New Dawn Fades was a play rather than a gig but the cast did perform live versions of classic Joy Division tracks.
A brave and successful attempt to retell a sacred story that has already been expertly covered by Tony Wilson, Deborah Curtis, Michael Winterbottom and Anton Cobijn. The minimal cast and simple set design captured the promise and pain of the Manchester music scene’s finest.
A special night indeed, as a rejuvenated Adam Ant took to the stage at Brudenell Social Club, to perform ‘Dirk Wears White Sox’ (the first album by Adam & The Ants). The classic set was complemented by Ant anecdotes of the early punk era.
One of my favourite ever gigs at Brudenell Social Club, saw The Charlatans fill the intimate venue with their mighty hammond/rock sound and a plethora of indie anthems.
The gig was announced via social media, on a first-come, first-served basis, to avoid touts getting their greedy hands on the precious tickets. I immediately dropped what I was doing and raced down to the club. As I left with a pair of tickets in my hand, there were people literally running towards the venue from all directions.
Charlatans Pizza and Tim Peaks Coffee were served from vans outside the venue (see menu below). Totes Amazeballs!
Inside the club, the sellout crowd sweltered in the summer evening heat, as Tim Burgess and The Charlatans delivered a blazing set of classic tunes spanning the previous 24 years, still sounding as fresh as ever.
Setlist: You Cross My Path / Then / Oh Vanity / Autograph / Can’t Get Out of Bed / Jesus Hairdo / Tellin’ Stories / North Country Boy / Soul Saver / Just When You’re Thinking Things Over / Bird / Weirdo / Toothache / Baby Huey / This is the End / One to Another // How High / Sproston Green.
Leggy Mambo [Live]: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its release, CUD performed their third album in full, followed by a second set of ‘greatest hits’.
The band created a limited edition art print to commemorate the album’s anniversary.
When in Rome, Kill Me [Live]: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its release, CUD played their first album live in its entirety, followed by a second set of favourites.
This was CUD’s first appearance at Brudenell Social Club.
The band created a limited edition art print to commemorate the album’s anniversary.
22 years since I last saw The Orb play live; their clouds were still little and fluffy but by no means dated. An awesome audio-visual set, featuring evolved versions of many Orb classics.
Despite many of the band’s early songs having been written in the heart of the LS6 area, this was the first time The Wedding Present had ever played live at Brudenell Social Club. The intimate venue was the perfect setting for the band to perform their set – with interspersed stories and banter from charismatic front man, David Gedge.
Movement / Power Corruption & Lies [Live]: Another chance to see the first two New Order albums performed live in their entirety. Followed by an encore of Joy Division favourites. I will never tire of hearing such tracks played live.
IntroducingLive Recreate Discovery 100% Live: A talented group of musicians who specialise in recreating sampled and electronic albums live; in this case Daft Punk’s Discovery.
A fun gig, and the chance to hear a live version of an album that is otherwise unlikely to be performed in its entirety. Very clever indeed!
Guest list tickets, courtesy of Brudenell Social Club.
A public open day, to test the facilities at the brand new Leeds Arena; a long overdue addition to the city’s music venues.
Upcoming bands; The Puppeteers and The Scandal had the privilege of being the first ever acts to play live at the prestigious new venue.
As the audience, it was our job to test the venue’s acoustics, toilets and fire exits.
Although I prefer smaller intimate venues for gigs, I would visit First Direct Arena more frequently, were prices for tickets, refreshments and merchandise not so ludicrously expensive! However, on the plus side, the venue does attract larger bands, who would otherwise not play the city.
Pauline Black was as sumptuous, stylish and spirited as ever, as The Selecter skanked their way through a set of ska classics and new material, on their ‘Made in Britain’ tour.
Screamadelica [Live]: To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of its release, Primal Scream performed their ‘Screamadelica’ album in its entirety. An evening of anthems from a seminal indie-dance crossover album.
Moseley Shoals [Live]: To celebrate the 15 year anniversary of their classic album, Ocean Colour Scene performed ‘Moseley Shoals’ in its entirety. A further storming set featured the best of the rest of their repertoire.
The former Leeds Town & Country Club was refurbished and briefly reopened as the Carling Academy. Before long it would once again rebrand as O2 Academy Leeds.