Primal Scream: Marquee (Islington Academy) – September 5th, 2002

Why?

The venue was new. As was the Marquee name.

It had been funded by Dave Stewart, who’d also funded a London Members’ club a couple of years beforehand.

I was a founder member, thanks to the wife of the colleague I regularly saw bands with having helped set it up – including putting together the founder member list.

It closed for good during COVID.

But back in 2002, this meant a free ticket to what was the opening show.

It was carnage.

The band were playing the Evil Heat and XTRMNTR material, and they were playing it incredibly loud.

It was pulsing and genuinely menacing. It was incredibly loud.

I’ll swear that they were serving pints in real glasses and that the floor was covered in shards.

I saw Dave Stewart walk in with a very tall (well, taller than him, not too difficult) model-looking girl during Swastika Eyes, and then walking out.

It was brutal, in a kind of good way – but it wasn’t the euphoric Scream show I’d have wanted.

High?

At least they played/assaulted Moving on Up.

Drinking?

From a real glass.

Thinking?

This is genuinely threatening music.

Pernice Brothers: Islington Academy – March 16th, 2004

Why?

Because I saw them every chance I could get.

I went with the same ex-colleague/future colleague who I saw them with a lot, but I spent a lot of this show frustrated.

Why weren’t they a bigger band? Why the fuck were they moved to the upstairs of the venue – why couldn’t they sell out downstairs?

I didn’t get it.

High?

I want to say that they played Joe’s cover of Please, Mr. Please… But if they didn’t it would have been Clear Spot.

Drinking?

A lot. Angrily.

Thinking?

I know it’s cooler to see them in a smaller space. but WTF?

Franz Ferdinand: XFM Christmas Cracker – December 3rd, 2003

Why?

So XFM used to actually be a real, meaningful thing. London’s alternative radio station. 

And I had a friend in management. 

Lots of guest lists. 

Lots of parties. 

It was key to these years – we knew who we should be seeing, and we were often able to see them early, if not for free.

And this was one of their Christmas parties, for staff and competition winners. 

And for people like me, and a couple of colleagues I’d brought along. 

One of whom only wanted to come for the ‘headliner’ – who were Turin Brakes.

I mean, Turin Brakes had a couple of good songs (well, the had Underdog) but how the hell could they be higher on a bill than Franz Ferdinand? 

Mainly because Franz hadn’t even released Take Me Out by this stage…  

So they basically seemed like just a fun guitar band. 

And Turin Brakes I remember nothing of at all (though would probably have drunkenly screamed along to my favourite line – “tell my secretary to hold all my calls…”)

We’d all have been in and out of the toilets on the ‘VIP’ (upstairs) floor. 

But the real big thing about this evening was meeting a girl who’s still a friend. 

She also worked for XFM, and my friend introduced us. God knows what I said, but she threw a drink in my face. 

She and I had a nebulous almost thing over the next few years (we slept together a couple of times, though I think it was largely sleeping) but she’s been a good person in my life for nearly 20 years now. 

That’s a good outcome. 

High?

Frighteningly

Drinking?

God yes. Free cocktails from random sponsors were always a thing at these events. 

Thinking?

This is *exactly* where I should be and who I should be with right now.

Dead Men Walking: Islington Academy – October 7th, 2006

Why?

The company I was working for this year had a heritage in traditional media – not just the digital stuff I did. They had some older guys who did print production and the like.

They drank. They liked music.

Over three lunchtime beers (worryingly typical in my 2006) the suggestion was that I went with them, and one of their wives – who also worked with us – to see this show.

I’d never heard of Dead Men Walking. Turns out they were the kind of UK ‘supergroup’ that these slightly older guys loved. Mike Peters from the Alarm, Captain Sensible from the Damned, Kirk Brandon from Spear of Destiny, and Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats.

I remember a lot of beer. I remember Slim Jim being super cool.

I remember all of going back to where this couple lived, and I remember it getting really weird.

A load of blow came out. And spirits.

And then the wife is dancing suggestively as her husband looks on with a big smile.

And me and the other guy basically do a runner, one after the other.

God knows how, but we’re both outside their flat in the corridor of the bloc going “What the fuck happened?”

“Did he want us to fuck his wife?”

Dead Men Walking.