The concert review thread

Went to see Robots in Disguise at a fanclub acoustic gig in the Hawley Arms in Camden. (I've never been in a fanclub for anything before and think I'm too old to start now but I wanted to go see them live with my friends so never mind...) I went with some people I know from elsewhere online and it was great to see them again too. The Robots were really lovely, they did a dj set and signed autographs, posed for photos with fans etc. (I didn't get either because I just don't like the idea of asking for anything from people just because they're famous, but the others got some and were happy).

I wasn't sure how their stuff was going to work acoustically, and it was a bit different but still quite good. It was a small venue and it was really quite an intimate kind of atmosphere. We staked out a spot right at the front so we had a good view. Sue and Dee seemed really relaxed and there was a bit of banter with each other and the crowd. They played about nine songs, some old, some off the recent album and a couple of new ones from their future album which was interesting. My highlight was I Don't Have a God which I tried to record but the sound was all distorted from being too close and my friends who are better at taking videos than me haven't uploaded that yet, so here's Boys instead:

Leeds festival!

(And next time I am definitely going to Reading instead because of the total nightmare we had getting out of there - two hours from the end of Radiohead to the car, no signs, wrong directions, no lights in the car parks, getting grabbed by some crazy guy as I walked along, and then another two hours drive home. Never again.)

Anyway, Leeds is like a version of Reading festival for Northerners and people who couldn't get tickets for Reading. Same bands, different days, worse car parking (ok, enough about that now). We went on the Saturday for the day. Bands in brief: Kids in Glass Houses (low rent Lost Prophets? The Welsh Fall Out Boy? Meh.), Bear Claw (never heard of them before, pretty good, forgotten them completely), Surprise Fires (frighteningly young, pathetically grateful to be there and have anyone watch them, but actually quite good), The XX (My highlight of the day which has to be peaking too soon. They gave out free t-shirts. I've been listening to the album a lot and I really like them), The Joy Formidable (Good but I get confused between their songs, they sound the same to me), Tim Minchin (musical comedy, think Bill Bailey or Flight of the Conchords-ish, quite amusing), Passion Pit (alright, but I got too hot in the tent and had to go out for air), Vampire Weekend (watched them while sitting down and eating chips, very relaxed and festivalish), Yeah Yeah Yeahs (alright. Maps was good), Bloc Party (too quiet, rubbish sound quality on the main stage and we were right in the front area. The louder songs were good, plenty of jumping about and singing along), and Radiohead (as I predicted nothing from Pablo Honey; Nice Dream, Just and Paranoid Android were the high points. I know if I wanted to hear the old stuff I should have gone to see them 10 years ago but the old stuff is still best to me. Good show, but not amazing set list. Worst of all I found out they played Creep at Reading! That's so unfair!! )