out of some misguided (and likely incorrect) idea that i have some notion of why, exactly, you people come and read all of this i have a tendency to avoid writing of similar subjects two or so posts in a row. this indeed does rely on people reading it all in a chronological order, look you see. if not Star Wars then perhaps some of the earlier Quentin Tarantino films have (has) taught us to disregard order can be reasonable fun and a more better way to do it.
but just what, exactly, is one to do (from a writing perspective) when one goes and does the same thing once more? kind of the same thing, i suppose. as in i took the decision to go and see the joint tour of the Manic Street Preachers not just once, sadly not as many as three times but twice. in one week.
when the bands announced that the joint tour of the USA and Japan (and other places) was coming to the UK it felt like an excellent thing to go to more than once. on the announcement of the dates i elected or if you prefer opted for Leeds and Alexandra Palace. the decision was made on the basis that Suede were to be the second act on in each instance, and it just felt more better to see them that way round.
the first of these gigs was covered earlier, rather than later, in or on this very blog. Leeds was an extremely wet yet amazingly brilliant event. on, then, to the sunnier venue of Alexandra Palace Gardens, as pictured above. this is indeed the view on the walk in, with a simply stunning view of that there London (innit) behind the stage.
quite an extraordinary thing (to me, at least) was just how many people off of Japan, in particular ladies, had come all the way to London for this gig. mostly for Suede, but some of them were clearly keen disciples of the Manics. they were lovely, wandering around asking people (as in everyone) if they were also there for Suede. both bands to somehow trigger an incredible devotion in fans.
should you be of the (not incorrect) view or opinion that the above is a fairly poor picture, well, just wait until you get a load of the (mercifully) brief video below. i tried to do one of them sort of quasi panoramic sweeping shots of it all, and likely failed.
at, or for, this gig i had the distinct pleasure of two dear friends being there. one of them had only a basic, or in passing, knowledge of the bands. the other has been to very close to 50 gigs off of the Manics, and indeed featured prominently in a wonderful documentary about them. but, she had not seen Suede before, although was a fan of a few of their songs. which, as it turned out, all got played by the band. in one instance unexpectedly yet predictably, but more on that in a bit.
having a sense of "been there, done that", plus for other reasons which would not be appropriate to disclose here, in this instance i didn't make a rush to be up as close to the front as possible. with it being a beautiful day (and evening) and the venue lending itself to a suggestion of it being best, we took up a relaxed spot sort of kind of in the middle. view felt better than the limited pictures i am sharing here, with the limitation being that a few concerts have now established that the phone with a camera welded to it what i have is useless for documenting such things.
first up were, then, the Manic Street Preachers. above is the one and only picture of it, from when they performed Your Love Alone Is Not Enough, with (once again) guest vocalist The Anchoress. which is something i perhaps should have mentioned on the first post. oh. anyway, it's not that there was anything wrong with the performance at Leeds, it's just that they (the Manics) were on most impressive top form here. perhaps it was the weather, which they commented on frequently with some profanities added concerning sunburn and rain.
it was this performance which, after some 17 (or so) years has finally forced me to accept that this particular song, Your Love Alone Is Not Enough, is actually quite good. at the time it felt like too much of a go at getting chart success, when the charts did indeed make a difference. still, what they have on display in the background, your love alone won't save the world would be a more better and more Manics song lyric, even if it would be somewhat convoluted to get into a rhyme of sorts.
any particular highlights, or outstanding moments, from the Manics set. oh yes.
great doesn't quite cover my feelings on, at last, getting to see them perform one of my all time favourites off of them, This Is Yesterday. so far as i am aware this is the only lyrics Nicky Wire wrote, or contributed, for or to The Holy Bible. yet these were the lyrics one newspaper quoted (think it was the Guardian) in an article called something like "can rock music kill" when Richey disappeared. no, i know the video is terrible and i probably should have just enjoyed the song, but still.
that's also me corrected, then, if i needed such. i believe in my Leeds post i mentioned that i wasn't at all sure if i would go and see the Manics on their own again any time soon, but (being fair) did qualify that with yes of course i would. well, that's now absolutely the case on the basis of this far more energised performance.
moving on, then, and as the sun set, we got Suede.
exactly how many times would i be expected to write about just how brilliant Suede live are, and what a formidably exceptional frontman Brett Anderson is? all of it is true, and the more you see them the better they get. which is something, considering how mind-blowingly boss they are on any first encounter. my devout Manics friend there was well impressed, and conceded that it would have been a massive anti-climax to see an even on peak Manics after that Suede set. that's not saying there's anything wrong at all with the Manics, rather more just how good a live act Suede are.
highlights from the Suede set? well, a few days is a long time in rock and roll, and this is the unexpected yet predictable part. between the Leeds gigs and this one Suede had announced another re-release of Dog Man Star, with this one being in furtherance of celebration of its 30th (!!) anniversary. indeed i do have all the material on it, but i shall be buying. we got more from Dog Man Star than had been the usual for these shorter sets. on top of the usual (and very welcome) Wild Ones we also got to see and hear them do We Are The Pigs and Still Life.
rather than film any of those songs, since i just wished to enjoy them, here you go. for fans of really quite bad footage, some of Trash for you. mostly i recorded this for the friend who(m) i went to see them at Leeds with, but that shouldn't stop you watching.
other bits of excellence off of Suede? all of it, as in the entire f*****g set. well, yes, favourites shall always and forever be (not in order, or maybe) Animal Nitrate, Trash and Metal Mickey, but then all of the others. that new song Antidepressants was played again and if it's the direction the new album is going then we are all going somewhere excellent.
famously, or perhaps infamously (for those that know) i was supposed to see Suede at Alexandra Palace about three (or so) years ago, counting back from now (2024). yeah, the wheels kind of fell off of that one, but it matters not, i have kind of made up for the lost experience since.
momentarily, then, i shall take a break from rock and roll. a brief break, for indeed i do have some tickets for a gig towards the business end (or latter part) of the year. nothing lined up before then, but you never know. for now, extreme thanks to the friends that went with me, to the bands for putting on this fan friendly show and all of the crowds at each gig. stay beautiful, beautiful ones.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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