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I was taking a class at the Irish centre last night and we went for an end of term drink. When we were leaving, the pub and the streets were full of people who had been to UB40, and they were really unhappy. A couple of women stopped us to vent at how frustrating and disappointed they were, apparently sparing with the hits and generally grumpy and lacklustre. Anyone here go? I’ve not seen a street reaction like that since Rainbow fans broke windows in Wembley about 1980!
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 11:26 - Dec 4 with 1827 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 11:21 - Dec 4 by RangersDave
Biggest disappointments for me were Dylan (miserable fcuk), where we were ejected if we used a phone, Streisand at the Dome, came on and sang 20 minutes worth of bits of songs, and then had a trumpeter, orchestra, and her son filling in for the rest of the 3 hour gig. Left after an hour.
Costello at the Bridgewater hall, my god his voice was crap, he sat most of the gig, and yes he did sing some hits but no backing group it was hollow and bumbling. Declan took my money and ran!
Adam Ant. You know, going to 80's full day 'lets rock' gigs can be rewarding. However about 4 years ago he started to demand he and the 'ants' were given top billing. You could tell from the moment the first song struck up that he had no voice, no ability to keep a not, and he literally mumbled, bumbled and wheezed for breath. I left after 20 mins along with about 65% of the crowd.
The Farm, you know your in trouble when you stand in a muddy cold field and the Farm come on for a 40 minute gig. Hell on earth apart from 'The' song that we all know, and that was strung out for a 15 minute sing song.
Tpau, no voice, no charisma, no style, no gravitas, no hope!
"Tpau, no voice, no charisma, no style"
Typical Vulcan
Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 12:21 - Dec 4 with 1728 views
Sisters of mercy played here recently. Was going to go but checked a few things out on the tube of you. Shocking. My mate went, and I told him, said people were laughing at the whole sham. The band were using gibsons and Marshall amps. That ain’t gonna sound right for a start.
[Post edited 4 Dec 13:19]
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 13:24 - Dec 4 with 1614 views
As gig prices have dramatically increased, and the circle of people who attend live music has expanded, it creates an interesting tension between audience and artist.
When I was like 21 in my first job, me and one other bloke in the other went to gigs. Everyone thought we were weird. They usually cost about £7-20 and you got what you got, then decided if it was good.
Now everyone and their mum goes, and they cost £90 and they want to be entertained, fair, it's expensive, but the latitude for an artist to experiment, and given streaming pays them peanuts so they need to gig to pay the bills, is rapidly diminished.
I don't have a solution but it's an interesting dynamic as music turns fully from something that could challenge into something you demand fits your desires
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 16:02 - Dec 4 with 1434 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 11:18 - Dec 4 by rocknroland
UB40 a classic example of a great band that went bad really quickly. Not as much as Simple Minds, though...
Those first albums from Simple Minds were superb, really right up to Sparkle In The Rain in 1983. New Gold Dream still one of my fave albums and they have always been great live, still are. Wonderful memories of seeing them for the first time at the Lyceum in 1982 when New Gold Dream was released. Agree on going flat, never really a big fan of Don't You Forget About me era, but the run of albums from Empire and Dance to Sparkle are very good.
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 16:35 - Dec 4 with 1356 views
I was well disappointed with Placebo summer before last. Headlined the Paléo Festival where I live in Switzerland so I was looking forward to seeing them.
Not one tune from their biggest hits. Not one. Not even in the encore. One of my mates gave up half way through but I toughed it out. It was only afterwards that I found out that they're famous for not playing the hits
Like, I can kind of understand if you're playing a gig where you're the headliner - you're the band everyone's come to see, so you can choose whatever from your back catalogue and you're still guaranteed to have people that know your stuff. But if you're playing a festival you have to play at least *some* songs people know you for, Shirley?
Shit but local
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 17:49 - Dec 4 with 1277 views
I never liked UB40, that doesn't mean they didn't knock out some decent tunes, I just found them boring. My apathy changed to 'piss me right off', in March or April 1986, when the band, apparently homesick, decided en masse to abandon Los Angeles for pints of tepid mild and Chicken Balti's back in Birmingham. One of my brothers and I were on standby and actually heading to board when the buggers turned up and bagged every available space on that evening's BA flight back to 'Thiefrow'
Think I've mentioned this before, but it's good to stir up old gripes once in a while.
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 18:03 - Dec 4 by Boston
I never liked UB40, that doesn't mean they didn't knock out some decent tunes, I just found them boring. My apathy changed to 'piss me right off', in March or April 1986, when the band, apparently homesick, decided en masse to abandon Los Angeles for pints of tepid mild and Chicken Balti's back in Birmingham. One of my brothers and I were on standby and actually heading to board when the buggers turned up and bagged every available space on that evening's BA flight back to 'Thiefrow'
Think I've mentioned this before, but it's good to stir up old gripes once in a while.
Old grudges are some of my best friends, these days. I hold them close to my heart.
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 18:17 - Dec 4 with 1205 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 09:52 - Dec 4 by Metallica_Hoop
I bet that was Zippy instigating.
I never got on with UB40 even as a kid when they were at their peak.
I worked on a BBC new sounds of 2024 show the other night and there was this band on called Ezra Collective drummer, sax, trumpet and bass. (3 black guys and couldn't see the drummer) Really really good! Jazz fusion around a central 'riff' from Latin sounding to Carnivalesque sax and trompet solo's and all instrumental.
Not sure of the transmission date but some of you guys may like it. I missed the other 3 bands onebefore apparently 'English teacher" were good.
[Post edited 4 Dec 9:54]
Ezra Collective won the Mercury Prize in 2023. English Teacher won in 2024.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 19:19 - Dec 4 with 1139 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 09:25 - Dec 4 by CroydonCaptJack
Signing off was a great album and some of their early twelves were great.
Are you a Dub lover BC?
I certainly was Croydon but doesn't get so much airplay from me now but still revisit Scientist, Augustus Pablo and Burning Spear (Living Dub volumes) from time to time when the mood takes...like meeting an old friend each time.
Was front row at Wembley arena for the UB40 rat in me kitchen tour in 1986, they were superb, they were backed by a band from Jamaica called the blood fire posse who are possibly the best support act I’ve seen ( not seen that many) didn’t hear from them again, turned out the lead singer went down for murder.
favourite cheese mature Cheddar. FFS there is no such thing as the EPL
First saw them live about 1980 as a spotty teenager backing the Pretenders.They were unknown at the time and played the whole Signing off album including Madam Medusa as the encore and blew me away before the Pretenders came on,were shite and my girlfriend at the time passed out with the heat providing the perfect excuse to leave..Probably why they went on to have a couple of hits with Chrissie Hynde as a thank you for giving them a leg up..Still have my original copy of Signing off which came out a couple of months later & the 12’ inch singles,Don’t slow down,Earth dies screaming,I won’t close my eyes/Folitician(great track) but they were never the same when they went down the Labour of Love cover’s route..
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 21:04 - Dec 4 with 976 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 09:05 - Dec 4 by StrawberryHillR
Was in Bristol a couple of months ago, saw loads of Elvis Costello fans walking out halfway through. I was at a different show at the same venue so can't comment on the performance...
My friends were at that gig and they indeed walked out. Said Costello was awful; out of tune, totally unengaged, painful to listen to. They actually asked for their money back.
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 20:35 - Dec 4 by cuppahoop
First saw them live about 1980 as a spotty teenager backing the Pretenders.They were unknown at the time and played the whole Signing off album including Madam Medusa as the encore and blew me away before the Pretenders came on,were shite and my girlfriend at the time passed out with the heat providing the perfect excuse to leave..Probably why they went on to have a couple of hits with Chrissie Hynde as a thank you for giving them a leg up..Still have my original copy of Signing off which came out a couple of months later & the 12’ inch singles,Don’t slow down,Earth dies screaming,I won’t close my eyes/Folitician(great track) but they were never the same when they went down the Labour of Love cover’s route..
Not bad as a teenager mate, to be backing the Pretenders
Shit but local
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 22:01 - Dec 4 with 882 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 21:29 - Dec 4 by hubble
My friends were at that gig and they indeed walked out. Said Costello was awful; out of tune, totally unengaged, painful to listen to. They actually asked for their money back.
I was in NY for work 5 or 6 years ago and picked up single ticket to see Dylan at The Beacon theatre. I was tired, i was sat next to a pissed single woman who thought she'd found in me her date for the night and Dylan was turgid...in the interval i went to the loo and kept on walking back to my hotel. Only gig i've left that early in my life. So far.
I was at this show and I left really disappointed . I've seen UB40 a few times going back to when they were still getting on and I've seen Ali a few times bit since Astro passed on its been dire . Last night it wasn't a UB40 show , it was Ali with some DJ filling the gaps when Ali left the stage multiple times . I won't be spending my money to see him again . Poor backing band , poor set list , think I'll see his brothers lot next time .
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 22:45 - Dec 4 with 773 views
Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore.
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UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 22:49 - Dec 4 with 763 views
UB40 at Hammersmith Apollo last night on 22:40 - Dec 4 by DraytonR
I was at this show and I left really disappointed . I've seen UB40 a few times going back to when they were still getting on and I've seen Ali a few times bit since Astro passed on its been dire . Last night it wasn't a UB40 show , it was Ali with some DJ filling the gaps when Ali left the stage multiple times . I won't be spending my money to see him again . Poor backing band , poor set list , think I'll see his brothers lot next time .
Stop whingeing
AND WHEN I DREAM , I DREAM ABOUT YOU AND WHEN I SCREAM I SCREAM ABOUT YOU!!!!!
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