- Fontaines D.C. // 13.08. // Arena, Wien
I have seen Fontaines D.C. live eight times now and what used to be intimate rock ’n‘ roll shows with just a couple hundred people attending, mosh pits that got so intense that people were basically being thrown on stage while messing up the band’s equipment, and my body being completely drenched after the show not knowing what of it was spilled beer and what was sweat is now turning more and more into huge arena or stadium shows in lifeless venues with people just standing there motionless and watching the whole gig through their phone. Fontaines D.C. used to be one of my favourite live bands, but I think it ends here. It feels like a love affair when you really love a person, but everytime you meet you realize you’re not really in sync anymore, so you decide to just love that person from afar and not ruin the good memories you shared.
But that open air show in Vienna this summer was actually really, really good and felt like the old times. The crowd was amazing, the setlist too and it was just one of those gigs were you feel energized for days afterwards.
2. Temples // 31.08. // MMU, Manchester
The band played their first album „Sun Structures“ in its entirety and even though they had to stop the set at various points during the night because of sound difficulties I still got so immersed in it, I kept my eyes closed through most of it and just let myself be carried away by the music. Also, James Bagshaw saying on stage that „it feels so good to be playing in front of a Mancunian crowd again, instead of those boring London bastards“ made me very happy.
3. Frankie and the Witchfingers // 18.05. // Meltchester Festival, Manchester
It was a chilly, northern night in Manchester, but for the duration of Frankie and the Witchfingers‘ set it felt like an LA summer for a bit. So so glad I finally got to see them live, I had been waiting for yeeeaars and it really paid off.
4. Been Stellar // 22.05. // YES, Manchester
I was born just a little too late to experience the NYC indie sleaze scene in its full bloom and watching Been Stellar feels like time travelling to that era.
5. shame // 09.11. // EartH Hall, London
With some of my favourite bands now being the kind of band that gets featured on the cover of GQ magazine (looking at you Fontaines) it feels good that some bands just stay the relatable, authentic, clumsy selves they have always been. Looking more like the cast of a Forrest Gump remake and not giving a shit about creating a certain persona or aesthetic around them, they simply delivered that night in London. Mosh pits, crowdsurfing, stage diving, playing all of their best songs and just casually being the best live band on the planet.
6. Fontaines D.C. // 28.08. // Content, Liverpool
They only played for 35 minutes and seemed a little pissed off and distant on stage, but it was my first gig in Liverpool (the city in which my obsession with live music peaked) in seven years, so I got very sentimental about all of it AND I got to party with one of my favourite bands afterwards.
7. Night Beats // 18.05. // Meltchester Festival, Manchester
8. Talk Show // 30.03. // Le Hasard Ludique
9. Patti Smith // 25.07. // METAStadt
10. Gurriers // 23. 10. // Chelsea, Wien
