#LISTEN THERE IS SO MUCH IN THE QUEUE SET TO DROP ON THE 29TH

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Is it my civic duty to rb every post that mentions threshold?

Perhaps

[jamesv-t]

Gig Survey 2019

Top 5 shows of the year?

Zara Larsson, Electric Brixton, 22nd May

Carly Rae Jepsen, XOYO London, 29th May

Rammstein, Franchise FC stadium Milton Keynes, 6th July

Kylie/Clean Bandit, Brighton Pride, 6th August

Aly & AJ, Scala London, 11th July

Lucy Rose, Barbican Theatre London, 4th December

Anavae, Concorde 2 Brighton, 6th November

Marina, Brighton Centre, 5th November

Jenny Lewis, Concorde 2 Brighton, 24th July

Ariana Grande, O2 London, 19th August

Total number of shows?

Seventeen, up six from last year.

First show of the year?

Lucy Rose at Resident Records, Brighton, on the 22nd March.

Last show of the year?

Lucy Rose at the Barbican Theatre in London, 4th December.

Most surprising show?

Zara Larsson. I was gently bullied into going - Dana suggested it, and then prodded me towards going in the hope that I’d be disappointed and ramp down my listening of her. Instead I was surprised at how good she was, and how much I enjoyed the set!

Most disappointing?

Lucy Rose in Brussels, through no fault of the artist herself - I overheated and fainted for the first time in my life three songs in, and so missed a large chunk of the set due to recovering in the foyer.

Farthest travelled?

Ancienne Belgique in Brussels - 255 miles or 409 km away from home.

States attended shows in?

Cheerful, grateful, euphoric, terrified, bored, knackered - and new for 2019, unconscious!

Venue most visited?

Concorde 2 in Brighton, twice.

Worst injury?

Nothing! I did bang my head when I fainted at Lucy Rose, but I totally calculator pineapple.

Most expensive ticket?

£60 plus fees for Rammstein. Worth every single penny.

Band seen the most?

Lucy Rose 2.2 times, just ahead of Anavae with two complete sets.

Best new discovery?

I was vaguely aware of Clean Bandit before due to them featuring artists that I care about (and Demi Lovato) on their album, but I didn’t click with them until their Pride set. Other than that, I’ve stayed fairly within my lane.

Bands seen this year that also broke up this year?

None!

Friends made at shows?

Every gig I went to was either with Dana or my family, save the Zara Larsson gig and I was feeling too anti-social to interact with the posers or the stans who filled the first few rows around me. 

Band members met?

Becca and Jamie from Anavae, and Lucy Rose - but I feel like it doesn’t count when they either took your wedding photos or have been shown them after a gig! Apart from that the obligatory Carly Rae Jepsen photo in a Rammstein t-shirt post gig, a brief exchange with Jenny Lewis before her set, and some grateful smiles from both Zara Larsson and her younger sister (supporting) at me actually enjoying myself during their sets.

Best souvenir from a show?

I didn’t get that much from shows this year. Zara’s shirts were not to my tastes, we’d got all the Anavae merch they were selling, and while I liked the dual pastel pink/faded orange Ariana Grande shirt, I didn’t like it enough to drop £35 on it. I had no such problems buying another Carly Rae Jepsen t-shirt, and a medium hoodie that was far too small for me in May but fits me now; I also got a Rammstein tour tee which features a very me design. Away from shows but still music related I received a Romance shirt from the Camila Cabello listening party that exposes my belly in a way that flatters nobody. I also went a bit crazy on new years day when, after watching the Taylor Swift reputation tour movie on Netflix for the fourth time, I got an email advertising discounts on her store. I picked up two more rep era t-shirts and some additional items when I realised I could spend £40 on shipping or the same amount on the softest, most comfortable hoodie I’ve ever worn!

Longest time in line?

About three hours before Carly, but it was completely worth it. We were on the barriers at Pride about eight hours before Kylie hit the stage, but we had other acts that we were interested in playing beforehand so that doesn’t count.

Shows seen from the barricade [front row]?

Oh, that’s a nice segue. Kylie from the pleb barrier, Lucy from the front row at the Barbican, and Jenny Lewis. We’ve also been very near the front at Anavae, Zara, Carly, and Aly & AJ.

Most shows in one month?

May had 3 and a half.

Most shows in one week?

Two, Marina and Anavae in successive days in November.

Biggest crowd?

Rammstein had 32,000 in Milton Keynes. No crowd size given for Kylie at Brighton Pride, though.

Any drunk encounters?

I’m fairly certain that the beer and chocolate tour around Brussels before Lucy Rose didn’t help my situation. I demonstrated that my lesson had been learned by having several beers before her gig at the Barbican in December - however these were free, courtesy of Camila Cabello’s record label. 

Top 5 best 2019 concert moments:

1. In keeping with my habit of wearing Rammstein shirts to pop gigs, I decided that it was only fair to wear a pop shirt to the Rammstein gig in July. After several Twitter polls I settled on my new Carly Rae Jepsen t-shirt. As you’d expect, this got me a few odd glances, as well as some positive comments (several people declared it the most metal thing they’d seen) but one in particular stood out. Passing the merch queue while looking for our seats I was suddenly yanked into a handshake and a hug by a very tall bearded gentleman, who explained that among their group of friends they were having a competition for band t-shirts, awarding each other points for each nominated artist spotted. They’d also picked a surprising artist each, on the proviso that they’d get 250 points (a near unassailable lead) if it was spotted - and this gentleman had picked Carly Rae Jepsen as his choice!

2. Zara Larsson. I know I shouldn’t be surprised that a Swede does pop well, but I was going in expecting Dua Lipa levels of charisma, and was surprised at her energy levels, enthusiasm, and general commitment!

3. Speaking of enthusiastic performances with high energy, Carly brought her traditional levels to London for a set that showed just how good she really is, and how much the general public are missing out by sleeping on her.

4. Marina (formerly of & The Diamonds) impressed me. Aided by a very enthusiastic crowd (it was the first time she’d performed in Brighton in seven years, and many of those attending didn’t look old enough to have gone to that last gig) it became a positive feedback loop - everything would galvanise the crowd, which she’d feed off of and up her game, which just excited the crowd further!

5. I got to see my childhood crush perform 15 minutes walk from my flat, and she included the campest, Euro-poppiest album track in the encore as a nod to the audience.

Top 3 worst 2018 concert moments:

1. Fainting was weird. I don’t much care for it.

2. I didn’t get home from Rammstein until half past 3 in the morning. I’m not young enough to cope with nights that late any more!

3. Genuinely can’t think of anything else negative to put here. Let’s see off the year on a high then!