Live gigs - Who you've seen were they good, bad etc.

[blue6field]

Went on the Saturday only, agree totally, Biffy and Fontains were superb, can only see a headline slot for Fontains the next time they play! Definitely the band everyone was there to see! Watched Alessi Rose early on and thought she did a grand job, Miles Kane was good also. Caught Amy McDonalds secret set which was really cool and chilled between sets. Brilliant weather a really good crowd! Had a great day!

[Gnomicide]

Big Special at Liverpool Rough Trade last night.

 

One of those album launch shows so opted lyrics 50 minutes long, but we got a few oldies thrown in with the new stuff.

 

Sounded great, new stuff went down very well with lots already knowing loads of the words despite the album only sneaking out last Friday.

 

[Giraffe Man]

Frank Turner last night at his Mums church roof benefit, joyous, uplifting & a harmonica solo from Mum. The Turner choir in fantastic voice.

[justanotheronethen]

7 hours ago, Giraffe Man said:

Frank Turner last night at his Mums church roof benefit, joyous, uplifting & a harmonica solo from Mum. The Turner choir in fantastic voice.

What a great night. The tshirt auction raised a load on it's own

[charlierc]

On 14/07/2025 at 12:48, Talcroft said:

In all the Oasis excitement, I forgot to report back on Bloc Party at Sounds of the City last Thurs. Review herein... 

It's tough seeing your heroes fall from grace, and it's also hard to give a fair review when the sound is so bad you can't actually hear much of the guitar or vocals. 

Circa 2009 I was a huge fan. Followed them round the country on the tour. Was at the barrier when they headlined Other that year. Sadly that was very much their peak.

The setlist on Thurs made no sense considering it was supposed to represent '20 years of Bloc Party'... starting with So Here We Are and playing Helicopter 3rd/4th from the end is just stupid when they are absolutely the two biggest hits. Almost nothing from the third album. I can't fathom the rationale. At least they ditched the godawful Ratchet on this occasion. 

 

Bloc's biggest strength was always Russell's superb ability on lead guitar and sadly there was too much emphasis on the drum line for it to come through, as well as being too quiet overall (not sure if that's due to city centre noise restrictions, it being a windy day, the adjacent train station, or just reverb from it all bouncing off the nearby and ever increasing number of sky scrapers). This was a huge let down, especially when Kele's vocals have weakened over the years; I'd hoped Russell could save it. 

 

With all that said, Castlefield gets a beautiful sunset and you do feel a part of the city when you're there. It was nice to sing along to some Bloc classics even if there was no journey through the timeline or mood. My love affair is definitely over though, and not sure I would see them at a festival again. Could be tempted by a smaller, indoor venue with decent sound - as long as they promise not to play Ratchet.

5.5/10

 

 

Huh I saw Bloc Party up there in 2019 and had a really great time. Sounds like a bit of a shame if the combination of venue and act didn't quite hit the same heights this time.

[Hershamboy]

On 14/07/2025 at 12:48, Talcroft said:

In all the Oasis excitement, I forgot to report back on Bloc Party at Sounds of the City last Thurs. Review herein... 

It's tough seeing your heroes fall from grace, and it's also hard to give a fair review when the sound is so bad you can't actually hear much of the guitar or vocals. 

Circa 2009 I was a huge fan. Followed them round the country on the tour. Was at the barrier when they headlined Other that year. Sadly that was very much their peak.

The setlist on Thurs made no sense considering it was supposed to represent '20 years of Bloc Party'... starting with So Here We Are and playing Helicopter 3rd/4th from the end is just stupid when they are absolutely the two biggest hits. Almost nothing from the third album. I can't fathom the rationale. At least they ditched the godawful Ratchet on this occasion. 

 

Bloc's biggest strength was always Russell's superb ability on lead guitar and sadly there was too much emphasis on the drum line for it to come through, as well as being too quiet overall (not sure if that's due to city centre noise restrictions, it being a windy day, the adjacent train station, or just reverb from it all bouncing off the nearby and ever increasing number of sky scrapers). This was a huge let down, especially when Kele's vocals have weakened over the years; I'd hoped Russell could save it. 

 

With all that said, Castlefield gets a beautiful sunset and you do feel a part of the city when you're there. It was nice to sing along to some Bloc classics even if there was no journey through the timeline or mood. My love affair is definitely over though, and not sure I would see them at a festival again. Could be tempted by a smaller, indoor venue with decent sound - as long as they promise not to play Ratchet.

5.5/10

 

 

 

I don't think it's the venue / sound, I think it's them. I saw them last year at Crystal Palace playing what I thought would be a predominantly heavy "silent alarm" set given it was billed as "20 years of Silent Alarm" and it was a mish-mash of everything which didn't sound that great and left feeling the same as you. Of all the "nostaligic" acts from my teens, Bloc Party have been the only ones below par. 

[Hershamboy]

Wet Leg – Chalk, 21/7

Chalk is, frankly, a disaster of a venue. Once a dodgy sweatbox of a club called The Haunt, it’s now awkwardly moonlighting as a “proper” gig space, but no amount of rebranding can fix the fact it feels like watching a gig in a multi-storey car park with a stage at one end. The layout’s a joke, sightlines are non-existent if you're not front and centre, and yes, the queue was already wrapped round the block before the doors even creaked open, because anyone who’s been before knows it’s a game of sprint-or-sulk if you actually want to see the band.
 

But all that evaporated the second Wet Leg hit the stage. This was pure Monday night fun, high-energy and tight as anything. They’ve truly nailed their live set now, a perfect blend of wry chaos and precision, and the new tunes absolutely slapped. Pillow Talk was the standout, moodier, heavier, and better than the record, while the set smartly zig-zagged between the debut and album two. Only minor grumble was the lack of some deeper cuts (Pokemon, U and Me at Home deserved their moment!), especially for an album launch. Still, if their third record keeps this trajectory, it’s not hard to imagine them lighting up El Pointo in a few summers' time.

[OllieMadd]

Patti Smith on Saturday. Unbelievable.

[Talcroft]

On 22/07/2025 at 07:49, Hershamboy said:

 

I don't think it's the venue / sound, I think it's them. I saw them last year at Crystal Palace playing what I thought would be a predominantly heavy "silent alarm" set given it was billed as "20 years of Silent Alarm" and it was a mish-mash of everything which didn't sound that great and left feeling the same as you. Of all the "nostaligic" acts from my teens, Bloc Party have been the only ones below par. 

I saw them play Silent Alarm in full at Ally Pally in 2018 followed by some select hits from subsequent albums and that worked really well. This watered down festival setlist I think is the main reason it doesn't hit. But Kele loves being awkward doesn't he. 

[Hershamboy]

6 hours ago, Talcroft said:

I saw them play Silent Alarm in full at Ally Pally in 2018 followed by some select hits from subsequent albums and that worked really well. This watered down festival setlist I think is the main reason it doesn't hit. But Kele loves being awkward doesn't he. 

 

Kele does what he wants!

 

I felt a little mislead when the concert was sold as 20 years of Silent Alarm as I had assumed it would be like the Ally Pally gig you described, but it was a little bit of everything. I enjoyed the support bands sets more than them!

[Chapple12345]

Back from a crammed weekend at Latitude! Managed to fit in: 

Friday - Westside Cowboy, Cliffords, Billy Bragg, Paul Sinha, Greg Davies, The Royston Club, Sprints, Basement Jaxx, Feeder, Sigrid 

Saturday - Jazmine Banks and the Wild Hearts, MRCY, Marcus Brigstock, Jade Bird, Sophie Duker, Mark Watson, Clean Bandit, Amble, Kaiser Chiefs, Public Service Broadcasting and Leon Bridges 

Sunday - Son Mieux, Hamish Hawk, Catty, The War and Treaty, Annahstasia, Infinity Song, Pale Waves, Alison Moyet, Mika, Doves, Elbow, Air and Lambrini Girls 

[Metal Monkey]

On 22/07/2025 at 08:02, Hershamboy said:

Wet Leg – Chalk, 21/7

Chalk is, frankly, a disaster of a venue. Once a dodgy sweatbox of a club called The Haunt, it’s now awkwardly moonlighting as a “proper” gig space, but no amount of rebranding can fix the fact it feels like watching a gig in a multi-storey car park with a stage at one end. The layout’s a joke, sightlines are non-existent if you're not front and centre, and yes, the queue was already wrapped round the block before the doors even creaked open, because anyone who’s been before knows it’s a game of sprint-or-sulk if you actually want to see the band.
 

 

Glad someone else has this opinion. It’s such an odd shape. The first time I went the bar section was curtained off as it was a smaller gig so the view wasn’t a problem. Was surprised at most gigs that people have to watch the gig from the bar through a tiny gap between people’s heads and the roof beams. And looking at the tiny blurry TV screen they have in this section they know it’s a problem!

The only good thing was the sound.
It’s disappointing as I’m sure Concorde 2 is a similar size and a decent venue but Chalk gets the good gigs. Not been in Concorde 2 for years though so maybe it’s not as good these days. 

[Hershamboy]

1 hour ago, Metal Monkey said:

 

Glad someone else has this opinion. It’s such an odd shape. The first time I went the bar section was curtained off as it was a smaller gig so the view wasn’t a problem. Was surprised at most gigs that people have to watch the gig from the bar through a tiny gap between people’s heads and the roof beams. And looking at the tiny blurry TV screen they have in this section they know it’s a problem!

The only good thing was the sound.
It’s disappointing as I’m sure Concorde 2 is a similar size and a decent venue but Chalk gets the good gigs. Not been in Concorde 2 for years though so maybe it’s not as good these days. 

Concorde 2 is a great venue and way better than Chalk. 

The only reason I'm assuming bigger bands are put on there is that Resident (who was the promoter of the show) has some linkages with Chalk. 

[Quark]

On 22/07/2025 at 08:02, Hershamboy said:

Wet Leg – Chalk, 21/7

Chalk is, frankly, a disaster of a venue. Once a dodgy sweatbox of a club called The Haunt, it’s now awkwardly moonlighting as a “proper” gig space, but no amount of rebranding can fix the fact it feels like watching a gig in a multi-storey car park with a stage at one end. The layout’s a joke, sightlines are non-existent if you're not front and centre, and yes, the queue was already wrapped round the block before the doors even creaked open, because anyone who’s been before knows it’s a game of sprint-or-sulk if you actually want to see the band.
 

But all that evaporated the second Wet Leg hit the stage. This was pure Monday night fun, high-energy and tight as anything. They’ve truly nailed their live set now, a perfect blend of wry chaos and precision, and the new tunes absolutely slapped. Pillow Talk was the standout, moodier, heavier, and better than the record, while the set smartly zig-zagged between the debut and album two. Only minor grumble was the lack of some deeper cuts (Pokemon, U and Me at Home deserved their moment!), especially for an album launch. Still, if their third record keeps this trajectory, it’s not hard to imagine them lighting up El Pointo in a few summers' time.

 

I thought it was just me that didn't like Chalk much! The layout's definitely a weird shape, really doesn't lend itself to a good atmosphere. Plus they often have early set times there, which are a bugger if I want to see anything during the week. Preferred it as the Haunt tbh.

 

And a definite +1 for Concorde. Love that place.

[Logan1996]

Fontaines DC @ Cardiff castle , nailed on headliner status next album cycle. Best ive seen them 

[Suprefan]

Glastonbury 2025. it was an alright weekend i guess.

[Toilet Duck]

Back from All Together Now over the weekend...another fantastic festival (needs a few more jacks mind you). Heartworms great, though she didn't have the full band as per Strummerville (backing track with a live drummer (who was awesome) over which she sang, played guitar and theremin!). Needs a bigger stage. Wet Leg have stepped up a good bit...new album didn't do a whole lot for me, they were fine at Glasto (but I was too hot), however they sounded great at the weekend and very comfortable in their new status up the order. Fontaines absolutely buried it. No question they are already at headliner level, best I've ever seen them (maybe having home field advantage helped a bit, but they were even better than when I saw them last year, and they were fantastic then!). Been interesting to see their progression from watching them in small clubs to now. Based on the crowd around me, they've definitely broken through to a whole new demographic. Don't even think they need another big album to be in the picture (though based on their prolific output, I'd expect they will over the next year or two). Anyway, can't see them anywhere other than topping the bill most places from now on. They just oozed class and confidence.  Leftfield (despite a long delay filled in by a DJ) were also immense. CMAT backed up her Glasto pyramid set with an even more polished performance (again, maybe it was the home field advantage, but she looked comfortably Other headliner level already and given the rapturous response she got on the Farm this year, I'd expect a prominent placing when she returns). Saw a bunch of other things that were wholly enjoyable (Gurriers decent, though seem to be trying a bit hard, Glasshouse doing Velvet Underground on Saturday and Sigur Ros on Sunday, Boomtown Rats, Primal Scream and more), however final word goes to Fat Dog who nailed a late night slot (though they were given 75 minutes and joked that they might need to waffle a bit between songs to stretch their normal set out a bit!). In the end they just did their regular set full bore and finished about 10/15 minutes early, but woof, they were bloody brilliant. 

[sedra]

Teenage Fanclub at Cheese and Grain. Haven’t seen them since 2006! Looking a bit older now but then so am I 😂

a mix of old and newer stuff. Not amazing but good night out. 

[westholtschic]

Was volunteering at Glastonbury Extravaganza last night and it was the first time I’ve heard Freya Ridings live. Man what a voice. Will definitely be watching her again at the farm. She has a new album out next year. The Script were very good as well.

[efcfanwirral]

On 14/07/2025 at 13:56, archiegow said:

 

• Wet Leg - really enjoyed their set. Very tight performance from the guys. Beautiful speech near the end by Hester about Palestine. Rhian was well up for it and her energy only grew throughout the set. The new songs went down a treat as well. Delightful hour of music.
• The Royston Club - absolutely brilliant stuff. Haven't listened to a lot of their stuff but they brought the energy and the crowd delivered on it too! Hope these guys only get bigger! Would love to see them on Woodsies or early Other in 2027!

Good to see the reviews of these, though I'm replying pretty far after you posted it!

 

I'm really getting into Royston Club at the moment and I think they're going to be big. Great full band set at Kendal Calling last weekend, and just as good stripped back set at Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool on Friday night. Love the new album, haven't stopped listening since Friday.

 

I actually discovered them at Bread and Roses on the Thursday in 2024, had seen the name on other lineups so thought I'd check them out. 

 

Seeing Wet Leg in Liverpool on Tuesday which I'm looking forward to, I thought the half of the Glastonbury set I saw was a real step up from previous live shows, and I'm also loving their new album too 

Edited August 10, 2025 by efcfanwirral

[archiegow]

3 hours ago, efcfanwirral said:

Good to see the reviews of these, though I'm replying pretty far after you posted it!

 

I'm really getting into Royston Club at the moment and I think they're going to be big. Great full band set at Kendal Calling last weekend, and just as good stripped back set at Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool on Friday night. Love the new album, haven't stopped listening since Friday.

 

I actually discovered them at Bread and Roses on the Thursday in 2024, had seen the name on other lineups so thought I'd check them out. 

 

Seeing Wet Leg in Liverpool on Tuesday which I'm looking forward to, I thought the half of the Glastonbury set I saw was a real step up from previous live shows, and I'm also loving their new album too 

Totally agree with The Royston Club, especially with the glowing reviews of the new album (which I need to properly check out soon). Really great live band too! I definitely think they’ll have a decent slot at Glasto in 2027 if they’re about, maybe similar to what Wunderhorse had this year.

[Quark]

Smashing Pumpkins & Skunk Anansie at Gunnersbury park yesterday. Sadly didn't get there early enough to catch the rest of the support.

 

Holy sh*t but they were both feckin' amazing. Skin has no right to still be hitting those notes, her voice is just unreal. The whole band is so tight, amd the crowd was well into it. Promised myself I'd stay out of the pit as my neck's a bit crooked at the moment, but when they dropped Little Baby Swastikkka as the closing number that plan went out the window. Immense.

 

Pumpkins were just ridiculous. Genuinely looked like they were having a blast, which with Corgan's history and reputation was a really nice touch. They sound soooo good. Kinda forget just what a phenomenal songwriter and guitarist he is, and Jimmy Chamberlain might just be one of if not the best drummer I've ever seen live.

 

Fantastic stuff.

[Toilet Duck]

7 hours ago, Quark said:

Smashing Pumpkins & Skunk Anansie at Gunnersbury park yesterday. Sadly didn't get there early enough to catch the rest of the support.

 

Holy sh*t but they were both feckin' amazing. Skin has no right to still be hitting those notes, her voice is just unreal. The whole band is so tight, amd the crowd was well into it. Promised myself I'd stay out of the pit as my neck's a bit crooked at the moment, but when they dropped Little Baby Swastikkka as the closing number that plan went out the window. Immense.

 

Pumpkins were just ridiculous. Genuinely looked like they were having a blast, which with Corgan's history and reputation was a really nice touch. They sound soooo good. Kinda forget just what a phenomenal songwriter and guitarist he is, and Jimmy Chamberlain might just be one of if not the best drummer I've ever seen live.

 

Fantastic stuff.

Haven’t caught the pumpkins in years, great to hear they still have it…

 

[Gnomicide]

Cast supporting Ocean Color Scene at Bootle Salt & Tar at the weekend. Not one I was going to bother with but half price tickets came up.

 

Cast were great, I'm definitely more of a fan of theirs than OCS, good singalong stuff and watching Skin master the guitar is always a joy. When watching him in a few of Robert Plant's bands o er the years, it always blew my mind that he was the bloke from Cast.

 

OCS were decent, I only really know the hits and they did all those. I love being in a crowd when you don't know a song and suddenly everyone around you starts singing along. Disappointing lack of Wellends.

 

 

[Quark]

16 hours ago, Toilet Duck said:

Haven’t caught the pumpkins in years, great to hear they still have it…

 

 

I'd only previously seen them in 2013 when Billy was the only original member, so was a real treat to see them with James and Jimmy as well