band though

View NestedLinear

.

Yeah, was really annoying. I never learn though. There were a young couple behind me who I had to ask to be quiet - I was polite though and they did shut up.

Also, I can understand why you might want to smoke a joint at a gig, but there was a group of young Spanish guys who were covertly sharing a cigarette. Why??

I get too easily wound up by things like that and can't properly enjoy myself.

Good show though. I'm not a big xx fan - got the tickets because my wife is - but I thought they were excellent. I like the new album too.

CHAIRMAN_LMAO | 11 Sep '12, 16:24 | X | ^ This | Reply
crowds are so shit these days

mrdaniels | 11 Sep '12, 17:20 | X | ^ This | Reply

Lo-Pan, thesewoodenideas, and hanshotfirst this'd this
- I've been thinking this recently too
  
  Not enough rocking out at heavier gigs and too many arseholes talking at quieter gigs (actually all gigs)
  
  Then I saw A$AP Rocky at Arches a couple of months ago and my faith in humanity was restored. Crowd was excellent!
  
  hanshotfirst @mrdaniels | 12 Sep '12, 10:08 | X | ^ This | Reply
yeah

Where's Chris Brown when you need him?

zahidf | 11 Sep '12, 17:25 | X | ^ This | Reply
On a similar note, d'you ever find bands get too hyped/big too quickly

enough to enjoy them?

I wouldn't see the XX anywhere else other than a festival- i just find there's a tension/buzz around seeing them that makes the actual gig kinda stressful, like it's hard to actually concentrate on the performance. Seen them twice now at primavera and I'm content with that.

Grimes isn't exactly a blockbuster of a show, so to see the massive crowd she pulled at primavera was equally daunting.

malick | 11 Sep '12, 18:01 | X | ^ This | Reply
People who complain about audiences clapping along

are Fun Nazis.

Icarus-Smicarus | 11 Sep '12, 18:19 | X | ^ This | Reply

dacbo this'd this
- Mostly I'd agree
  
  but the crowd at the xx last night were so horrifically out of time it really killed the vibe.
  
  crablin @Icarus-Smicarus | 11 Sep '12, 18:31 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - Lads! We're not fucking Hefner! Clap in time!
    
    TheoGB @crablin | 12 Sep '12, 09:48 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Audiences clapping along is okay
  
  it's the people who talk constantly through a gig to the detriment of others that really annoys me. Especially when it's a small or acoustic gig. They can fuck right off!
  
  thesewoodenideas @Icarus-Smicarus | 12 Sep '12, 09:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  TheWza and shinymcshine this'd this
I utterly adore The xx

But I don't think I'd ever see them live again. Music to be enjoyed alone, rather than in a crowd. The singing along, clapping, whistling, 'Whoop'ing... it's just not how such intimate music is intended to be heard.

Donnie | 11 Sep '12, 18:26 | X | ^ This | Reply
To be fair

The xx are no more than background music.

chief_kegwin_ | 11 Sep '12, 18:48 | X | ^ This | Reply

Und_Gorgeous_Cars this'd this
when did clapping along to songs become unacceptable?

Is it just exclusive to the XX?

Code1982 | 11 Sep '12, 19:31 | X | ^ This | Reply
Unless the clapping is started by the band, people shouldn't clap.

PJ Harvey at IBYM last year was completely spoilt for me by a bunch of Brazilian wankers who chose to clap along to her songs. She was mostly playing stuff from Let England Shake ffs! We're not talking stadium rock anthems. The morons. Despite repeated requests the six or seven of them wouldn't stop. I accidentally on purpose elbowed one of them hard in the stomach. A fair response by me as about 20-30 people around them had a great gig spoilt by those tosser. Clapping people, go fuck yourselves.

BMS1 | 12 Sep '12, 07:38 | X | ^ This | Reply
- What do you think
  
  gives you the right to hit people surreptitiously or otherwise?
  
  chm4lm @BMS1 | 12 Sep '12, 12:42 | X | ^ This | Reply
Was this London?

Ichor | 12 Sep '12, 08:57 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Yes
  
  SBE = Shepherds Bush Empire
  
  LdnMetropolitanElite @Ichor | 12 Sep '12, 09:21 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - With great power, comes great responsibility.
    
    Ichor @Pigfoot | 12 Sep '12, 12:28 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - the
    
    only acceptable beahviour at gigs is watching the band, singing along if other people are singing, doing something if the band asks you to, and dancing.
    
    Anything else and you clearly have no idea how to act at live music gigs and shoudl fuck off to a trendy bar somewhere
    
    zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 09:25 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - I agree, fun under strict regulations is the best kind of fun.
      
      I especially like it when the band ask us to do something and we all comply. FUN!
      
      cheeseandbaconturnov @zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 09:31 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - exactly
        
        Thats why i think we need the bars to close when the acts are on.
        
        zahidf @cheeseandbaconturnov | 12 Sep '12, 09:36 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        cheeseandbaconturnov this'd this
    - The XX are probably best enjoyed (if that's the word)
      
      as background music in a trendy bar.
      
      Ok I'm no XX fan but despite what someone says above about them being enjoyed best at home intimate, quiet music can work amazingly at a gig. I've seen Low lots of times (once in a church) and brilliant every time. But then Low have an established fan base who are there to enjoy the music. I suspect that hype bands like XX attract people who think they should be there rather than actual fans.
      
      soulboy1968 @zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 09:41 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - nah
        
        The XX are a good live band. The problem is people treating it as background music. I think people who go to gigs expecting it to be just background music are the problem
        
        zahidf @soulboy1968 | 12 Sep '12, 09:42 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        You're completely missing my point
        
        The fact that I think the XX are boring and pointless is nothing do with what I said and I don't want to get into a pro/anti XX argument. My point was that probably because they have been massively hyped and are perceived to be a 'trendy' band to like, their gigs probably contain a lot of people who don't actually like them much and therefore don't give a toss about talking all the way through.
        
        I gave the example of Low who have been around for years and whose gigs are therefore only full of Low fans....no one talks through a Low gig. I saw Perfume Genius a while back...no one talked. Mind you it was at a small venue in Brighton. I wouldn't even consider seeing him at somewhere as big as the SBE.
        
        soulboy1968 @zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 15:55 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - .
        
        You're spot on here. I actually wanted seated tickets but they'd sold out. As soon as I got into the venue and wandered down to find a vantage point I thought "Why did I bother coming to this?" and was ready for an argument.
        
        CHAIRMAN_LMAO @soulboy1968 | 12 Sep '12, 10:02 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - At Spacemen 3 gigs
    
    Everybody was expected sit down for the duration.
    
    sartana | 12 Sep '12, 10:06 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - the xx
    
    are a terrible load of nonsense. london crowds are absolute scum for the most part - if you are going to london shows you may as well get used to it or start getting fisty.
    
    matthewslaughter | 12 Sep '12, 10:15 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - I think it would be unfair to have someones fist inserted into your anus
      
      just for talking at a gig.
      
      Ricky_Ronco @matthewslaughter | 12 Sep '12, 10:23 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - well
        
        You'd shut your mouth if it happened
        
        Obviosuly not for the odd comment, but if you have one warning and you keep 'having a chat' then you only have yourself to blame
        
        zahidf @Ricky_Ronco | 12 Sep '12, 10:33 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        matthewslaughter this'd this
  - Could imagine
    
    The XX would work well in a silent disco type format, everyone wearing headphones and a small PA/monitoring system for the band, think that would make for a better atmosphere?
    
    amyblue | 12 Sep '12, 10:29 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - I WOULD LOVE THIS
      
      c'mon eyoe, get on the case...
      
      the_outdoor_typo @amyblue | 12 Sep '12, 11:08 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - depends
    
    on who's playing...and whether the person talking is saying things like 'i'd really like to be fisted' and you were feeling particularly obliging. so yeah, depends.
    
    matthewslaughter | 12 Sep '12, 10:30 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - People clapped along to the songs at a XX gig?
    
    Fucking hell.
    
    moker | 12 Sep '12, 10:37 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    wonton this'd this
    - Constantly amazed
      
      by people who turn up to gigs and then spend the whole time talking to their mates, whether this be the 'hushed solemnity' that XX gigs apparently depend upon or anything else. Just seems a lot of cash to spend the whole time basically ignoring the thing you've spent the money on.
      
      I do believe clapping should generally be allowed though, no matter where or who the gig is. Whooping might be beyond the pale. But then I'm not a massive fan of shushing either.
      
      CousinCalledKevin | 12 Sep '12, 11:22 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - but
        
        shusing is the polite way surely? Should people suffer in silence?
        
        If anything, more people should shuch more.
        
        zahidf @CousinCalledKevin | 12 Sep '12, 11:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        But where would the madness end?
        
        My enjoyment might be hampered by all the shushing. So I could shush the shushers. And then be shushed myself for my excessive shushing. In the end the gig will just have to be cancelled. Is that what you want? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?
        
        CousinCalledKevin @zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 12:10 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        well
        
        as established above, you get one shush, then a fisting if you insist of carrying on talking.
        
        So no excessive shushing would be needed.
        
        zahidf @CousinCalledKevin | 12 Sep '12, 12:23 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        .
        
        If you just say "Sorry, you're chatting right in my ear and I can't hear. Sorry to be a miserable shit" then it's fine. That kind of passive aggressive standing with your elbows out, tutting, etc just creates a BAD VIBE and everyone feels awkward.
        
        CHAIRMAN_LMAO @zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 12:50 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        but
        
        What if they are a few people away and can still her them? You have to shout basically.
        
        Also, you do get people who get annoyed about being told to shit their piehole. A good fisting would sort that out
        
        zahidf @CHAIRMAN_LMAO | 12 Sep '12, 13:56 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        Ah yes
        
        I'd forgotten about the fisting sub-clause. Sensible policies for a safer Britain.
        
        CousinCalledKevin @zahidf | 12 Sep '12, 13:23 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - It's funny if you think of 'live' here to be the one that rhymes with div
      
      untrue | 12 Sep '12, 11:26 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - live crowds
        
        eat crowds
        crap crowds
        
        oenso @untrue | 12 Sep '12, 12:04 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - I heard The xx have excellent bass/sub bass presence live
      
      I am also looking forward to seeing excerpts of this thread on DiS quotes.
      
      incandenza_ | 12 Sep '12, 12:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - In fairness, the SBE is the worst venue in the world
      
      Unless HMHB play there again I will never return.
      
      JoeDiddly | 12 Sep '12, 12:38 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - Saw Frank Fairfield at the Glasgow ABC2 at the weekend.
      
      Acoustic. Barely any amplification. And he speaks quite quietly and in a drawl.
      
      Fair enough. Shouldn't have been a problem seeing as the crowd wasn't massive and Frank can whip up a storm when his songs hit their stride.
      
      Except that some bell behind me was chatting away paying fuck all attention to the stage during the explanatory bits in between songs (which are often very illuminating as they provide contest and history, etc). There was a general loud level of conversation at the bar area, too.
      
      Irked as hell by it.
      
      I'm gonna make a guess that the main factor was that the knobheads were there as (non-paying?) fans for the local support acts and who (got boozed up and rowdy) and didn't have the first clue who Fairfield was.
      
      TheWza | 12 Sep '12, 13:06 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - Should probably add that this wasn't just me getting irked. There must have been 15-20 people turning around giving it the black look and shush combo, but the noisy fucks just carried on obliviously.
        
        How do so many people pay the best part of a tenner and then ignore the headline act? Unless, as suspected, they were guest list freeloaders.
        
        Is the guest list a likely explanation for twats at other gigs?
        
        TheWza @TheWza | 12 Sep '12, 13:11 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - Worst I've ever had
      
      TV On The Radio at Birmingham Academy 2 about 4 years ago. One of my favourite gigs ever. BUT, they came back on for the encore to play (I think) Family Tree, or something else fairly quiet. The pissed-up middle-aged bloke in front answered his phone during the song and proceeded to shout...
      
      "Yeh they're fucking awesome. You'll never guess what....four of them are black! Couldn't believe it! Yeh, yeh. See you later"
      
      About half the crowd turned around and stared him down. So awkward.
      
      45rpm | 12 Sep '12, 13:13 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - Actual LOL
        
        :D
        
        CHAIRMAN_LMAO @45rpm | 12 Sep '12, 13:48 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - i find that a
      
      i paid to hear them sing, not you talk comment often works
      
      hibster | 12 Sep '12, 13:28 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - *punches noisy gig-goer square in the glasses*
        
        Windy day, isn't it?
        
        Loui_Tacceh @Pigfoot | 12 Sep '12, 13:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - for my part I can affirm that in 2009 The XX were one of the worst live bands I'd ever seen
        
        ...and that Bearsuit in the next tent were infinitely more fun
        
        Loui_Tacceh | 12 Sep '12, 13:35 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - Clapping does get on my nerves a little bit
        
        It seems to have become this catch all only way the crowd have of engaging with the music thing. But mostly I find it quite easy to zone it out.
        
        I find The XX are pretty dull live. At Primavera Porto everyone was going like proper nuts for them but they were putting me to sleep
        
        LordLuciusBanter | 12 Sep '12, 14:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - I'm going to see A Place To Bury Strangers tonight
        
        I can't see talking being much of a problem.....
        
        soulboy1968 | 12 Sep '12, 15:58 | X | ^ This | Reply