SDE gigs of 2018

BSP-Belfast
The Stranglers-Belfast
Fontaines DC – London (one of the best gigs I’ve seen in years).
Manic Street Preachers-Belfast
The Undertones – Derry
Roger Waters – London
The Cure-London
Idles – London (Awesome!)
U2 – Manchester (both nights)
U2 – London (both nights)
U2 – Belfast (both nights)
Murder Capital – Derry

Impressive list Paul, congratulations!)

Surprisingly for me, never been to any of those artists

My concerts for 2018 were the following (all in Moscow):
1. The BeatLove / Teatr Club (part of Beatlefest)
2. Father McKenzie / Teatr Club (part of Beatlefest)
3. Korney & The White Album Band / Teatr Club (part of Beatlefest)
4. Alexandr Pushnoy / Glavclub
5. Franz Ferdinand / Glavclub
6. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds / Glavclub
7. Nickelback / Olimpic Stadium
8. Guns N’ Roses / Otkritie Arena
9. Roger Waters / Olimpic Stadium
10. The Music Trip (local cover band) / Muse Club

Never understood why people pay £50 or more to talk through a show, never mind the sheer discourtesy of affecting other people’s enjoyment. And don’t get me started on people using phones…. King Crimson have it right: a polite request at the beginning of the show not to use phones and then an opportunity to do so at the end. (At this point my teenage daughter usually reminds me of the TV show ‘Grumpy Old Men’….).

Many memorable gigs, and some much less so. But the standout – as Paul’s photo implies – was David Byrne. Complete re-imagining of what a rock show could be, making others look dated and derivative. Other highlights were Steven Wilson, Robert Plant (voice still strong) and, of course, the ever excellent Joanne Shaw Taylor. Saddest moment was Paul Simon’s final tour. But there again, how many final tours have been anything but?

Absolutely agree with you Paul, why do people go to the concerts to have a chat with their friends instead of listening to the music I understand they love when it’s cheaper to spend the night at the pub? It’s at least annoying.

My list of concerts this year is:

Roger Waters & Richard Ashcroft, at the Hyde Park London
Eric Clapton, Santana & Steve Winwood, at the Hyde Park London
Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, at The Roundhouse London
Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Nine Inch Nails, Jack White, Queens of the Stone Age, etc (at the MadCool festival in Madrid)

This new year I have tickets to see Tears for Fears at the Blenheim Palace, Vonda Sheppard & Sharon Corr at The Stables (Milton Keynes), Rod Stewart (at the Milton Keynes Stadium), The Cure (at MadCool festival in Madrid) and hopefully more to come!!

Happy new year everyone!!

– Michael McDonald (Zürich)
– John Hiatt (Zürich)
– Southside Johnny & The Ashbury Jukes (Zürich)
– Editors (Lörrach & Pratteln)
– Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters (Lörrach)

With Prince gone, I’ve stopped going :(

I’m not sure if this list is complete. :-)

Celebrating David Bowie, Shepherds Bush Empire
Sweet Billy Pilgrim, St Pancras Church
Field Music, Rough Trade East
Simple Minds, The Roundhouse
Lloyd Cole, Bexhill
Gizmodrome, The Scala
Art Of Noise, British Library
Everything Everything, Alexandra Palace
Yes, Gateshead
Steven Wilson, Gateshead
Steven Wilson, Royal Albert Hall x 2
Marillion, Corn Exchange
Sophie Ellis Bextor, Bath Festival
Alison Moyet, Bath Festival
Paloma Faith, Bath Festival
Seth Lakeman, Bath Festival
Midge Ure, Bath Festival +
Sensational Spaceshifters, Bath Festival
Gazpacho, The Dome
Anathema, O2 Arena
Roger Hodgson, O2 Arena
Yes Featuring ARW, O2 Arena
Billy Idol, Brixton Academy
Big Big Train, The Anvil, Basingstoke
King Creosote, The Horn, St Albans
The Aristocrats, Islington Assembly Hall
Death Cab For Cutie, Southbank Centre
Saucerful Of Secrets, Portsmouth
Trevor Horn Band, SARM
KScope 10th Anniversary (Anathema, Steve Hogarth etc.), Union Chapel
Steve Hackett, Southbank Centre
Pineapple Thief, Shepherds Bush Empire
Level 42 (with) The Blow Monkeys), Guildford
Glenn Hughes, Electric Ballroom
Mew, The Barbican
Tunng, Islington Assembly Hall
David Byrne (with Benjamin Clementine), O2 Arena
Public Service Broadcasting, Royal Albert Hall
Trevor Horn Band, Southbank Centre
Riverside, Electric Ballroom
Heaven 17 (with xPropaganda), Shepherds Bush Empire
Sonar with David Torn, Hackney
Underworld, Village Underground
Nils Frahm, Hammersmith Apollo
Def Leppard, O2 Arena
James (with The Charlatans), Wembley Arena
Johnny Marr, Hackney
Patrick Watson, Hackney
Steve Hogarth, Oxford

Having seen Simple Minds many, many times before I found this year’s show very disappointing. I’d almost say the current lineup is Simple Minds in name only.

Paloma Faith was also awful and a terrible replacement for Tears For Fears. I wasn’t really expecting much but I thought I’d give it a go anyway.

We left Everything Everything half way through because a significant number of the so-called audience were behaving like arses. It’s a pity, again I’ve seen them several times before and I wanted to enjoy them on a (much) bigger stage.

So many good shows! Honors go to:

Christine and the Queens (Philadelphia…I travelled for this one and it was mind blowing!)
David Byrne (Shaky Knees Atlanta and again Jacksonville, Florida)
My Bloody Valentine (NYC…WOW!!)
Others of note:
OMD (St Pete, FL)
Simple Minds (also St Pete…and worth every penny for a VIP pkg which I rarely do!)
Utopia (St Pete)
BRMC (Atlanta)
Nada Surf (Atlanta and Nashville)
Echo & the Bunnymen (Orlando)

Roger Waters – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – The Gov Adelaide
The Weeknd – Coachella
Kelela – Coachella
Kali Uchis – Coachella
Jean-Michel Jarre – Coachella
Fazerdaze – Coachella
Elohim – Coachella
DREAMS – Coachella
Bleachers – Coachella
The War On Drugs – Coachella
First Aid Kit – Coachella
Django Django – Coachella
Fleet Foxes – Coachella
Beyonce – Coachella
alt-J – Coachella
David Byrne – Coachella
BØRNS – Coachella
LANY – Coachella
Vance Joy – Coachella
Cardi B – Coachella
Portugal The Man – Coachella
ODESZA – Coachella
Eminem – Coachella
Ed Kuepper – The Gov Adelaide
The Bamboos – The Gov Adelaide
The Charlatans – The Gov Adelaide
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Jive Adelaide
The Church – Thebarton Theatre Adelaide

Biggest disappointment: The Weeknd
Beyond expectations: The Church
Best act: David Byrne

A great year for live music.

The only artist i saw from your list was Steven Wilson at the Paris Olympia.
Very good show but Steven annoyed me with his new “moving” haircut ! He even had a joke about it…
Amongst all the shows i saw this year, my favourite were Gary Numan and the Charlatans.
But like you said, sometimes you do not want to go anymore because of some unpolite persons, but the adrenaline of a gig is so good that it brings you back one day or another…

Just two this year, Paul Simon and Erasure both in Seattle. Used to go to concerts monthly before marriage, kids,…

I haven’t been to a concert since the Elton John/Billy Joel Show or Heart’s show many eons ago. John & Joel was a night of agony. My seat was next to a whistler. The girl kept her pinkies in her mouth and never stopped that GD trilling annoying noise. How could she hear the concert?

I was also at a Heart concert. We paid for seats but couldn’t sit in them because everyone stood up. While we were standing, a couple behind us stole our seats so they could stand on them! They didn’t have tickets for our area (I heard the girl say “no one gives a ……k.”).

I think you all missed the best; A Certain Ratio at the Garage Highbury Corner in May. Off the hook.

Honourable mentions for Paul Draper at the Electric Brixton, Teenage Fanclub at the Electric Ballroom Camden, the Cure at Hyde Park and the Arctic Monkeys @ the O2.

Just 2 for me –

The War on Drugs – Berlin
Big Country – Brighton

Booked a long weekend for the WoD only to see them announce subsequently announce the O2 gig for a few nights after in December. Quite glad I avoided it to be honest as much prefer the smaller venues and fear they are now reaching ‘arena’ status. Saw them at Portsmouth Guildhall at the end of 2017 and I don’t think they’ll be playing such a place again anytime soon. My favourite band of the moment.

The Big Country gig was brilliant – again a very small venue, reminded me of a school hall at times but really good sound and the band were clearly having as much fun as the audience. It was for the 35th anniversary of The Crossing which I am still shaking my head about!

I also still hold tickets for TFF in Bournemouth which was rescheduled for this February. Fingers crossed it happens this time as I really enjoyed the Albert Hall gig.

Only made it to one and that was local. Flu stopped me from seeing Elbow.

Bad views, mobile phones, poor sound, fizzy lager and people are the only things that annoy me at gigs. Other than that i really enjoy seeing a live band. Hoping to go to Green Man this year though.

My gigs in Ireland in 2018 were A-ha (Marquee, Cork) Erasure (Olympia), Roger Waters, Cliff Richard, (3 Arena), Billy Joel (Aviva Stadium), Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt (RDS), The Jacksons (Dun Laoghaire), Cloudbusing feat. Del Palmer (Set Theatre, Kilkenny). Roll on 2019.

My highlight of the year, decenium and century was for me the Art of Noise gig in London!

After being a big fan since 35+ years I was able to see them live for the very first time and have a chat with JJ Jeczalik after the show. Amazing evening!

I see you were there as well Paul, a pity that I haven’t seen you to have a chat with you.

Other bands I have seen and enjoyed were Simple Minds, A-ha and Zucchero.

Limited number for 2018, most at Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Suzanne Vega-excellent
Jethro Tull-awful, Ian Anderson cannot sing anymore, so disappointed
Eric Bibb-excellent, sound was superb, Town Hall, Birmingham
Nick Harper-brilliant as always- concert on a river Boat, 30 on boat, from Worcester, 2 sessions split by stop at excellent real ale river pub, second half all requests, all on a beautiful summers evening
Steve Wilson-excellent
Steve Hackett-excellent, keeping the Genesis flag flying
Marillion-excellent-probably best show of the year
Lazuli-excellent, band really worth going to see, sing in French but music is so good-at the Robin 2 , Bilston

Stephen

Like the Michael from the US, I only got to two gigs in 2018 but they were both brilliant. Public Service Broadcasting in January in Belfast – a smaller gig at a great venue (the Limelight) but the show was amazing, especially from up front. Second was Roger Waters in Dublin in June which has to rate as one of my best gigs ever (again I got myself to the front) – like others have said here – fantastic show and really friendly crowd…

I think I attended the following concerts:

a-ha, Cologne, Lanxess Arena, 6 Feb 2018, ****
The Charlatans, Cologne, Luxor, 26 FEB 2018, *****
Katy Perry, Cologne, Lanxess, 23 May 2018, ***
Louane, Strasbourg, Zenith, 19 May 2018, ****
a-ha, Cambridge, Abbey Stadium, 10 Jun 2018, **
OMD, Cambridge, Abbey Stadium, 10 Jun 2018, ****
Arctic Monkeys, L.A., Hollywood Bowl. 17 Oct 2018, ****
Chvrches, Cologne, Live Music Hall, 6 Nov 2018, *****
Prodigy, Dusseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric Hall, 5 Dec 2018, ****
Wolf Alice (+Surfbort), Cologne, Gebäude 9, 13 Dec 2018, ******

The Unplugged (or rather not so much plugged) concert by a-ha in Cologne was better than expected, despite the venue being oversized both for a-ha in general and for an acoustic evening, but my trip to Cambridge too see them again in June was very disappointing as they just focused massively on the early days hits and cut the setlist down to just 18 songs. I was no big fan of OMD when I came to Cambridge, nor I’m too much into synth music, but their performance had much more power and fun.

Seeing Arctic Monkeys at the legendary Hollywood Bowl was a great opportunity when on holiday in California (and the atmosphere was really great even though we sat far away from the stage), but the best gigs in 2018 came towards the end of this year: Chvrches (so much power) and especially Wolf Alice. What a great setlist and musical variety! Best band these days, but hardly covered here on SDE…

Unfortunately, I missed Ash, Lana, Suede & Manics (bad timing/locations) and Hinds (I discovered them too late).

Saw Paul Draper at Nottingham Rescue Rooms. Worst gig I have ever seen in my life. He was drunk, didn’t sing for 80% of the set but berated his band, the audience members and spent a lot of time on his iPad.

He apologised the next day and claimed he’d make it up to Nottingham fans but never did.

Shame, as it’s put me off a great album and, even more sadly, put me off going to see live music.

I’m going to fewer and fewer concerts these days – partially due to my reluctance to pay £40+ for tickets. Just

Goat Girl at KoKo
Teleman at O2 Oxford
Saint Etienne at the British Library

for me this year.

wow, some of you guys have a very understanding family….. so many concerts.

my 2018 list is smaller. Much smaller…….

Einstürzende Neubauten / Munich
Steven Wilson / Munich
King Crimson / Munich
They Might Be Giants / Munich
Blumfeld / Munich
The The / London
Paul McCartney / Liverpool

Best one? mmmm…..Paul McCartney.

Same here. I didn’t count but I probably attended something like 30 gigs last year (David Byrne, Killing Joke, Get Well Soon, MGMT, Suede, Courtney Marie Andrews, Marlon Williams, Ryan Downey, Seu Jorge, etc.).

I agree with previous posts about David Byrne, I’d say it was the best and most memorable show last year. I saw him in Paris in july and I was blown away. Amazing show as usual with David Byrne. Every time I go to see him live I’m never disappointed. This American Utopia show is probably his most imaginative since Talking Heads concerts at Pantages Theater in Los Angeles in 1983 (Speaking in Tongues tour) which were shot by Jonathan Demme for Stop Making Sense.

I saw the following last year

The War on Drugs, The O2 Arena, London, England
Slowdive, The O2 Arena, London, England
Christine and the Queens, Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England
Johnny Marr, The Forum, Bath, England
U2, The O2 Arena, London, England
Glasvegas, Thekla, Bristol, England
The Smashing Pumpkins, The SSE Arena, Wembley, London, England
Myrkur, The SSE Arena, Wembley, London, England
Editors, O2 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton, England
Talos, O2 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton, England
Garbage, O2 Academy Brixton, London, England
Dream Wife, O2 Academy Brixton, London, England
Dub Pistols, Beautiful Days 2018
Dreadzone, Beautiful Days 2018
The Slow Readers Club, Beautiful Days 2018
Manic Street Preachers, Beautiful Days 2018
Shed Seven, Beautiful Days 2018
British Sea Power, Beautiful Days 2018
Les Négresses Vertes, Beautiful Days 2018
Suzanne Vega, Beautiful Days 2018
Elvana, Bestival 2018
Faithless, Bestival 2018
London Grammar, Bestival 2018
Grace Jones, Bestival 2018
First Aid Kit, Bestival 2018
IDLES, Bestival 2018
The Big Moon, Bestival 2018
Gabrielle Aplin, Latitude Festival 2018
Wolf Alice, Latitude Festival 2018
Jon Hopkins, Latitude Festival 2018
Liam Gallagher, Latitude Festival 2018
Parquet Courts, Latitude Festival 2018
The Killers, Latitude Festival 2018
The Vaccines, Latitude Festival 2018
Bodega, Latitude Festival 2018
The Charlatans, Latitude Festival 2018
Nadine Shah, Latitude Festival 2018
James, Latitude Festival 2018
Goldfrapp, British Summer Time 2018
Slowdive, British Summer Time 2018
Pale Waves, British Summer Time 2018
This Will Destroy You, British Summer Time 2018
The Cure, British Summer Time 2018
Interpol, British Summer Time 2018
Editors, British Summer Time 2018
a‐ha, Huish Park Stadium, Yeovil, England
China Crisis, Huish Park Stadium, Yeovil, England
Tom Bailey, Huish Park Stadium, Yeovil, England
Beck, Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England
Sparks, Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England
shame, Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England
The Vaccines, O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, England
Dream Wife, O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, England
Feeder, O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, England
Paul Draper, SWX, Bristol, England

For me: mostly metal concerts, I won’t bother you with that(but Slayer kicked ass).

Other: Paul Simon @ Ziggodome Amsterdam with my mom. Great concert & great band. Nice to see a legend like Paul Simon.
Don Mclean in Utrecht. Very nice.
The Selecter & The Beat in Utrecht. Didn’t know them but enjoyed it.
The Prodigy @Ziggodome. Concert of the year. The crowd was wild. Tough times the next day :-)

Plans for 2019: Behemoth, and Slayer(again, now @Graspop Belgium).

I completely agree about the David Byrne gig which was amazing – from your list also loved U2, Trevor Horn and Elvis Costello at Maida Vale.
I go to far too many gigs! The list for 2018 is:

NME AWARDS, BRIXTON ACADEMY 14/02/18
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION 20/02/18
FRANZ FERDINAND & ALBERT HAMMOND JR , BRIXTON ACADEMY 24/02/18
FIRST AID KIT, ROUNDHOUSE 01/03/18
STEREOPHONICS, SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY 02/03/18
PAUL WELLER & THE STRYPES, O2 ARENA, 03/03/18
ANNIE LENNOX, SADLERS WELLS 04/03/18
VANCE JOY, BRIXTON ACADEMY 07/03/18
RAG ‘N’ BONE MAN, ALEXANDRA PALACE 08/03/18
MORRISSEY, THE PALLADIUM 10/03/18
PALOMA FAITH, O2 ARENA 14/03/18
JAMES BAY, ELECTRIC BRIXTON 15/03/18
FEEDER, BRIXTON ACADEMY 17/03/18
THE COURTEENERS & BLOSSOMS, ROYAL ALBERT HALL 23/03/18
THE FRATELLIS, FORUM, KENTISH TOWN 24/03/18
JACK WHITE, THE GEORGE INN 28/03/18
THE VACCINES, HMV OXFORD STREET 30/03/18
GEORGE EZRA, BRIXTON ACADEMY 03/04/18
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS, SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE 13/04/18
THE VACCINES, ALEXANDRA PALACE 14/04/18
THE FEELING, APOLLO THEATRE, LONDON 15/04/18
BASTILLE, ROYAL ALBERT HALL 16/04/18
CC SMUGGLERS, THE HOSPITAL CLUB 25/04/18
THE PRETENDERS, SUBTERRANIA, 26/04/18
BRYAN FERRY, HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 03/05/18
FRANK TURNER, HMV OXFORD STREET 06/05/18
FLORENCE & THE MACHINE, ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL 08/05/18
FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS, ROUNDHOUSE 11/05/18
JAMES BAY, HMV OXFORD ST 18/05/18
THE BLUETONES, SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE 19/05/18
THE ROLLING STONES & LIAM GALLAGHER, LONDON STADIUM 22/05/18
SPARKS, FORUM, KENTISH TOWN 24/05/18
CHVRCHES, HOUSE OF VANS 25/05/18
JAMES BAY, ROUNDHOUSE 29/05/18
LUMP, OSLO 05/06/18
HALF MAN, HALF BISCUIT, FORUM, KENTISH TOWN 08/06/18
TRAVIS & TURIN BRAKES, ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL 12/06/18
KAISER CHIEFS, ROYAL HOSPITAL CHELSEA, 14/06/18
HAIM, ALEXANDRA PALACE 15/06/18
ELVIS COSTELLO, THE WATERBOYS & NICK LOWE BLENHEIM PALACE 16/06/18
DAVID BYRNE, HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 19/06/18
SHERYL CROW, ROYAL CONCERT HALL, NOTTINGHAM 22/06/18
SUZANNE VEGA, QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL 23/06/18
JACK WHITE, HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 28/06/18
JOHN HIATT, UNDER THE BRIDGE 02/07/18
ROGER WATERS, THE CURE & ERIC CLAPTON, HYDE PARK 06-08/07/18
PET SHOP BOYS, ROYAL OPERA HOUSE 28/07/18
KASABIAN, BRIXTON ACADEMY 23/08/18
ST VINCENT, CADOGAN HALL 04/09/18
THE KOOKS, MOTH CLUB 05/09/18
PASSENGER, THE ROUNDHOUSE 08/09/18
ELVIS COSTELLO “Mastertapes”, BBC MAIDA VALE STUDIOS 10/09/18
ARCTIC MONKEYS, O2 ARENA 12/09/18
LIANNE LA HAVAS, HACKNEY ARTS CENTRE 18/09/18
BIFFY CLYRO, ROYAL ALBERT HALL 24/09/18
KT TUNSTALL, JAZZ CAFÉ 26/09/18
SOFT CELL, O2 ARENA 30/09/18
GRAHAM PARKER, ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALLS 03/10/18
PAUL WELLER, ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL 11/10/18
SUEDE & THE HORRORS, HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 12/10/18
SAINT ETIENNE, BRITISH LIBRARY, LONDON 13/10/18
WOLF ALICE & IDLES, ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON 17/10/18
CARO EMERALD, JAZZ CAFÉ 18/10/18
U2, O2 ARENA 23/10/18
ASH, FORUM, KENTISH TOWN 24/10/18
ROBERT PLANT & VAN MORRISON, O2 ARENA 26/10/18
PIXIES, ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON 30/10/18
TREVOR HORN, QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL 02/11/18
PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT, ROYAL ALBERT HALL 28/11/18
MUMFORD & SONS, O2 ARENA 29/11/18
FRIENDLY FIRES, OVAL SPACE 30/11/18
THE COURTEENERS, BRIXTON ACADEMY 01/12/18
MUSE, ROYAL ALBERT HALL 03/12/18
GABRIELLE APLIN & FRIENDS, UNION CHAPEL, LONDON 04/12/18
JAMES & THE CHARLATANS, SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY 07/12 18
CAST, FORUM, KENTISH TOWN 08/12/18
HOZIER, HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 11/12/18
LILY ALLEN, ROUNDHOUSE 17/12/18

Three biggest disappointments – Chvrches (terrible sound), LUMP (I love Laura Marling but this collaboration just doesn’t do it for me) and Arctic Monkeys (over-hyped and boring).
The top three would have to be Annie Lennox, St Vincent and Sheryl Crow (motivated to see her by your review from Shepherds Bush last year, Paul, and I wasn’t disappointed!)
Keep up the good work.

I went to quite a few this year (too many to list/remember), but my highlights were definitely;

Paramore at the O2
Bryan Adams at the O2
Noel Gallagher at Wembley Arena
Nickelback at the O2
Hollywood Vampires, but more-so The Darkness at the O2
The Rolling Stones (twice) at London Stadium
Queen + Adam Lambert at the O2
Bring Me The Horizon at Alexandra Palace
Def Leppard at Wembley Arena

I have a few lined up for this year so far, but hoping to squeeze even more into 2019 :)

I go mostly to ” de Boerderij ” in Zoetermeer the Netherlands around 700 people can get in.

I’ve seen there:
Damanek, the Flowerkings, the Tangent, Spock’s Beard a.o.
I allso hate it when people talking they don’t hear what the other says so they talk louder, and the telephones you are atracked to if someone stands before you. I HATE IT. it must be forbidden.

I haven’t dived deep into Jack White yet (… on the list of a thousand things) ,, but can’t help thinking Brooklyn would have been brilliant //

I agree on David Byrne. By far the most original , intelligent and dynamic gig of the year. I saw him play at the Werchter festival in Belgium back in July.
Last year I went to 70+ gigs, most of them in Belgium. These are the most famous names starting from January 2018 :

Iron & Wine
Lord Huron
MGMT
Belle & Sebastian
Joan as Police Woman (showcase at PIAS offices)
The Killers
Asaf Avidan (acoustic gig, fantastic !!!)
Calexico
Jonathan Wilson
Joan as Police Woman (again but this time a real gig)
Field Music
Arcade Fire
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Angèle (Belgian female singer, now becoming a superstar in France with her platinum album)
Selah Sue
Shame
Courtney Barnett
Thom Yorke
Beck
Bryan Ferry
Foo Fighters
Eels
John Cale
Jack White (at the Olympia in Paris)
Paul Simon
Werchter Festival (with David Byrne, George Ezra, Liam Gallagher, Nick Cave and Arctic Monkeys on the same day)
Britney Spears
Nile Rodgers
Emiliana Torrini
Julia Holter
Feist
Janelle Monae
Jeff Lynne’s ELO (Amsterdam)
Suede
Paul Weller
Christine & The Queens
Bon Iver
Khruangbin (my favourite album of the year, ‘Con Todo El Mundo’)
The Human League
Father John Misty
Echo & the Bunnymen
Kylie Minogue
Natalie Prass
The Breeders
Gruff Rhys
Mick Harvey (covering Serge Gainsbourg’s songs)

My list for 2018 – King Crimson was the best of the year.

Magnum – Tramshed Cardiff
Yes – Colston Hall Bristol
Stick Men – Acapela Cardiff
Steven Wilson – St David’s Hall (SDH) Cardiff
Marillion – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Android Lust – little club in Manchester
Roger Waters – Manchester Arena
King Crimson – SDH Cardiff
Mogwai – SDH Cardiff
Lazuli – little club in Bristol
Def Leppard – Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
IQ – Islington Assembly Rooms, London

Already have a few booked for 2019 including Howard Jones, Marillion, Nick Mason and Steve Hackett

A quiet year for me gig wise but:
20/2 Roger Waters – Perth Arena – spectacular
6/3 Queen with Adam Lambert – Perth Arena – wonderful
3/4 Sheryl Crow & Melissa Etheridge – Perth Riverside Theatre – wonderful & awesome in that order.
Oh, and I’ll throw in Roger Federer 2/1/18 & 4/1/18 & 29/12/18, 1/1/19 & 5/1/19. – Perth Arena – Hopman Cup. “Poetry in motion”
(Well, they do have a DJ at the Hopman Cup who plays music in between games – lol)

Only 2 gigs in 2018 for me, a record low. But OMD were fabulous in D.C., and Tom Bailey in Pittsburgh was nice (did not stay for Culture Club, though). Both with my then 3 year old son, who was tired but loved both bands. So, a good time had by all.

It seems you made the requisite 1 show every 2 weeks recommendation for a long life!

This is pretty cool to see what shows people are seeing in the UK, especially artists/bands who won’t come over the US. Here’s a list of shows this reader got to see in Denver, Colorado USA in 2018, venues in size from 500-18,000 capacity:

The Reverend Horton Heat
Celebrate Bowie
Clan Of Xymox
Front 242
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Colorado Symphony Orchestra performing live with movie screenings of ‘Jaws’ and ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ (2 different nights obviously)
Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson
NIN/night 2 at Red Rocks
Simple Minds (an evening with, no less)
Killing Joke
Gary Numan
Monster Magnet
A Place To Bury Strangers
Echo & The Bunnymen
Ministry
Thom Yorke solo tour
Brian Setzer holiday show

Out of all these, no real clunkers other than Marilyn Manson, thankfully most were very good to outstanding!

Get to start live gigs for 2019 with 3 consecutive nights in February, also in Colorado:
Joe Jackson (who had show-stopping crowd ovations here on his last tour)
Bob Mould
Peter Murphy/David J doing ‘In The Flat Field’ in full

Here’s hoping all you fellow readers get to see some good live music this year, wherever you are!!

The handsome family / Norwich waterfront
Nick cave / motorpoint arena Northampton
Sparks / 02 forum Kentish Town

Just the one, Garbage at Manchester Academy. Would have loved to have seen David Byrne but he was one of those that sold out straight away only to appear on resale sites at a ridiculous mark up and I refuse to be held to ransom. The only other gig I was remotely interested in was Madness at the Manchester Arena. Unfortunately I only found out last minute that I could go by which time it was too late to organise anything.

Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Rick Wakeman and The Damned all at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea. I have reached the stage where going to gigs in London and getting home at stupid o’clock are a no-no unless it is something really special. I would rather see a band in a small venue where I can clearly see the act on stage and not at an inflated London price.

Glad I’m not the only one seriously pi$$ed off with so called fans chatting all through the gig. Saw Tom Odell at the Apollo in Manchester back in Sept and all the quiet stuff was ruined by loads of people chatting and some not even watching. Why do they pay decent money for tickets and then not bother listening. Bizarre and also totally disrespectful to the artist. It’s also one reason (plus advancing years) why I prefer all seater venues to ground floor standing ones

Top Five:
1. Janelle Monáe at Manchester Academy
2. Metric at O2 Ritz, Manchester
3. British Sea Power at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
4. The Gaslight Anthem at O2 Apollo, Manchester
5. 2manyDJ’s at The White Hotel, Manchester

Bottom One.
Belly at The Leadmill, Sheffield. Great group with a cracking new album out and brilliant back catalogue. But, the sound at this gig was dire. The sound engineer successfully blended the bands full range and all their efforts into a wall of indistinguishable noise. What the Fraggle Rock was he up to!

In order of frequency:

Wesley Gonzalez x4 – Amersham Arms New Cross/Windmill Brixton x2/Paper Dress Vintage Hackney
MGMT x3 – Kingston College/ Somerset House/Hammersmith Apollo
Cloudbusting Kate Bush x2 – Islington Assembly Hall/Set Theatre Kilkenny
Jarvis Cocker introducing Jarv Is x2 – Patterns Brighton/EartH Hackney

Nick Cave/Courtney Barnett/Psychedelic Furs/ Baxter Dury
The National/The War On Drugs/Future Islands
(Victoria Park)
Art Garfunkel – Royal Albert Hall
Arctic Monkeys – O2
Anna Calvi – Heaven, Charing Cross
Suede – Hammersmith Apollo
Interpol – Royal Albert Hall
Human League – Hammersmith Apollo
Tchaikovsky Gala – Royal Festival Hall) not sure that counts!)
Also some talks/signings (Pete Wylde/Brett Anderson)

Think that’s all of them…Christ, I’ll never get to as many as this if babies come along…

All were enjoyable although worst venue was the O2 for the Monkeys – shit atmosphere and too many knobhead fans.
Fave – any of the Wesley Gonzalez ones (he should be huge, he has been premiering new songs at his gigs in recent months. Going by that, his second solo album deserves to be successful. Really excited to see how it goes for him)

Aim for 2019 is to check out/support less-established artists like Wesley

Paul Weller with orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.
i think either a live album or dvd of this is coming in February

Of the gigs I saw, the best were David Byrne (amazingly inventive and exciting) at Birmingham and Nottingham, King Crimson (by far the most musically agile and powerful band currently playing) at Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester and Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets (electric excitement from a band who’d mastered the material and really enjoy playing it) at Nottingham.

I also greatly enjoyed Roger Waters in Birmingham, The Waterboys in Nottingham, a small gig by Kate Bush tribute act Cloudbusting and an acoustic show by three of Suede at Nottingham’s branch of Rough Trade.

Top 12 of 2018

Morrissey RAH – March
John Cale Barbican – March
Bob Dylan Verona – April
Patti Smith Hackney – June
Rolling Stones Twickenham – June
Rodney Crowell Nells – July
Kathryn Joseph – Rough Trade in store – August
Springsteen on Broadway – August
Richard Thompson Barbican -October
Ry Cooder Cadogan Hall – October
New Order Alexander Palace – November
British Sea Power -Louth – December

Not really many last year:
10cc, Rufus Wainwright solo (twice), Nik Kershaw, James Harries (glad I discovered him!), Serpentwithfeet (a revelation!) and My Brightest Diamond.
One thing bothers me more and more: Why do some concerts have to be that loud? Nik Kershaw and My Brightest Diamond were two of the loudest. Nik (who I really love) is coming again this year and I won’t be going as a consequence.
This year I’ll be seeing Rufus again (with band), The Beach Boys (Mike and Bruce that is), Udo Lindenberg and hopefully many more!

Here are my favorites of the gigs I attended in 2018:

TV on the Radio (Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, TX)
Wolf Parade (HoB in Dallas, TX)
The National (Southside Ballroom in Dallas, TX)
Now, Now (Stubbs BBQ in Austin, TX)
Beach House (The Bomb Factory in Dallas, TX)
Belle & Sebastian (The Bomb Factory in Dallas, TX)
Wild Nothing (White Oak Music Hall in Houston, TX)
Johnny Marr (Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX)
Still Corners (Barracuda in Austin, TX)
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (The Majestic Theatre in Dallas, TX)
Slowdive (Stubbs BBQ in Austin, TX)
Destroyer (Club DaDa in Dallas, TX)

2018-12-21 Thunder, The Roundhouse
2018-12-16 Paul McCartney, O2 London
2018-12-11 Fish, Doris Brendel, Nottingham Rock City
2018-12-08 James, The Charlatans, Manchester Arena
2018-12-06 Lucero, Will Hoge, the Deaf Institute
2018-11-19 Gary Numan, Royal Albert Hall
2018-11-17 Blackberry Smoke, Quaker City Nighthawks, M/C Apollo
2018-11-06 Hugh Cornwell, O2 Academy Islington
2018-10-29 King Crimson, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
2018-10-27 Tom Robinson Band, Lee Forsyth Griffiths, Shepherds Bush Empire
2018-10-26 Robert Plant, Van Morrison, O2 London
2018-10-03 Steve Hackett, Bridgewater Hall Manchester
2018-10-01 Steve Hackett, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
2018-09-14 The Quireboys, HEAT, Aaron Buchanan & the Cult Classics, Those Damn Crows, Forum Kentish Town
2018-07-08 Eric Clapton, Santana, Steve Winwood, Gary Clark jr, Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real, Hyde Park
2018-07-07 The Cure, Interpol, Goldfrapp, the Editors, Hyde Park
2018-07-06 Roger Waters, Squeeze, Hyde Park
2018-07-03 Roger Waters, Manchester Arena
2018-06-23 Foo Fighters, The Kills, Olympic Stadium London
2018-06-09 Guns ‘n’ Roses, Black Stone Cherry, Thunder, The Temperance Movement, The Struts, Download Festival
2018-06-02 The National, War On Drugs, Broken Social Scene, Don Letts (DJ Set), All Points East Hackney
2018-05-23 The Rolling Stones, Liam Gallagher, Olympic Stadium London
2018-03-28 Steven Wilson, Royal Albert Hall
2018-03-24 Kasabian, Spring King, Royal Albert Hall
2018-03-13 The Temperance Movement, Naked Six, Colchester Arts Centre
2018-03-12 The Stranglers, Therapy?, Nottingham Rock City
2018-03-08 The Temperance Movement, Nottingham Rock City
2018-02-28 Will Hoge, Dean Owens, The Maze Nottingham
2018-02-16 The Damned, Koko London
2018-02-14 Franz Ferdinand, Nottingham Rock City
2018-01-02 Black Country Communion, Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Soft Cell -London
Belly-Bristol
The The-Bristol
The Handsome Family-bristol
Morrissey-Birmingham

Not as many gigs as I would have liked last year but every one was great!
Morrissey
Eels
Roger Waters / Richard Ashcroft
The Australian Pink Floyd
A-ha supported by OMD (who in my opinion stole the show)
Johnny Marr (met him before the show – top bloke!)