Thursday 12 May 2011

Favourite Gigs of 2011 (So Far!)

What a year 2011 has been so far! I've experienced some of the best gigs of my life, and got into a few support bands. Which gigs though have stood out? Well here are a few which i'll never forget!

1) Rob Zombie - 16/2/11 @ Brixton Academy


Note: This is not my photograph (ClinkMusicMagazine.com)
His films might be a bit hit and miss, but there's one thing Rob Zombie never fails on and that's putting on a kick-ass show! And he didn't disapoint; with his first UK show in 12 years (as he would remind us frequently) Rob Zombie needed to pull out all the stops to ensure this would be a gig to remember. And boy did he do that and tons more! With more fire than a medieval witch hunt, mild porn shown on big screens and giant robots, Rob Zombie proved he is a force to be reckoned with.

2) Devin Townsend - 26/3/11 @ Islington O2 Academy


He shall always be known as 'The Nutty Professor'

The man of a thousand faces!
Well, what can i say? Having seen Devin Townsend's technically faulty set at Bloodstock (although he still managed to pull it out of the bad and become one of the highlights of the festival) i was keen to the him in his element. And boy, was he in his element tonight! Not many metal musicians could play 'Barbie Girl' at the start of their set and get away with it, but for some reason he gets away with it, and even gets some of the crowd dancing along (myself included). The highlight of this performance was crowd sing-a-long favourite 'Life' as it means a great deal to me, also a highlight was the jiving number 'Bad Devil'. A fantastic night! He'll be returning to Bloodstock in August, and cannot wait to hear tracks from his upcoming albums 'Ghost' and 'Deconstruction'.



Oh, did i not mention? I also met the man himself!
3) Enslaved - 22/4/11 @ The Underworld

Shirtless wonder
The crowds literally went wild
Musician/comedian
After being forced to move their gig at the Camden Underworld from October 2010 to April 2011, many fans have been waiting months to see their favourite nordic black metal proggers return to headling a UK tour. Starting the preceedings with a rather bizzare performance from Negura Bunget, including big horns and chanting, the crowd is literally foaming at the mouth for Enslaved to take the stage. And when they do, they destroy everything in site! With a set randing from their latest opus 'Axioma Ethica Oudini' to their earlier albums including 'Isa'. Long may Enslaved reign!

Well there ya have it! My three most memorable gigs of the year so far. Having got many more lined up, including three festivals, i'm sure i'll have more to add to this list at the end of the year. Next up, My Dying Bride and Rush (yeeeeaaaahhh).




4 comments:

  1. So much awesomeness and not even half way through the year yet! Rock on!

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  2. A nice display there Sarah of the reviews and the pictures to compliment them! :)

    I have to say that the Devin Townsend gig has been my favourate gig this year so far.. it really took my breath away and the whole day in itself was awesome; to meet a group of cool people and to hang out with the man himself - it definitely won't be a day that's forgotten!

    The Rob Zombie gig took me by surprise really. I've never been a huge fan but i knew the gig was important to you as it had been 12 years since he had last performed. I think we also made a deal that i'd go with you to see him if you'd come and see Pain of Salvation with me lol. Similarly Pain of Salvation rarely play down this way either. I really enjoyed the Zombie gig and i think even for the hardened hater it would be impossible not to be taken away by the visuals and the whole show put together.

    Enslaved were awesome at the Underworld and always play a different set which is refreshing!

    Really looking forward to Rush, it's my anticipated gig of the year.. i've been a fan for a long time and never seen them live before.. so it's going to be special. Looking forward to My Dying Bride too, i'm gonna try and listen to them a bit more before the show :)

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  3. Yeah i'm looking forward to Rush! I never thought i'd get to see them for various reasons. The O2 is a shite venue, but hopefully it'll feel small when Rush start playing!

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  4. I don't mind the O2 really - when i saw NIN there it had a really good sound and was still an amazing gig even though i was at the back lol.

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