well i guess as the seasons over for 3 months, my mind turns to other matters besides footie and my beloved swans. Today is a very special day for me, it's 35 years to the day that the Clash played at swansea uni on the White Riot tour, they weren't big enough to play the main hall so they played the canteen. a life changing experience for me. the best gig i ever saw and yes i was at the vetch in 76 for the Who. so what was the best gig you ever saw in swansea?
Stevie Wonder at The Vetch on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. Chuck Berry at Leisure Centre,in a hastily arranged additional show. Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen at Top Rank. Wow,that's going back a bit. Some terrific classical concerts at Brangwyn Hall. Most memorable being Carlo Maria Guilini conducting Brahms. Awesome.
Pfft... look at all you old bastards who had the opportunity to see good bands before their domain became arenas nowhere near Swansea! "Best" gig is a hard one. The biggest gig I've been to has to be the 'Phonics in Morfa years ago, but as for best gig, that would be a few years ago in Monkey. A couple of mates bands played in a night called "Bomb The Suns Of Thunder" (2 bands who's sets overlapped - complete with 2 songs including 2 drummers, 3 guitarists, 2 bassists, percussion, female wailing vocals). It was so epic I almost cried.
Difficult one this. Queen at the Brangwyn, Canned Heat at Top Rank, Peter Green at Gorseinon. The one that sticks in my mind is Christmas at the Patti. Man band, Help Yourself Ducks DeLuxe & others. Unfortunately the Police (not the group) closed it down at about midnight, and Man had only been on for about 15 minutes. Disgraceful. The worst one was Stone the Crows at Top Rank. Les Harvey, the guitarist was electrocuted on stage and died. Terrible, terrible night.
Saw Peter Green's splinter group in Penyrheol leisure centre back in 97 only paid a tenner, Cozy Powell was certainly dancing with the devil that night. Saw yes in cardiff back in 72 or 73? awesome band, and still a huge fan today.
Phonics at the morfa was an amazing day. Almost didn't make it coz I was so badly hung over from the night before. But once I'd chucked in Sainsburys car park I was ok. Does anybody remember the buzzcocks at the patti in 1990? That was a hell of a gig. Pogoing with the punks like it was the 70s all over again.
Deep Purple at the Brangwyn Hall 1974. Also wanted to see Frankie Miller's Full House at the Uni about a year or two earlier, they cancelled at the last minute and they got another unknown band to replace them. Plastic Sam introduced them. "Ladies and Gentlemen,... Queen" they blew us all across the Mumbles Road and on to the beach!
OMG forgot Stevie at the Vetch. How could I? He was waving at the prisoners peeking over from Oystermouth Road. Don't think he could see 'em though. Stevie speaking Welsh - hysterical.
i remember reading about the stone the crows tragedy, swansea venues, understandably got a bad reputation after this. on to happier nights john cale was amazing at the brangwyn in 77, and too many great nights at circles/doras between 77-80. Some amazing local bands playing the scene at that time too, such as the DC10's (who i was quite close too), next step, mannequin, tunnelrunners etc
