Top 10 GIGS OF 2012

In 2012 I managed to average seeing over a gig a week, so have seen a lot of live music throughout the year - here are my top 10 picks of 2012 - did you make it to any of these:

#10:  Graham Coxon - 19th April @ Sound Control
#09:  Toy - 10th April @ Soup Kitchen
#08:  A Place to Bury Strangers - 16th September @ Ruby Lounge
#07:  Amon Tobin - 19th May @ Academy 1
#06:  The Barr Borthers - 3rd May @ Soup Kitchen
#05:  Savages - 24th July @ Deaf Institute
#04:  Alabama Shakes - 12th November @ Academy 1
#03:  The Stone Roses - 29th June @ Heaton Park
#02:  We Are Augustines - 4th March - Night & Day Cafe
#01:  The Beach Boys - 28th September - Wembley Arena

I couldnt find any good quality clips of the Wembley show, but here is a trailer for the DVD from the same 50th Anniversary tour to give you an idea of how good these old men from California were - it was a true delight to see the Beach Boys still nailing those harmonies and delivering some FUN FUN FUN - which is why has to be my gig of the year!!!

GIG: A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS

Date: 16th September 2012
Artist: A Place to Bury Strangers
Venue: Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Photos: John Cooper (Zoooomphotos)

On a Sunday night what better to do than head down the Ruby lounge for a bit of "Fucked up Rock'n'Roll" - so we headed down to see A Place to Bury Strangers - having seen them back in March 2011 at the SXSW festival in Texas (and had been blown away by them then) I knew what to expect from the night!
First up were a couple of decent support bands (Mr Fist & Deadbeat Echoes) which set the mood nicely with some very loud guitars - and it was nice and loud! Then the lights went down - it was time for A Place to Bury Strangers, and the 4 projectors on stage came to life flickering and strobeing to create a great visual way of lighting the band as they powered though their hour long set. A good mix of new album with a few old favourites thrown in. For a guitar, bass & drums, they make one hell of a noise - with lots of echoes, reverb and effects, but still keeping a powerful heavy rock & roll edge. A Place to Bury Strangers is a fully exhilarating experience. Next time they play I fully recommend getting down to see them.

Top Gig!

If you dont know the band and their music check out this video: http://youtu.be/2ONZ1WgTE9U