| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in 11:44 - Apr 9 with 10313 views | robith |
A trend I noticed in the best gig/worst gig a lot of people seen some big bands in small spaces, and I thought a nice brag thread was in order.
Maybe we could even work out a ratio like record sales divided by capacity!
Saw Arctic Monkeys in the cluny in Newcastle. They weren't even the headline act (MIlburn were LOLOLOLOL)
Saw Coldpay at ULU. Couldn't have imagined the scale they'd reach
Not terribly small, but I saw blur at their Astoria residency in 2003. Being in the front couple of rows it felt insane to see a band of that size in that venue
Saw Arcade Fire at a church in Westminster. It was rubbish. I was gutted |  | | |  |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 20:32 - Apr 9 with 2637 views | johncharles |
The Cavern was well small and claustrophobic. And sweaty. Saw the Searchers there. They were a good band.
The Beatles were long gone when I got there. |  |
| Strong and stable my arse. |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 21:16 - Apr 9 with 2609 views | CiderwithRsie |
A woman I used to work with saw The Beatles play the Wimbledon Palais in 1963 - the tour was booked before Love Me Do came out.
I'm still gutted that I missed Robert Plant play the Goodshed in Stroud a year or so back. My friend who was working in the bar said when he walked in he said words to the effect of "this really is a cr"phole, isn't it?" |  | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 21:26 - Apr 9 with 2606 views | Wokingham_r |
Was going to add this to the previous thread but now seems more appropriate for this one:-
Saw Rolling Stones at South Harrow British Legion in 1963 | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 21:55 - Apr 9 with 2584 views | wombat |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 21:26 - Apr 9 by Wokingham_r |
Was going to add this to the previous thread but now seems more appropriate for this one:-
Saw Rolling Stones at South Harrow British Legion in 1963 |
Foo fighters , cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas couple of New Year’s Eve ago , 1500 capacity max sprung floor god it was heaven . |  |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 22:10 - Apr 9 with 2573 views | Esox_Lucius |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 14:23 - Apr 9 by derbyhoop |
While still at school, I saw Free at the Farx club in Southall. It was basically the back room of a pub. Alright Now had just been released and there must have been about 400 people in there. Couldn't move and the only thing keeping us cool was the sweat dripping off the ceiling. My chest stopped pounding about 2 days after the event.
Also saw British Sea Power downstairs at the Academy in Dublin, when I was working there. Wasn't overcrowded, but they had a mascot of a 7' high polar bear. The ceilings were about 6'3". |
The memories!!! I saw Nice with Keith Emerson play there and Jimi Hendrix before Woodstock. Stray were another band I saw there but I can't remember any more. The Pogues & Thin Lizzy in the Klubfoot at the Clarendon was a small venue for a gig and I saw the Pink Fairies play in the crypt of a church (St. Marks possibly) around Notting Hill /Ladbroke Grove area. They used their full stage sound and it was effing deafening, I had tinnitus for days. The Vortex & The Golden Lion were also very small venues for the early punk bands. |  |
| The grass is always greener. |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 22:27 - Apr 9 with 2562 views | johann28 |
Dr Feelgood at the Windsor Castle on Harrow Rd
Black Sabbath at the Marquee
Queen at Bedford college
Lou Reed at the Scala
Quite a few at the old Shep Bush Empire for Whistle Test; Rory Gallagher stands out, I can still hear it :) |  | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 23:09 - Apr 9 with 2548 views | robith |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 14:40 - Apr 9 by BklynRanger |
Saw The National opening for Clinic at the Warsaw in Brooklyn about 15 years ago. There's a lyric in Born to Beg that may be about that set of gigs.
Easiest way to cheat on this one I suppose is to see someone on the 'quieter' side of their career. Saw Teenage Fanclub last year at the 02 Institute in Birmingham. It sounded appropriately sized to me on paper, as a fan, but I didn't realise it's all split into rooms. The Fannies' room held 200 people max. Weezer had the bigger room upstairs (what an outrage, rolls eyes etc). |
A fellow Sad Dad fan.
Saw the National at electic ballroom day before High Violet came out, but wildest was actually seeing them headline the John Peel stage at Glastonbury 2008. Absolute max 150 there, tent was empty. Was stood next to Guy Garvey the whole show.
Worked it out the other day and their show at Brixton in June was going to be the 14th time I'd have seen them. Bloody hell | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 02:04 - Apr 10 with 2499 views | Match82 |
Saw razorlight at the peak of their popularity (which admittedly wasn't all that high) in Chicago. There were about 40 people there (venue capacity was at least 1000), most of whom were Brits, I guess that's one band that didn't make it across the pond! |  | | |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 04:47 - Apr 10 with 2482 views | smegma |
About 92/93 my ex missus worked at BBC Radio as a researcher. One of the people she worked for was Jo Whiley. She was prattling on about the 'next best thing' and invited us to the Rat Club/Pindar Of Wakefield pub in Kings Cross to see some loudmouths from oop north. turned out to be the mono-browed brothers from Burnage in their first London gig. There was a crowd of about 30.
About ten years ago 100percent owned a pub in Camden and drew some great bands to play to an audience of 100 max. The opening night he had the Kooks and another time time he told me about some new band that sounded really good. I turn up to find queues around the block , luckily I was on the guest list as about 200 people didn't get in. It was the debut gig by the Vaccines who were superb. I had to watch standing on a pool table it was that packed. He paid them a box of cheese and onion crisps and a pint each. | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 09:49 - Apr 10 with 2437 views | hook_hoops |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 18:58 - Apr 9 by QPRSteve |
As I posted elsewhere, I saw Clannad in the foyer of Wandsworth Town Hall.
Dick Gaughan in a room above a pub in Islington - more like a corridor than a room.
The Greyhound in Fulham Palace Road was great for seeing uo and coming bands. I saw the Stranglers, Supertramp, the Bangles (behind closed doors) and Matching Mole (Robert Wyatt) to name a few, |
Saw Thin Lizzy at The Greyhound circa 1973. I remember they opened their set with the theme music to Dr Who. They were brilliant! | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 10:04 - Apr 10 with 2421 views | HarrowRoadR |
The Who, Manfred Mann, Jethro Tull old Marquee, Wardour Street
Status Quo, TakeThat, Culture Club, BBC Radio Theatre |  | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 10:06 - Apr 10 with 2418 views | francisbowles |
Two interpretations of this subject matter:
The first that most posters are going with I have seen Rory Gallagher two nights in a row at the Marquee in about 75. He was having top ten albums then and selling out Hammersmith Odeon etc.
Saw Thin Lizzy four times at the Winning Post in Twickenham from the first album, Nightlife, of the four piece band up to Jailbreak and The Boys are Back in Town.
The second interpretation is most members on a small stage in a small venue. Kokomo had twelve people on stage at Half Moon in Putney a couple of years back and Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Nightsweats at the Lexington in Islington, I think had seven or eight on a tiny platform. | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 10:12 - Apr 10 with 2413 views | wood_hoop |
Not sure if this qualifies, saw Edwin Starr at the Tottenham Royal in the mid 70's, more like a promotion of the tour he was making, a dance hall/disco that must have held a thousand or so.
Was a really bad winters night, snow fairly deep even for London, only about 20 or so turned up but give him some credit went ahead with show and what little audience there was ended dancing on the stage and joining in with one of his greatest hits.
youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pNCZiNk&list=RD01-2pNCZiNk&start_radio=1&t=4 [Post edited 10 Apr 2020 10:14]
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 10:54 - Apr 10 with 2399 views | HarrowRoadR |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 10:06 - Apr 10 by francisbowles |
Two interpretations of this subject matter:
The first that most posters are going with I have seen Rory Gallagher two nights in a row at the Marquee in about 75. He was having top ten albums then and selling out Hammersmith Odeon etc.
Saw Thin Lizzy four times at the Winning Post in Twickenham from the first album, Nightlife, of the four piece band up to Jailbreak and The Boys are Back in Town.
The second interpretation is most members on a small stage in a small venue. Kokomo had twelve people on stage at Half Moon in Putney a couple of years back and Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Nightsweats at the Lexington in Islington, I think had seven or eight on a tiny platform. |
If you're interested Tony O'Malley of Kokomo is performing live from his home this evening at 8pm in aid of the NHS. It's on FB or youtube. Just saying.😊 | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 12:20 - Apr 10 with 2364 views | hamptonhillhoop |
Saw Oasis at the Hammersmith Palais (not Odeon) in 1994, between Definitely Maybe and What's The Story. Whatever was in the charts I think. Next day all the headlines in the Tabloids, well The Sun at least, were that Liam had bitten a female fan on the nose after the gig. Next time I saw them was headlining Glastonbury, about six months later. |  | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 12:34 - Apr 10 with 2359 views | rrrspricey |
Adam and the Ants, early days (77ish) in a boozer on Thamesmead |  | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 18:54 - Apr 10 with 2317 views | Shunter |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 14:23 - Apr 9 by derbyhoop |
While still at school, I saw Free at the Farx club in Southall. It was basically the back room of a pub. Alright Now had just been released and there must have been about 400 people in there. Couldn't move and the only thing keeping us cool was the sweat dripping off the ceiling. My chest stopped pounding about 2 days after the event.
Also saw British Sea Power downstairs at the Academy in Dublin, when I was working there. Wasn't overcrowded, but they had a mascot of a 7' high polar bear. The ceilings were about 6'3". |
Remember it well derbyhoop, especially the sweat from the ceiling,
will never forget that night.............
also saw Free at Richmond Athletic Club, not so sweaty bit an amazing evening. | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 09:56 - Apr 11 with 2248 views | francisbowles |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 10:54 - Apr 10 by HarrowRoadR |
If you're interested Tony O'Malley of Kokomo is performing live from his home this evening at 8pm in aid of the NHS. It's on FB or youtube. Just saying.😊 |
Cheers HarrowRoadR.
Just reading your post Saturday morning. Missed it but it's still there so will watch it today. | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 16:11 - Apr 11 with 2199 views | Metallica_Hoop |
Metallica 2008
BBC Radio Theatre 300 people. |  |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 16:34 - Apr 11 with 2194 views | dezzar |
REM at Tiffanys , newcastle upon tyne 1984 and 85 probably only a few hundred there , both gigs amazing.
Alison Moyet fronting the Screaming ab dabs 1979/80ISH at a battle of the bands at aclub attached to Southends roots hall.The club was called Fanneys , very seventies | | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 19:55 - Apr 11 with 2168 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
I've been racking (or wracking?) my brain for this one.
All I've come up with so far is Marcus bloody Mumford before he bore sons. I used to work at a recording studio who were part of the team that developed him early on. We put on a warehouse party in Seven Sisters once and he was one of the acts. Also saw Mumford and Sons do one of their first gigs, upstairs in a pub in Acton somewhere. He/they were clearly talented but I was surprised how much they went on to achieve. Just goes to show what being middle-class and well connected can do for you.
Also encountered Justin and Freddie the English contingent of The Vaccines. This was before they were in the Vaccines. Freddie was the fresh faced guitarist in his then band The Daze and Justin I saw play a couple of times as Jay Jay Pistolet. Most memorably at the Luminaire in Kilburn. Yep I know, more middle class...
Even less brag-able than that lot was setting up a few recording sessions with Peter Andre LOL
Similarly with Patsy Palmer. Also Alisha Duvall.
Double LOL [Post edited 11 Apr 2020 19:57]
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 21:25 - Apr 11 with 2138 views | karl |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 22:27 - Apr 9 by johann28 |
Dr Feelgood at the Windsor Castle on Harrow Rd
Black Sabbath at the Marquee
Queen at Bedford college
Lou Reed at the Scala
Quite a few at the old Shep Bush Empire for Whistle Test; Rory Gallagher stands out, I can still hear it :) |
Every gig in Orkney is basically small of course but seen Dr Feelgood twice here, 2nd time maybe 50 or 60 in a school lecture theatre, great night and had Lee on my shoulders at the end for the encore. Not sure he approved but everyone else enjoyed it!
He was as light as a feather.
Also seen Biffy Clyro just before they took off, not really my thing but could tell they were very good.
Dirty buggers legged it off island without paying their hotel bill, my mate who owned the nightclub they played in covered it and never has a good word to say about them. |  | | |
| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 07:40 - Apr 12 with 2102 views | NewYorkRanger |
Saw the Killers at the Fez Club in Reading. Day after Hot Fuzz was released. Probably about 150 in there. Very good |  |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 08:38 - Apr 12 with 2090 views | dolcelatte |
Iron Maiden at the Ruskin Arms , Manor Park. I hate metal, only went along as my brother had something to do with the gig, the noise..... |  |
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| The Smallest Space You've Seen the Biggest Band in on 08:48 - Apr 12 with 2088 views | distortR |
Apparently, if you get access, U2 can be viewed right up steve jobs arse. | | | |
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