Tag: Radiohead

Liverpool Venues 2 and 3

Liverpool has always been a challenge to access via the train network, so it has not been a regular haunt for gig attending. I must grudgingly concede that the many of the Northern trains are now being improved but the Liverpool routes appear to be at the bottom of the upgrading schedule.

I regularly commute to Liverpool with work thereby having to tolerate the inferior rolling stock. Recently I arrived at Lime Street for a return journey and was astonished to see a new Northern train waiting on the platform, with advanced accessories such as tables, though my joy was short-lived as I realised there were two trains on the platform and sighed when I saw my actual commute of Ivor the Engine was awaiting behind!

I have witnessed Jesus and Mary Chain nine times in total across the years ranging from that infamous show in Preston Clouds in 1985 through to a gig at Manchester Albert Hall a couple of months ago. Many of those shows have been chaotic but their gig at the Lomax takes the biscuit!

Gill, John Dewhurst, and I headed over on a Friday night in 1998, with Gill generously offering to be the designated driver. We scouted around a couple of boozers then headed over to the venue on Cumberland St, off Dale St in the city centre.

See the source image
An ultimately unsuccessful gathering to save the Lomax. Image Credit Liverpool Echo.

The club was a three floored iconic site for up-and-coming acts with a 300 capacity. Bands such as Radiohead and Muse had graced the stage there.  It was also known as Foxys and it looks like the venue was permanently closed in 2015 following a police investigation where the owner was jailed for six years for openly selling cocaine on the premises.

It was an intimate venue, but the band were literally falling apart on stage exemplified by continuous acerbic exchanges between Jamie and William Reid and many false starts, Gill was ready to jump on stage and bang their heads together! It was a raggedy set with a far proportion off their latest album ‘Munki’.

The only song that really stood out for me on the night was a rousing version of ‘Reverence’ with its haunting screaming refrain ‘I Wanna Die Just Like Jesus Christ’. Based on that performance it was absolutely no surprise it transpired to be their final tour, prior to their reformation around ten years later.

On five occasions, I have attended gigs on my birthday, Neil Young on my 19th birthday, Against Me on my 32nd, an Alicante gig on my 50th and a King St event on my 51st. They have also generously allocated me an extra bank holiday this year the day after my birthday to attend a Lovely Eggs gig. Rumours that it is due to a Queen Jubilee event are patently untrue!

The fifth occurrence was on 02/06/11, my 43rd birthday. Gill and I had booked a night in Liverpool and after visiting a restaurant in Liverpool One, we dived into a random pub called The Ship & Mitre on the way back to the hotel.

See the source image
The Ship & Mitre. Image Credit Liverpool Echo.

It was approaching last orders and we sat quietly in an alcove in the corner and were soon the last punters in the establishment. Then somewhat bizarrely and unprompted one of the bar staff grabbed an acoustic guitar and the other chap called Simon Cities provided the vocals. We watched three to four songs of their sea shanties to not appear impolite before taking our leave, requiring them to unlock the door for us, it was literally a bonus closed door gig!

A postscript is that the documenting of the JAMC gig completes all the gigs I attended in the 20th century, however do not be too perturbed as there are veritable shedloads of 21st century gigs yet to review!

Preston Venue 12 – Polytechnic Part 1

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) was founded in 1992 but derived from humbler beginnings. In 1828 the nattily titled Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was established. Further iterations of Preston Polytechnic and Lancashire Polytechnic were in place prior to it becoming a fully-fledged university.

UCLAN has through a suite of unusual courses created a niche for itself and is now the 19th largest in the UK in in terms of numbers, many of them foreign students. In my lifetime the University has spread its tentacles far and wide across town in relation to outbuildings and student accommodation.

In the Preston/Lancashire Polytechnic era, a music venue was introduced. It was a decent venue with a capacity of perhaps about 600. Beyond the dancefloor were large wooden blocks for group seating in a similar style to the block layout at the rear of the Deaf Institute. Above that, there was a viewing balcony.

I attended one non-music event there when a friend who was employed by the Poly obtained complimentary tickets for a group of us for a hospitality comedy event. The main act on that night was a pre-famous Peter Kay.

My first gig was Teenage Fanclub on 14/01/92. This was the year after ‘Bandwagonesque’ was released and a couple of years before my fave album of theirs ‘Grand Prix’ saw the light of day.  There was a big group of us in attendance on a cold Tuesday night and after visiting the Lamb and Packet and the Variety we headed into the venue for a sold-out gig.

See the source image
Preston Poly looking somewhat dreary back in the day. Image Credit lep.co.uk

Dependant on which tome you perused at the time they had been touted as either the new Nirvana or the new Byrds. I would personally place them nearer the later categorisation with their West Coast sound and pleasing harmonies.

I watched the opening couple of tracks in the balcony before diving (not literally!) into the pit. The band did not seem fully engaged with them muttering after the first track ‘played a crap gig in Newcastle last night, hope we don’t do the same here’ which only served to dampen down expectations for the rest of the set!    

I have seen them several times since and enjoyed them but due to a couple of deliberate false starts and lukewarm set they were disappointing that first time.

In May 2000 I went to see Asian Dub Foundation who were a melting pot of crossover influences including rap, dub, ragga and rock. It was one of the most unenthusiastic crowds I have ever witnessed and despite the bands best efforts the gig failed to ignite.  

See the source image
Asian Dub Foundation. Image Credit Louder Than War.

In 1995, an upcoming band called Radiohead booked the venue. I think the tour was supporting the imminent release of their second album ‘The Bends’. They were supported by Marian.  

I didn’t know a lot of their stuff apart from the overplayed ‘Creep’ off their first album ‘Pablo Honey’. We watched the gig from the panoramic vantage of the balcony, and they were enjoyable, and Thom Yorke had a presence about him.

That said, I would not have predicted their stellar rise in the following couple of years and the fact that ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK Computer’ are periodically placed in pundits lists of Top 10 all-time albums!