Diary of an up and coming sociopath

Continuing my series of blogs about Stuff What Happened Weeks Ago, I’m relatively certain that next in the ongoing saga of me is the Manics gig. Oh yes it was. On the 30th of your Earth May. It’s hard not to be pleased by that. It’s fair to say the Manics have had a rough…decade, I guess, which culminated in an album so hated (Lifeblood) that even they barely played from it on the fucking ALBUM TOUR. No-one wants to hear that Richard Nixon song, thanks (though 1985 wasn’t bad.) However, there’s still part of me that remembers how much they once consumed my musical taste - since they were playing a club venue AND it was the Astoria, it seemed reasonable that we should turn up and hope that they didn’t play too much of the new stuff. Which is exactly what we did.

When we started queueing, it was a fair way back. Amusingly, I read on Popbitch that there were about 10 people outside at 7:45 am, and when I walked by at lunchtime, around 1:45 pm the queue was made up of about…10 people. The hardest of hardcore Manics fans are devoted, if not particularly smart. I had somehow caused myself an injury in the torso area which made it a very bad idea I should go into the mosh pit. Disappointing for me, but at since Nikki was there it didn’t ruin the experience. We grabbed ourselves a table on the balcony and waited for the band, first having to sit through The Enemy. Who were dire. I also broke out my book for the ultimate in Manics scene snobbery, reading Salinger at a Manics gig.

Eventually the Manics came and played a fucking great gig. Their new songs might be shit but the band’s about as tight as it’s ever been, and after a rather pointless arena gig on the best of tour where they ripped apart Faster, playing it ACOUSTICALLY (WHY? GOD WHY?!) this smaller venue seemed way more special. I was tempted to take a copy of Phonogram #6 and chuck it on-stage, but the previously mentioned injury meant I’d have been unable to get close enough. Ah well.

Here is the setlist, as annotated by me:

Stay Beautiful - Excellent opener, but given how far they’ve come from their roots, playing this song borders on irony.
Imperial Bodybags - shit.
Motorcycle Emptiness - Still got it! (See final page of Phonogram: Rue Britannia for details)
I’m Just A Patsy - shit.
Faster - FUCK YEAH. Dedicated to the venue by Wire, since they haven’t played there in like 13 years.
La Tristesse Durera - Hmm.
Send Away The Tigers - shit.
From Despair to Where - Double hmm. Could be worse, I suppose…
Winterlovers - shit.
Everything Must Go - Ooh, i remember this from the 90s!
Die in the Summertime - Best song of the whole fucking set.
Ocean Spray - Uhoh. Text received from Dan (who was downstairs) during the opening bars read simply: “WHY?”
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough - I prefer the version I can switch off.
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - During this some guy near us waved his lager and sang loudly. I think that says it all.
Let Robeson Sing (acoustic) - Kill me.
This Is Yesterday (acoustic) - And with this song, THB out-represents EMG in the set. Who’d have guessed?
You Love Us - We do! For about 2 song’s length.
Sleepflower - Apparently people were crowing for JDB to play this on his solo tour. My favourite song off GAtS. Never expected to hear it live
Autumnsong - We no longer love them. Fucking *horrible* AND it’s the next single!
You Stole The Sun From My Heart - Good moshpit song. EXCEPT I WASN’T IN IT.
Little Baby Nothing - JDB clearly too embarrassed to sing the “used, used, used by men” bit.
Condemned to Rock and Roll into Motown Junk - Crowd on the balcony seemed confused by these songs. Philistines.
A Design For Life - That old chestnut.

Still, despite my cynicism, it was a fun gig. Good enough that we bought tickets to go see them at Brixton this December. I do love Christmas gigs.