Shepherd's Bush Stories

[markE]

etc

[markE]

wow.


due to a combination of traffic , babysitters and the need for dinner we missed both the meetup and the eureka machines (sorry guys - was gutted).
took one look at the tshirt queue and said feck that - lets watch the whores. to be honest i wish i had gone for a t shirt. was not impressed at all - even the songs i love from the album were disappointing. tbh could have been down to sound problems. the pa kept making random noises that were obviously putting jp off.(although it did make laugh when he said whats that noise and someone replied "that was you!").


as for the headliners. what a brilliant performance from a brilliant band playing brilliant songs. they were obviously struggling with the sound but whereas in the past g might have stormed off or played with a bad attitude they grinned and played on. the mike sharing with cj should lead to some great photos. it was ironic that g said they would go for volume rather than quality - the next three songs were markedly quieter. the sound wa back for the 2nd half though and the crowd didn't let it spoil the night.



as for the songs - from the first, fists in the air shout of LONDON during shitsville it was obvious we were going to be on fine form.
highlights for me were the chaotic suckerpunch, with scott spinning in a circle whilst playing, loveshit and miles away for the singalong, cj seeming to persuade ginger to play girlfriend clothes next by teasing us with the opening bars and getting a huge cheer, the rest of girlfriend clothes coz it rocks, 2 way idiot mirror coz i'd forgotten how good it was, caffeine bomb because the crowd was wild, scott and cjs vocals on beautiful thing you, spinning around hands in the air on the "all my friends around" line of 29 x and seeing thousands of you feckers singing and dancing all the way to the roof of the place.


nice to hear the mention of zack too.

(ps i think zorro most have built his time machine because ginger looks younger than he did in 93)

[beerofthedark]

So c'mon then y'bugger, what was the actual comment that Ean SHOULD have said?

Ah...was sorta hoping you wouldn't ask that. Cos the comment in question was something along the lines of "Is that Sarc over there, the one in the gay-looking shirt." Neither PC nor nice, and I hang my head in shame.

[Banky]

Well my experience of Saturday was sadly one of feeling very much the 'outsider' to everyone else's good time. This was owing mainly to my friend and I only just arriving at the venue in time to hear the Wildies' set from Miles Away Girl onwards. The blame for this can be squared firmly at said friend for forgetting his ticket - an act of stupidity that caused us to have to travel from Morden to East Finchley (i.e. From one end of the Northern Line to the other) before we could even make our way to Shepherd's Bush. Then we found ourselves faced with a completely shitfucked state of transport affairs: we ended up having to get to Holland Park station and bussing it down to the venue because the lines to any nearer stations were closed. On a Saturday night! Bunch of interfering TFL ball-bags...

So we got to see the remainder of the set from the very back of the venue, behind the bar (because I'm not one of those tall pricks who turns up way after everyone else, pushes his way to the front and parks himself in front of the shorter people who really deserve a better spot AT LEAST as reward for their foresight in getting to the venue on time! *deep breath*). I didn't find any problems getting drinks, mainly as the majority of people at the back bar werent actually queueing but were watching the band. The lager was pish but I didn't expect much else and I'm not here to review the venue bar anyway.

The sound wasn't great, as a few people have pointed out, but I was still massively impressed. This was the 5th or 6th time I've seen The Wldhearts now, and I actually felt it was one of their best performances. The crowd really helped cover the vocal-volume problems (you lot are a bunch of mad bastards, honestly), and the band were mostly super-tight. We couldn't help wondering about how awesome the DVD's going to look. It doesn't matter if the guitars are a bit quiet here and there when you've just filmed a jam-packed venue singing along to every. single. word. of. every. single. song. Honestly, it was awe-inspiring. Like I've said, I've seen the WH quite a few times before, but this was one time where it felt like every last person in the venue was a dedicated and lifelong fan (which is rare for any gig in London: the city that seems to demand a mandatory 5% quota of posing, uninterested hipsters stood at the rear of every show that happens).

The stuff at the Merch stand looked pretty ace as well. I picked up a poster for a very reasonable £3, and was very glad to have something with which to mercilessly beat my forgetful friend for the rest of the night. Then it was a voyage back to Morden for some ill-advised kebab, and to re-listen to Earth Vs.

[godofhaircare]

if anybody heard somebody let out and almighty scream of YEAH!!!! for two-way idiot mirror......it was me!! Absolutely loved that song, also when the song stop and started again i let out a massvive yell (hope that makes the DVD mix, a crowd microphone was just in front of me)

I stayed well back up on the stairs and had a perfect view all evening, to which the sound didn't seem that bad. Ginger obvisouy missed a few lyrics here and there but the crowd more than filled in for him.

Was standing just above and to the side of the mixing desk on the right hand side, saw jon poole standing below me so i tapped his head, he turned round and shook my hand ans asked if i would pull him up over the ledge haha.

Anuway just got back to sunny scotalnd this morning at 8:30am........never never get the bus the london.


ps. anybody staying at the wembley plaza hitlon, how annoying was that fire alarm the next day!!

[WildCat]

it's great to read everyone's accounts of the night! it felt like everyone there was one unit, like we'd all been friends for years or something my night was similarly plan-went-out-the-window style as i was planning to go to the bush for about 5pm but made it for 8pm.... thanks to soundog for getting rid of the spare ticket i no longer needed (i hope that was ok for you mate?) i got in, went straight to the bar, not long to get served, wildhearts came on and i got an inane grin on my face. spotted sarc and mrs sarc (great position! you must have had a great view!) but didn't manage to say hello. coincidently, got stuck behind 2 very tall men wearing similarly stripey tops to you... but i moved about a bit to get a better vantage point. every single song was amazing, i nearly exploded with joy. the stripey men weren't really into it too much, but everyone around me was singing along and jumping around. i was only aware of sound problems because ginger said so, but from where i was, it sounded spot on, ginger was in tune, and the balance was great, but i know that if he couldn't hear himself then he wouldn't know how good it all sounded. the only bad bit was when he used other mics - they were quieter as they were backing mics, so i couldn't hear the vocals as well. anyway, quickly got another beer in the break and contacted my friend who was on level 1 (we waved phones at each other ) i'm the first to admit i don't know the b-sides as well as the album but highlights for me were beautiful thing you, and the bullshit goes on, and when 29x the pain started, i swear i could have died happy

afterwards i managed to meet up with ean and, after a few drinks with him, being groped by some crazy irish people, a magical mystery car adventure around london and arriving 2 hours too late to a party, i woke up on sunday with a smile on my face and have been walking on air ever since [i say walking - in reality it's kinda limping. in a bow-legged kinda way as my knees are fucked from jumping up and down]

[JasonH]

I was planning on getting there at least an hour early for drinks & chips but got there 1/2 way through Eureka Machines instead thanks to the tube chaos. We were on level 3 and the sound up there was awful. EM were just a muddy squally mess but I managed to vaguely recognise a couple of songs from their EPs.

GDWs - about the 5th time I've seen them and, sorry, I just don't get it. Never heard the Cardiacy one before and that was by far the highlight (how can Jon write such fantastically complex stuff for the Cardiacs but such inane repetitive boring simplistic guff for GDW? Sorry Jon but we've all heard that you're more than capable of so much better!), but again the sound was awful. I don't understand for the life of me why they always end with that dirge though. Didn't even realise they'd done a "Pink Floyd tribute", the sound was so bad.

Same problem with the Wildhearts, on average through the night I managed to decipher about 1 word in every 10 that Ginger spoke which took the edge off the occasion, as did the general staticness of everyone on the top level and the very few people standing. It would have been millions better if everyone had been up on their feet the whole way through, though it would have felt a bit dangerous as the seats were so steep and it was a very long way down!

But overall I concur that the band were unbelievably fantastic, the party atmosphere was wonderful, and I'm very glad I made the effort to travel for it. Just a shame the venue organisation was crap, the beer was awful and outrageously expensive, the sound was pure mud, and they'd sold out of my size of t-shirt by the time I got to the merch stand. So I bought the bootleg one instead which is a simple design I've often wished for - just the smileybones on top of the cartoon logo - class.

[Damian]

Loads of people clearly loved the GDW performance. I saw it (and heard the crowd reaction). Would the silent majority care to stand up? Just asking!

[WildCat]

The day Carling stops having anything to do with live music (or is it just the Academy Music Group?), the better.

i don't think it's to do with Carling, they are merely sponsors, but the academy group can be blamed for poor bar service certainly. the problems with the venue layout rest in the fact that it was never built to be a gig venue - it's a theatre, like so many gig venues in london. i'm not sure about capacity though, it wasn't rammed where i was, stage left on the floor but it would also be up to academy group to set a comfort limit on the ground floor capacity.

I bought one of those "Its fun untill someone loses an eye" t-shirts

i regret not buying "The Wildhearts in The Bush" g-string thong...

p.s. anyone else notice the glaring spelling mistake on the posters/Tshirts tracklisting??! Clue: it's in the bottom half of the list...

Caffiene Bomb?!

Ginger gave a shout out to Zachary Storm with all his family and friends there

I noticed that. I thought it was very nice of him.

erm, I got to sing the last few lines of 'shame on me?' when Ginger chucked the mic into crowd.

how lucky for you! i keep my fingers crossed for you that it's on the dvd!

i even saw Chris McCormack - top bloke.!

i saw him too! he's looking great...

i think i can see me

London: the city that seems to demand a mandatory 5% quota of posing, uninterested hipsters stood at the rear of every show that happens

i was stuck with these guys for the first few b-sides!!!!! just snogging and chatting and groping, 2 ragged whores totally uninterested in the show or having an ounce of respect for people next to them

[SteveP]

Then before The Wildhearts, I thought I might try and get a drink. Mistake. It took nearly the whole half hour changeover to get served because someone thought that four people serving the entire downstairs area (two each side) would suffice for a gig that has been sold out for three months. Just got back to my friends and spot in time.

Same mistake made here, missed just about all of GDW queuing for my shirts (black earth and shitsville for any that are interested).
Got my shirts as the set ended and then headed back to the bar, took the whole of the swap over to get served and missed the first verse of shitsville.

Suggested to the lass behind the bar at CJ’s side of the stage to ‘put her free hand to some good use and pull some more pints with it, her reply………’it’s busy’ Could have chopped the fucker off and it would have been more busy.

Just like with my local venue, the Bristol Academy (also a Carling venue), the large amount of fire exits means that they can stuff the venue beyond reasonable means

When I finally managed to secure 2 pints and head back to where we had been standing, I ended up at the bottom of the stairs to the right of said bar, couldn’t get any closer and had to put a foot on the first step to stop meself toppling backwards. Ended up standing on the step at one point, but almost straight away, the jobsworth arseface stood on the door to the backstage was flicking his walkie talkie at me to get off the step.
During the crush/ fight for better spots, the crowd was moving quite a bit and I ended up on the step again, and yes, you’ve guessed it, arsehole made me move again. He obviously studied the situation and thought with his feet…literally

[Soundog]

thanks to soundog for getting rid of the spare ticket i no longer needed (i hope that was ok for you mate?)

Glad you got there kinda on time and enjoyed it.

Yeah, that was okay. Did it with a bit of a bad conscience because I didn't find a ticketless fan and wanted to go in early on, so finally sold it to a tout. The only fun bit of that was saying "Have fun at the gig!"

But seeing how many tickets were still on offer by listees and bordies I hope that no one had to pay inflated prices and that he didn't make a profit - at least he was still walking up and down the queue when I got in.

[shadow]

In reply to Damian seeking support for GDW ---I believe them to be a cracking bunch of musicians as they have proved so capably on Ginger solo tours---however I personally think the GDW set is sadly lacking any real quality material apart from the odd tune ---hence the band cant do themselves justice---also seen on the board someone saying that they only met up at the gig without seeing each other for a long while and played without rehearsing??? if thats true then whilst it aint the way to build up a good reputation it does prove how competant they are even if their material is naff---didnt recognise the drummer though(nowt wrong with him --he was ace---me being an ex-drummer)but was wondering about Denzel--I really rate him
over to you DAMIAN

[Sarc]

Im another GDW fan but I'll admit even i thought the set was lacking but it the no rehearsal thing was anything to go by then it could have gone a lot worse. Couldnt help but grin like a loon though when Random with a sly grin menancingly said "Hello, remember me?!"

[Jules]

Got home late last night with a smile on my face and Wildhearts songs still going round my head.

A great gig - fantastic to hear the complete album. The sound was OK where I was (in the middle of the standing area towards the back), although it became increasingly difficult to pick out Ginger's comments between songs. A shame though that the sound on stage caused the band some frustration, but great that they didn't let it stop them and just kept on going.

Roll on December I say. And I hope they do this for each album as they reach an anniversary (although 'Earth vs..' feels kind of special to me).

Sorry now that I didn't try and meet up with anyone from this board.The atmosphere in O'Neills before the show was great, really friendly, and the same in the gig.

[Trudi]

--didnt recognise the drummer though(nowt wrong with him --he was ace---me being an ex-drummer)but was wondering about Denzel--I really rate him

That WAS Denzel - he's just dipped his hair in a bucket of bleach since last time around