Timbo: Well, yeah, I think we'll start going now, but you haven't to your radiator.
Giles: Well let's not talk about emptying radiators then, shall we? Hi Tim, how are you? Good morning.
Timbo: Thank you for ask... Sorry, a well thank you, thank you for asking.
Giles: That's excellent. Yeah. I'm fine too. And thank you for asking, though I'm not quite sure you did. Last week's chat with the great Robert O'Callaghan was was good fun. Have you booked your golf lesson?
Timbo: No.
Giles: Excellent. Okay, we'll come back to Tim Tries another day, I think. You don't you don't want that you don't want that to be a thing. We we're gonna have some
Timbo: You've just you're not letting that
Giles: something to look forward to, for goodness sake.
Timbo: some semblance of some sort of format ideas, but you're.
Giles: It's content, mate. It's content. It's content.
Timbo: you're not letting Tim Tries go. I have had a comment from the overseas listener.
Giles: how is the overseas listener? Well we're gonna hear his comment and that'll give us some idea of how he is,
Timbo: He's well. Just
Giles: Excellent. Good.
Timbo: quote, just listen to all in capitals of pottering. And I mean all in capitals, dot dot. The outro music really builds to border game show territory, exclamation mark. Chat is really good on the pod. By the way, really enjoyed it.
Giles: Game Show territory
Timbo: The music has got
Giles: Sorry, right, I thought.
Timbo: game show vibes.
Giles: Interesting.
Timbo: Have you So what else has been keeping you busy this week? And we can talk about this week on the pod.
Giles: On t pod. Well, I'm sort of really drawn to the subject that we wanted to talk about anyway, 'cause I was in London on Wednesday.
Timbo: and Sav, big smoke, getting confused.
Giles: Down south.
Timbo: I actually saw you in real life in London.
Giles: We did see each other in real life in proper three D and everything. Dolby Atmos, probably. yes, it was lovely
Timbo: See you in...
Giles: to see you.
Timbo: you were down in London because you were gigging.
Giles: I was gigging. I was gigging. Solo gigging. I was at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time.
Timbo: Woooo
Giles: Yeah, d there wasn't a lot of that going on, quite an experience. It's it's an extraordinary place. I'm delighted to have been. Could be already possibly one of my new favourite venues.
Timbo: Well, I have to say it is built for music.
Giles: Yeah, they've done some work with the acoustics because it was origin of course when when Queen Victoria built it with her own bare hands as a gift to Prince Albert. God bless him. the idea that a prog rock polymath or a a heavy metal band was gonna be playing there is probably not in her thoughts.
Timbo: couldn't be further from it I'm sure.
Giles: Couldn't be further from it. So the acoustics have had quite a play with. Those mushrooms on the ceiling, that's that wasn't there when they first first built it. But it's an extraordinary thing, not least its construction, but the the the feeling of almost, you know, can can sound fill this place? one thing you find I've found with with gigs is some sometimes and this is I've never been to a gig at a football stadium 'cause those those venues are n were never designed for live music. And I've heard so many people say, I mean it was a great experience, but the sound was terrible. Well I'm not surprised, you know. You'll be able to tell me a lot more about what that feeling is like at a festival, 'cause they're in a similar situation, but there's a different vibe going on there, isn't there? For all sorts of reasons.
Timbo: Yes, I think it's an interesting point about the venue, the vibe and the band.
Giles: it was an artist who was and his band who played can I name the artist? I can name the artist, yeah. Other artists
Timbo: I think you can name the artist. I think you can name it. I think you can name the artist. Yeah.
Giles: are available. Stephen Wilson, who if you know who he is, you'll know who he is and quite a lot of people don't, but if you do take a dive in, he's quite the polymath. But anyway, he was Saying goodbye to an album he released that was being sort of semi reimagined with a full orchestra. And most most bands that have some kind of live show will use, of course, the you know, LED screens or g lighting or whatever and it if they are playing at a place like the Royal Albert Hall, there's quite a quite a task to put all of that up 'cause if of course, you know, it's it was built to see things in the round. So you've got choir seats behind the stage and then you've got the full round in front. It was a full orchestra. And which is what it was built for.
Timbo: which is what it was built for, Full Orchestra, really.
Giles: Yeah, completely, completely. most of the time see you want to try and see the band or see live music. Bands want to project out in front. And so, you know you're hardwired into if if you're a musician or a performer to you know project out. It's slightly different when you're in the round. I mean, somebody like you'll you won't know much about this band, but they're quite well known. Metallica, when they do their stadium gigs, they make a point of being in the middle of the stadium. They play in the round. Yes, yeah,
Timbo: right, they play in the round quite literally.
Giles: yes did this many, many, many years ago in the round.
Timbo: You've never been to the Royal Albert Hall, so was a new venue for you.
Giles: Never been through a rabbit hole. A new
Timbo: you were a little bit discombobulated when we met about the, I felt. Do you think, or
Giles: That's an age thing, I think, though. Yeah, I think so.
Timbo: how do you find how did you find going to the new venue compared to being an old venue or well known revenue.
Giles: Well, I think there was something very much in the in the drawer of of being at of it being at the Royal Albert Hall, It was quite a unique thing he was doing with his the orchestra and the full band. So th going back to why I went to the gig in the first place, I think I was probably more Just excited about the whole idea of it, about, seeing this event at this venue. it was probably not going to get recorded. So, you you kind of you had to be there moment. It's nice part of London, which I do remember having faffed around there a few times in the past. it was exciting. It was a bit of a thrill, you know. Yes.
Timbo: So you were, you're on your own, but were you, you can't stand at the Royal, well think you can stand at the Royal Aber Hall, but you have a seat.
Giles: yes, there have been I've seen lots of bands or footage of bands who've who've got a mosh pit and the rest. but yes, it
Timbo: Web, web.
Giles: was seating. I was up in the s up in second tier in a box and
Timbo: What?
Giles: in a box. Yeah. So the second tier there are boxes of eight seats.
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: But it was at Well,
Timbo: are the best seats in the Royal Albert Hall, I think.
Giles: this was the seats. This box was the last box. So if you're stood on the stage and you look directly top right, that's where the box was.
Timbo: where you were
Giles: That's where I was.
Timbo: and you were you were obviously you're on your own who
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: who else who else is in the box take me through entering the box so
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: you see obviously got there you know you're in a box
Giles: Well, I left i you and I you you and I le you and I you and I parted company and I wandered up Exhibition Road and I took a moment outside to enjoy some cherry vanilla tobacco and to see as I as you arrived coming up from Exhibition Road the the door entry door was was right there, so I didn't have to wander
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: around the place. Went in, got myself a libation. And thought, right, I'll go and have a wander around and have a look. queued for some merch, managed to get the the the last, last, absolutely the last double XL T shirt in a particular style that was the better of the two on offer, which was a delight. I thought, hang on, it's
Timbo: That's a win.
Giles: gonna be one of those nights. it's all about little wins.
Timbo: What's
Giles: So I just had a mooch around. Nosey went back outside again. Went back in again. And as I approached the the t on that floor where the boxes are, all the doors were shut. So there was a couple of concierge people there. I said, I'm in box seven or whatever it was. let me open the door for you, sir. So the door was open, gracious me, yeah. That's very good of you. And ki key out. Yeah, I mean I just love the fact.
Timbo: key.
Giles: a key to unlock the door to the to the b to the booth, to the box.
Timbo: they lock you in do they? When you're in they lock you in? No.
Giles: No, no, no. Once they they unlock you and then the door stays open. You walk in and there's a little table there. there's a little menu toward some pizzas, if you wish, or some drinks that could be brought to the the booth. There's a little table there. Place to hang up your your various things, like your bag with your t shirt in you were fortunate enough to buy.
Timbo: your cloak, et cetera.
Giles: or whatever your overcoat of choice is. and then it had I was first in. I was first in,
Timbo: Were you the first in? Were you the first in to the book? First in.
Giles: So I was first in, yeah.
Timbo: See the first thing, do you have a specific, so does your ticket mean that you've got a particular seat in the box or is it, right.
Giles: particular seats. And I was told by the beautifully beautifully coffered a a fabulously mustachioed concierge chap who was probably about nineteen. And and interestingly enough, I heard him talking to one of his other colleagues a bit later on about Dutch philosophy. Now I thought you don't get that at the Manstream News Arena. Anyway, so there were eight seats. Mine was the two seats at the back of the sorry the four seats at the back and the four seats at the front. there was a step down to the floor at the front, to the floor at the back were actually high chairs or bar stools.
Timbo: not like a kid's high chair with a little tray on the front that you.
Giles: Not like a kid's touch here with a little tray, because I don't think I could have got into that or certainly not pulled the tray down. But anyway, so mine was back right. So of that box, I probably had the best view of everybody in the box. So
Timbo: Were you not concerned about balance on that high chair? Stool?
Giles: Am I okay actually with balance? I can still at the moment anyway, can still don't suffer from anything verti vertiginous, vertig vertig I don't I struggle with my balance.
Timbo: Getting in and out, did you get up? Did you have to clamber?
Giles: I was okay yet no no no No I didn't need a leg up. There were no separate stairs up to the high chair stroke bar still. So
Timbo: So you've identified your barstool. You've identified, obviously I'm
Giles: Yes, yes.
Timbo: sure you've been perusing the menu thinking, can I get a drink delivered?
Giles: Yeah, well as I'd already eaten, so I wasn't probably in the mood for any more food at that particular point in the evening. But it that view of the stage, bearing in mind how the place is con constructed, was slight, slightly restricted view. So if I was to l sit back in the high chair bar stool, I would have probably struggled to see the bottom eighth of the stage. In fact I did. So to get the fullest view, bearing in mind the drum kit was set up almost right underneath us, I had to lean forward and teeter forward.
Timbo: Do you need to see, when you go to a gig, do you need to have a full view of band? Does that affect your experience?
Giles: Not at all. 'Cause I'm sure we'll talk about public s public service broadcasting that we saw at the end of September. We'll come to that. And we'll also come on to
Timbo: We will, we will, we will. Okay, so.
Giles: the point of do we stand or do you sit?
Timbo: At the Royal Aberhal you're sitting down, you're in your box, you've identified
Giles: Hmm.
Timbo: your bar stall, you've taken your photos, you've done your selfies. Still on your own? In the box?
Giles: Mm. Hmm. I think so, yes. I think so, yes. Then two couples came in, and the two couples were clearly from Italy because they were talking Italian, oddly enough. And they were very pleasant and they were very excited because they'd bought some T shirts.
Timbo: So you engage with the Italians.
Giles: There was a little bit of I I was sat there, just taking it all in and then watching them get very excited about the fact they had some t shirts and the w the woman in front of me stood up and went See, see? I think see as in not look, but yes, yes. I think that's what C is in Italian. Anyway, so I just said Bellissima and then there was a bit of a you know, very cool at
Timbo: Very good.
Giles: the end, yeah, all of that nonsense. So I got up and because I'd bought myself an IPA, so I thought I'd go back and have another sip of the IPA that was on the table. And then two more people came in. two fellas of a certain age, tall fella, who I very quickly worked out was Dutch. So you very
Timbo: Bound to be at that height, bound to be at that height.
Giles: So we just we just started chatting. it started with the Dutch fella saying to me, Shaw you were here early in the week and Shaw Hackett when he's last short of the tour. Steve Hackett, former Genesis guitar player and solo. no. No. Why didn't you I can't? You should fantastic gig, it was great. I'm doing a Dutch accent, by the way. Yeah, all of that. So
Timbo: God, great, thanks. It's good to the listener to understand that.
Giles: thank you. so then that just kind of started and then we just talked about other stuff that they they go to a lot of gigs. Particularly the old man. The eyes got broken
Timbo: so the ice got broken.
Giles: with my terrible j Dutch impress no, and with the question about a hack it. Anyway, so then They'd go to a lot of gigs together. They'd seen a lot of Stephen Wilson in the past.
Timbo: wasn't your first thought with the tall Dutch fella, is he sitting in front of me?
Giles: No, because the the four Italians were. And
Timbo: right,
Giles: by nature of the Italians, they were quite small.
Timbo: Okay.
Giles: Delightful, but quite small. So it it's so the as as we sort of leading up to the gig and then we had the you where do you live? Where are you from? This is the Dutch fellow again. and then the obligatory football talk anyway, so We're we're getting close to the kickoff now. And I think naturally, because there was this we can't quite see the full stage, we kinda just stood up. Just stood up at the back, which was, you know, raised up from the seats in front.
Timbo: Yeah.
Giles: And and it was like a stood up gig for a bit. And then we could sit down, then we could stand up. And then there was a intermission and then
Timbo: And you weren't in a mosh pit, you weren't on your own.
Giles: Not in a box sixty feet up, no.
Timbo: I know when you a few months ago, went to Brickson Academy, you were very unhappy You were
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: in the mosh pit by the bar, with one of your sons. You got very unhappy with the
Giles: Eldest, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: bumping. people getting in
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: your way.
Giles: Mm nostalgia got in the way of a of a decent decision about where to stand that night. Th there was no question about that. So I do c I know you have a view on Brixton Academy. I do like it as a venue, a
Timbo: So do I.
Giles: lot.
Timbo: I've got lots of happy memories of seeing lots of gigs at Britson Academy. it's
Giles: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: probably, I hate to say it's probably my home ground for gigging.
Giles: Right. Well
Timbo: I know what I'm getting into with the Brixton Academy. I know
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: it can get a bit, you have to.
Giles: I'd been b I'd I'd been in two thousand and three the first time seeing a band called Tool who were even renowned at that time as having a quite an immersive live experience. and and and and and completely,
Timbo: That was pre smartphone though.
Giles: And seeing that with a mate and standing at the back next to the Barbit, throwing Stella down your neck. It we've got very fond memories of that being quite an incredible night. So when I knew this band was coming, interestingly enough, a different band with the same lead singer, that Jez wanted to see as well. We thought, let's do that. It you know, I'm gonna recreate some of the memories of of your it was Quite early on that we found our way to the back of the hall, near one next to one of the bars, and unfortunately it just it
Timbo: The big bar, weren't you? You were at the big bar. The big long bar? Yeah.
Giles: There's a big bar and then there's a big long bar, but then there's three bars inside the inside the venue,
Timbo: Mmm.
Giles: pretty much just underneath the the the circle.
Timbo: which for the listener you want to avoid being anywhere near, because it's a bun fight.
Giles: Which well, yeah, it was less about people trying to get to the bar, it was people getting to the back bar. We
Timbo: Getting in and out of the, yeah.
Giles: just got pushed and buffered all the way through to the point where, for all sorts of reasons, some fisticus nearly ensued. But anyway, it was all fine in the end. And it didn't distract from a cracking gig.
Timbo: interestingly, so going back to your Royal Albert Hall experience, you didn't have any of that because you were in your posh box. Brilliant, so is that side deal?
Giles: No, no, no. I didn't expect to get buffered at all by the big Dutch fella at all. this made me think a little bit more based on what what are we talking about this for? So the idea of what do we do now? Gigging is I've always I've always loved watching live music, as you have, I know. it's it's not necessarily that I've not had the opportunity to go and see some of the people that I want to go and see live. and there's it I'm not necessarily thinking that, in the what do we do now world of the future, I've now got freedom to go not just anywhere, but to go and see anyone. with a plan, obviously you just need to go and I'm gonna go up to Aberdeen and see, A B C and the Carol Decker show with Topow and the rest play. But I can actually plan this stuff out now and I I could probably go and see people that I'm intrigued to find out about and and also not restrict where in the UK or indeed anywhere I could go and see live music.
Timbo: Well, that freedom is about trying, not just being able to see bands that you would, you you might have been on the fence and am I going to go, am I not going to go? It's a bit far, it doesn't matter. But
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: going to new venues like the Royal Albert Hall is also part of that experience.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: have, correct me if I'm wrong, the outdoor gigging experience is not one that you've partaken in.
Giles: The only band I've seen live and outside was Porcupine Tree at the Deansgate Castle Castlefield Bowl, which was gr which was great. Again, went with jazz to see them. And they and I w saw them because, you know, they're a band, again, led by Stephen Wilson, but they'd played one gig. They were never going to get back together again. All of a sudden they get back together again. They're never going to re release any more music. And they have done. They're at Wembley Arena. So I drove down to Wembley Arena. parked up next to it, went in on my John Bond, went in, so drove back home. Yeah, sorry. It's not it's yeah, for being on your own.
Timbo: John Bond, John Bond, what's that? Wormsloe rhyming slang for...
Giles: It was a point where John Bond was manager of Man City and he seemed very alone. Nobody really supported him. So for for a while. Yeah, I know we changed it. So
Timbo: Okay, I think it's Jack Jones. being outside does, it's interesting how,
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: don't you see the venue and being outside does massively changes your experience of the gig.
Giles: It does.
Timbo: I think we went to, as you were talking about earlier, I think we went to public service broadcasting at Alexander Palace
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: two or three weeks ago. a band we both love. I band, true.
Giles: Yes. Well, you more than me, I'd I'd I'd I only really, inspected a couple of tracks here and there, but thought, you know, I knew they were and you'd see them live and raved. I'd
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: knew they were w were quite a band to see live. There was a reason to go to Ali Pally because I'd never been before. It was a great opportunity
Timbo: Not the new venue.
Giles: for for my colleague and I to get together along with another dear friend
Timbo: I think this is a good example though, because I've seen that band in three different types of venue. I've seen
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: that band at a very intimate of
Giles: Soiree?
Timbo: album, a very intimate venue that I'm actually going to on Wednesday to see editors
Giles: yes. Yes.
Timbo: called Circuit in Kingston, which is part of Bankrupt Records. as you will be aware Giles, album launches,
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Timbo: et cetera. Bands will often do a sort of mini tour,
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: to do a bit of a launch or a listen through of a new album in a very small venue. So I've seen them twice at that venue with less than 200 people in it on a very
Giles: Interesting. Yeah.
Timbo: small stage. I then saw them at a festival. Latitude 2025,
Giles: yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Timbo: which was absolutely superb in really, really good. And then we went to see them Ali Pali, very different. I think it was the largest venue they'd ever played,
Giles: I would have thought so.
Timbo: although I think they have done the Royal Albert Hall. actually. They did the Royal Albert Hall
Giles: Still more at Ali Pali.
Timbo: for their BBC homage piece which is
Giles: Okay.
Timbo: worth a listen to. And it was the three experiences with chalk and cheese. I Ali Pali.
Giles: You were le I think you were less enthused about Ali Pally, weren't you? Overall.
Timbo: Yeah, and I think some of that was the venue rather than the band. The band put loads of effort into the show at Ali Pali. The
Giles: Did
Timbo: experience, I thought the sound was pretty good at Ali Pali. Yeah, but the visuals were good, the playing was good.
Giles: I thought the sound was really good. And the visuals were good and the staging it was good. And coming back to going back to your point of, seeing a band actually being able to see the band. You know, I've regal
Timbo: we couldn't see the band.
Giles: I've regaled a few times my given my, you know, significant stature is unfortunately in the wrong direction. It should be up rather than across. Of the sort of three other mates that re regularly go to gigs together whenever we can all go together. One of them's six foot nine plus a bit, and the other one's six foot two plus a bit. So often, if I can, I will try and position myself between the two to create some kind of parting of the Red Sea to get some sight of the band. Because otherwise the chances are I'll I'll I'll be on my tiptoes for five to ten seconds every two minutes or I won't see anything. No, I couldn't see anything at there's something about that big communal experience though, that's different and it sorta doesn't matter. I think.
Timbo: but this was my issue, I think, with Alipay and public service broadcasting, which because it's... The view of the stage was poor for everyone, think, pretty much
Giles: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: beyond about 20 meters from the front of the stage. The stage was very low.
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: to be fair, public service broadcasting and not sort of dancing around on the stage But there was something about that. It created a bit of a disconnect, I think.
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: The other thing was, I think the crowd was, our vintage. There
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: wasn't a lot of, I didn't get much off the crowd, was a lot of. I don't know, there wasn't, we didn't really get much.
Giles: What did you what did you want from the crowd?
Timbo: I thought a bit more movement, lot, I overheard lots of conversations of people talking about the technicalities of how they were playing this particular track and the order in which they were doing the tracks and the slight different remix of this track, I gig where,
Giles: I'm going to make a note of that because as I've had my issues with people talking and gassing on and making noise rather than s standing there or sitting there and listening to the bloody music.
Timbo: Well, that's it. I think that's whether that was true or whether it was in my head. I think it was part of the best gigging experiences is when the crowd, but
Giles: Yeah. That's distract that's distracting, isn't it? Yeah.
Timbo: when you feel that the crowd is just caught up in the music, there's nothing
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: else that's more important than the music. There's no, The smartphone, the iPhone bollocks,
Giles: Bullocks, yeah.
Timbo: it definitely makes that happen
Giles: Excuse me.
Timbo: less often where people just get involved in the gig, get involved in the music. But it has happened. it didn't happen at Alley Pally. for some reason, I think, when the gig's outside,
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: that can happen more often.
Giles: Distraction.
Timbo: Yeah, the crowd is not, festivals
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: are probably a bad example of this because people are at festival, you've got to expect that not everybody who's watching the band is there to see, is necessarily into that band because they're at a festival and it's a festival band. But when I have...
Giles: No, absolutely. and I've heard a couple of tracks, but and when this one comes on I'm probably gonna start chatting to somebody next to me or do you want a pint? Does anybody else want a pint?
Timbo: But conversely, as we're talking to about seeing public service broadcasting at latitude, that was a fantastic
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: atmosphere watching them. That everyone
Giles: More intimate.
Timbo: was really, well, there was a lot of people, but I
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: think everybody was just absorbed by the music.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: I've been to Glastonbury quite a few times and I've
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: I remember seeing Kylie Minogue at the pyramid stage
Giles: Brilliant.
Timbo: in mid-afternoon, right?
Giles: Yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: There was 100,000 people completely caught up in that music. They just couldn't get it out of their heads.
Giles: stop it. You right. This is supposed to be spontaneous.
Timbo: I've also seen people die on their arses. Ed Sheeran, for example.
Giles: Yes. Very topical. Go on.
Timbo: Well, my experience seeing Ed Sheeran at Glastonbury was... wasn't that great. Yeah,
Giles: Was this a headline?
Timbo: I think it was a Saturday night headliner and
Giles: Right, right.
Timbo: people were there but they weren't into it in the same, it wasn't the same atmosphere.
Giles: Mm, I think there's a few things there, obviously. I mean I've seen I'll go I'll go back to tool as as being the the biggest visual oral assault on the senses you can't help but get drawn in. You can't you you could just nowhere else to look. Plus they ban mobile phones. And I've seen people get kicked out of tool gigs, dragged out by security for using their phone. You're there to see the band. they play you know, they played at the Ozzy Osbourne tribute gig a few months ago at Villa Park. They play festivals all the time. So it's not like they're just, you know, it's gotta be this thing or or Or swing for it. and I've seen Queens of the Stone Age at Manchester Evening News Arena or the AO Arena, whatever it's called, who just played and just they got the place rocking in the space of three and a half minutes and it was just an exciting drawn in sound.
Timbo: Ali Pali is a venue, right? There was
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: something about the venue that didn't quite work and it might have been the crowd, but when you go to those big oblong, sheddy type venues,
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: I'm not trying to compare the architectural splendor of Ali Pali with the Co-op Live
Giles: it's not seen as a you know, on the rotor of of if you're gonna play big at venues in the in the capital, it doesn't often appear. There's something about, you know, they wanted to be there because it was where it all began, where the BBC began. So there's a connection
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: there. You know, there's all of that why public service broadcasting played it. I think If they were going to do a big gig somewhere else, again, they wouldn't go back to Ali Pali. I think it was just you know, because of the the history of the place. And it's an extraordinary building, extraordinary place, but it wasn't
Timbo: Yes, yes, yes.
Giles: it wasn't built for going back to this open air, you know, certainly football stadium thing, they're not they were not built for live music. Royal Albert Hall absolutely was built for live music, and the most recent. addition to the roster of places to go and see bands in the UK, Co-op Live was built for live music. The clues in the title. and we were fort I was fortunate to be there on the opening night to see Elbow play. And apart from Guy Garvey being an extraordinary showman, the sound quality was incredible. It was it's a big, not quite oblong, but pretty much. that just draws you in. The sound draws you in. And and he as a front man on the band drew you in. And it felt very intimate.
Timbo: you knew it was gonna be a beautiful day.
Giles: Stop it. It's grounds for divorce, this is. Anyway, some of that's for the birds, but we'll move on.
Timbo: at the risk of showing our age, gigging has changed a lot in our lifetimes. The venues
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: have changed a lot, the experience has changed a lot, you know, getting on the Twitter.
Giles: Some places haven't, some haven't. Brixton Academy didn't seem to be any different the last time I was at the O to Apollo in Ardwick, which you will have been to as a a former student of of Manchester University,
Timbo: I've been there, yes I've been there. Similar
Giles: I don't think the last time I went to the Apollo, which is quite a while ago now, was it to see Saxon, maybe? It hadn't changed. It was the same carpet. It must have been. Still very sticky. Maybe they have changed.
Timbo: I think they've changed the carpet in Britain Academy, maybe.
Giles: Maybe they have, but the venues are the same. Those venues are the bit the one the types of venue I haven't experienced, which is what I'm going to be doing in March in the space of a couple of days, is going to a much smaller, intimate type venue that you've mentioned earlier. the Ritz, which is Ritz is a good venue in Manchester. A much more intimate, much more intimate.
Timbo: I think the size of venues has changed. think the available size of venue today is very different. You didn't have something like the Co-op Live when we first started gigging. The gigging that I first went to repurposed at places like the Brighton Dome, Brixton Academy.
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: They were repurposed older buildings.
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: that had some performance, Hammersmith, Apollo, for example. you
Giles: Yeah, good place.
Timbo: know, think those venues have, they have moved with the times in terms of it's marginally easier to get a drink. But you
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: now have much more kind of purpose built. Some people would argue the whole football stadium experience of seeing a gig is less intimate.
Giles: gonna be a bit of a generalization here. you you go and see the Foo Fighters, who I would actually quite like to see them live. Then playing Anfield for four nights or whatever they did. Are are you gonna be
Timbo: Yeah, but you'd never go to Anfield anyway.
Giles: No, that's very true. That is very true on print on a matter of principle. But but they're that you're not gonna at a Foo Fighters gig, you're not gonna be stood at the on the in the mosh pit at all, or even fifty yards back from the stage going, hmm, sounds a bit tinny. You know, y y similarly,
Timbo: You're not gonna...
Giles: if you're gonna go and see Oasis at their three hundred and sixty game s date tour at the Etihad next season, you're not gonna say sounds a bit crappier 'cause you're just gonna be singing along and chucking beer and the rest around.
Timbo: But it's not gonna I disagree, I don't think it will sound that bad. I remember one of the first outdoor gigs that I went to was at the old Wembley Arena to see Madonna. sorry, the old Wembley Stadium.
Giles: Stadium, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: And the sound was awful. Couldn't hear a thing. But these days, you know.
Giles: And I'm only going off a couple of people who've said, you I went see A C D see it at Man City and it was crap and the rest. But
Timbo: I'll tell you one thing that has changed going gigging. I'll use Brixton as an example.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: you're back in there,
Giles: yeah.
Timbo: you get the tube, you get out of Brixton tube station
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: to the gig as you got up to the top of the escalators. Anyone got tickets? Still got two tickets.
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: Anyone got two tickets for two? You got two tickets. So we've got two tickets. Tickets,
Giles: Nowhere to be seen.
Timbo: tickets, tickets, tickets. Have you ever bought a touted ticket back when it was proper paper tickets? you ever bought? So that Madonna,
Giles: I don't think I have. I don't think I have. I'd never
Timbo: that Madonna going to Madonna at Wembley Stadium, I went
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: with a mate who had a ticket and we went and I
Giles: Right.
Timbo: bought a ticket from a towel outside Wembley Stadium.
Giles: Outstanding or toutstanding, in fact.
Timbo: outstanding cash money yes proper shekels and in Brixton
Giles: Really? Proper shekels and all that. How much over the What's a name did you pay?
Timbo: I can't remember how much it was and it's probably you know Tuppam's apenny
Giles: Thirty, forty quid or something.
Timbo: here's the thing, gigs in pubs. there's something about stumbling on a gig. which can be very, very special when you stumble
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: across live music being played, But I'd like to present a scenario with you. So I won't mention the pub. I won't mention the name of the pub,
Giles: good. all about scenarios. Okay, don't then.
Timbo: but you'll be familiar with the, you and I have been in this pub. I frequent this pub quite a lot. And it's a pub pub.
Giles: is it? it is, yes, I remember. Yes.
Timbo: It's a pub pub that doesn't even serve food, it just serves drinks. I caveat all of this
Giles: Serves pubs. beers, yeah. Yeah. Alcohol.
Timbo: with understanding that pubs need to make a living and it's difficult being a landlord at the moment. But
Giles: Very much so. Yeah, yeah.
Timbo: this pub is very, very busy on a Friday after work, locally, and is a bit of a meeting point, lots of locals. lots of my neighbours go in there, et cetera.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: Last Friday at 7.30,
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: pubs very busy, and set up a DJ. who then proceeded to start playing, in my humble opinion, far
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: too early on a Friday night, at quarter to eight, a
Giles: That is early, isn't it?
Timbo: Northern Soul set.
Giles: interesting. Okay. Wasn't Steve Davis, was it?
Timbo: which wasn't Steve Davis, who famously
Giles: Could have
Timbo: has.
Giles: One of the largest collections of music and soul music, as the Maccabi on Wednesday told me.
Timbo: So. I think it's really hit and miss. You either go have a separate room where you have the music and make it
Giles: Yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: a thing, but if you're having it in the bar, one, It's gotta be from nine o'clock onwards. Number two, if
Giles: Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Timbo: you've got a live band in the bar, the
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: most you can have is a three piece.
Giles: okay.
Timbo: Ideally, man with a guitar works the best I've seen is person with a guitar.
Giles: Yeah, what, on his John Bond? Jack Jones.
Timbo: On these...
Giles: On his tot.
Timbo: on his Ed Sheeran. So yeah, like Ed Sheeran would
Giles: Well On his head Shearing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: go down a bomb, better than he did at pyramid stage, just in a pub. Or, or man playing
Giles: Very good. And v better than he did on his recent tour, if you believe all you read.
Timbo: Thoughts, would you go in, if you're in your local by the roundabout.
Giles: Well, I was out with out with a a very dear, dear, dear, dear friend at the King's Arms the other day and probably a couple of nights a week, certainly Thursdays, there is a
Timbo: music.
Giles: they'll have live music, yeah. In the bar though. It they don't have separate rooms.
Timbo: Does it work when you...
Giles: It does 'cause it's it was it was busy. It was a busy old Thursday night's a good night for a few cherries anyway. But yeah.
Timbo: What time were they on? What was the format of the live music?
Giles: There were it was a band of four in the little
Timbo: Fool.
Giles: nook that yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. it
Timbo: Drummer.
Giles: might have been the was it four or was it a three? but g yeah, guitar cover mus cover cover tracks, guitar rock stuff.
Timbo: Don't get me wrong, it can be superb, but you've gotta pitch it right. You've gotta...
Giles: Yeah, it was it started Half nine, maybe, quarter to ten. the
Timbo: Perfect, perfect for me, yeah.
Giles: good evening, I phone Urking Yep. Good evening, we're the grumpy old farts. Before we start, any requests? Yeah, get off. Brilliant. Before we start, any requests.
Timbo: one of the best, in the last 12 months, one of my best gigging experiences when I took my daughter to see, there was 200 people. Gray. No,
Giles: Bavarian? No. him, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: Conan, what's his name? He just released an album. It was teenage girls, was 100 % teenage girls and some parents. My wife and I sat at the bar at the back out of the melee. This album
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: had been out three days.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: He was doing an acoustic set. They knew every single word, so much so you could not hear him sing. It was an amazing, amazing experience as a
Giles: Thank God for Spotify. Yeah.
Timbo: But gigging
Giles: services.
Timbo: is about that collective experience for me. The best gigs are when
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: everybody, you know, it's
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: a bit like being on the terraces. It's that moment where everyone is just
Giles: It is.
Timbo: one.
Giles: Yeah, it is.
Timbo: gigging's definitely gonna be something that we're gonna be doing more of. I really like to travel to see, make visiting a... different country or different town indeed. I'm having gigging part of that experience of travelling, I hesitate to say this because I am being serious
Giles: Please don't.
Timbo: here. I am blessed and cursed with living so close to London,
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: being in London. with the ability to see lots and lots and lots of gigs and failing to go to lots and lots of gigs. It's 40,
Giles: Mm-hmm.
Timbo: 40 minutes, 45 minutes it took me to get to you on public transport and I've been to the Royal Appahoe,
Giles: Nothing, is it?
Timbo: it's nothing. It really isn't anything and there's so many great, every night of the week there's some gigging to be done in London if you wanted to. As there is in Manchester, don't get me wrong.
Giles: So there's yeah, there is. Well, I g I'm I'm now on Instagram as Manchester Gig Guide and every Monday morning it lists all the live events that are happening for the next week, Monday to Sunday. And there's there's twenty gigs a day on in Manchester in various places of various shapes and sizes. The the vast minority are those at Co op Live, E
Timbo: Hmm.
Giles: N. the
Timbo: hollow.
Giles: the Apollo and such like the thing now for it being part of what do we do now is I agree totally. I know my sister took her husband to Croatia not that long ago to see in a Roman amphitheatre, famous one in I think it's in Split or something like that. Anyway, Nick Cave play.
Timbo: That's it.
Giles: And and a and the bad seeds, That's that's in the time it's took me to get on a train to the Royal Albert Hall, do the Royal Albert
Timbo: Yeah.
Giles: Hall gig and come back, it's only another half day and I could have flown to Croatia for a similar experience. So the the difference
Timbo: And why not?
Giles: well precisely, and now having if you've got the time as you rightly say to plan these things out, now there's there's two things that we've been talking about. Those to go and see because we want to go and see them, and I've got a list of people I want to see again. And there's a cycle to these things. They've got to be releasing music or they need the money
Timbo: There is, there is, yeah.
Giles: or whatever. But then there's the curious of I'm just gonna go. I'm just gonna.
Timbo: and see something new. One of the joys,
Giles: And see what happens. See something new.
Timbo: one of the greatest joys of going to a festival, and Glastonbury is the antithesis of this, is stumbling across people you've never heard of, What do we do now is going to see some new finds, discover new music. And
Giles: Yeah. I
Timbo: the experience of going to a gig, you know, it might not work out, but particularly if it's local, there's loads of bands starting out. I do think I would rather be in a more intimate venue than a bigger venue
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: most of the time. Most of the gigging I do is in smaller, I you know, I put...
Giles: Smaller venues.
Timbo: I'd put your Academies and your Apollos in that bracket as well to more intimate. You've got more chance of...
Giles: And I and I and I've c Yeah, I'd I'd I'd agree. I think that's I I would vote absolutely for solo gigging. That was a great fun, it was a great experience. It was nice to meet some very interesting people and talk some nonsense Interestingly, those Italians that were sat at the front row, the two couples, they had seen Stephen Wilson did a tour last summer, last year. They'd gone on tour with him They'd seen twelve of the European gigs. They just followed him around. And there were
Timbo: wow.
Giles: there were two gigs that I went to a Wednesday night and there was a Thursday night as one. I Al Murray was at the Thursday night one and I was nudging him desperately to get a response on Do you wanna come on the show and talk about retirement? And Prague. Nothing happened. But
Timbo: Okay.
Giles: but the Italians were going there again. They were they were there for the two nights. d very much in a planning to be this is what we do. There's the plan, the people that you know, the people that you want to go and see. You know, there's a Norwegian band from Trondheim that tour almost exclusively in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, and very rarely come this way. I would go to any of those places to see them. They're playing in December in Trondheim. I'm sure they're really
Timbo: Go to Tron Time.
Giles: I mean, it takes me no time to get there. No time.
Timbo: And it would be, maybe it'd be a bit more expensive for a beer, but I'd
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: posse it the cost of getting there versus what you had to pay for your ticket down to London and staying overnight. It's probably that much, not that much different.
Giles: funny about and buying buying new beer and food and thing and thing and thing and thing.
Timbo: And well, and not having to interact with the salt of the earth, is the black cab drivers of London.
Giles: That was a joy, as it always is. As it always is.
Timbo: Do you reckon they'll be listening to the podcast after your recommendation? Unlikely.
Giles: Unlikely. But but both of both of them I did mention it to both of them. I couldn't help it. Imagine what would you do if you're retired. Imagine if there was a podcast that discusses such things that comes out weekly where people are trying to get to understand, well, if I'm gonna stop doing what I'm doing, what do I do now?
Timbo: Imagine if there was
Giles: Imagine that.
Timbo: such a thing. Well, if we find one, we'll let them know. Okay, Giles, I think we've really done that to death. thanks, thanks
Giles: Have we done have we d have we done that to death? Is there anything else? Isn't done it to death metal and back.
Timbo: everyone for getting this far. If you're listening to this far, thank you very much. Have a
Giles: I did have a I did have a love I'm just gonna leave with one lovely comment which you can maybe splice in earlier from a dear friend who I mentioned it's the fisherman who we might come to. he said and it was lovely 'cause I've not spoken to him enough in the last few years and we've reconnected again for different reasons. this is absolutely I've just been listening to the podcast. I found it really frustrating.
Timbo: She's not the only one.
Giles: Because it's you it's you, I kept wanting to interject and converse. Laughing emoji. Good stuff though. Thumb up. So I said, Well,
Timbo: That's lovely.
Giles: I'll take I'll take good stuff if it's had frustrating every day of the week. fishing
Timbo: We need to be careful about fishing. It is covered by two 60 year olds quite a lot. They've gone fishing,
Giles: Is it?
Timbo: yeah.
Giles: Yes, that's true. But this is we've we've got a different
Timbo: But anyway.
Giles: we've got a you know, we're certainly half of us are not as funny as those two. both of us aren't.
Timbo: True. So don't forget, were you gonna try and plug some of your socials now? Have we got any emails? Have we had any emails to that email address?
Giles: Yes. No, no, not at all. I need to send the I need to I need to yeah. So if you do want to in email us, we are at what do we do now twenty six at gmail.com. That is what do we do now or lowercase 26 at gmail dot com. There will be some snippets that'll pop out onto our social media feed. We're on the gram and the X and I'm gonna try and work out what it means to be on YouTube, I'm sure at some point. And we might even do a snippet on TikTok.
Timbo: God, please send us an email just
Giles: 'Cause we're g we're def just pleased.
Timbo: to see if it's working. That would be good. Okay, well
Giles: That'd be nice. Yeah.
Timbo: thanks everyone again for listening. Bye bye, bye. Bye bye, bye, bye,
Giles: Bye bye bye bye.
Timbo: bye, bye.
Giles: Well let's not talk about emptying radiators then, shall we? Hi Tim, how are you? Good morning.
Timbo: Thank you for ask... Sorry, a well thank you, thank you for asking.
Giles: That's excellent. Yeah. I'm fine too. And thank you for asking, though I'm not quite sure you did. Last week's chat with the great Robert O'Callaghan was was good fun. Have you booked your golf lesson?
Timbo: No.
Giles: Excellent. Okay, we'll come back to Tim Tries another day, I think. You don't you don't want that you don't want that to be a thing. We we're gonna have some
Timbo: You've just you're not letting that
Giles: something to look forward to, for goodness sake.
Timbo: some semblance of some sort of format ideas, but you're.
Giles: It's content, mate. It's content. It's content.
Timbo: you're not letting Tim Tries go. I have had a comment from the overseas listener.
Giles: how is the overseas listener? Well we're gonna hear his comment and that'll give us some idea of how he is,
Timbo: He's well. Just
Giles: Excellent. Good.
Timbo: quote, just listen to all in capitals of pottering. And I mean all in capitals, dot dot. The outro music really builds to border game show territory, exclamation mark. Chat is really good on the pod. By the way, really enjoyed it.
Giles: Game Show territory
Timbo: The music has got
Giles: Sorry, right, I thought.
Timbo: game show vibes.
Giles: Interesting.
Timbo: Have you So what else has been keeping you busy this week? And we can talk about this week on the pod.
Giles: On t pod. Well, I'm sort of really drawn to the subject that we wanted to talk about anyway, 'cause I was in London on Wednesday.
Timbo: and Sav, big smoke, getting confused.
Giles: Down south.
Timbo: I actually saw you in real life in London.
Giles: We did see each other in real life in proper three D and everything. Dolby Atmos, probably. yes, it was lovely
Timbo: See you in...
Giles: to see you.
Timbo: you were down in London because you were gigging.
Giles: I was gigging. I was gigging. Solo gigging. I was at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time.
Timbo: Woooo
Giles: Yeah, d there wasn't a lot of that going on, quite an experience. It's it's an extraordinary place. I'm delighted to have been. Could be already possibly one of my new favourite venues.
Timbo: Well, I have to say it is built for music.
Giles: Yeah, they've done some work with the acoustics because it was origin of course when when Queen Victoria built it with her own bare hands as a gift to Prince Albert. God bless him. the idea that a prog rock polymath or a a heavy metal band was gonna be playing there is probably not in her thoughts.
Timbo: couldn't be further from it I'm sure.
Giles: Couldn't be further from it. So the acoustics have had quite a play with. Those mushrooms on the ceiling, that's that wasn't there when they first first built it. But it's an extraordinary thing, not least its construction, but the the the feeling of almost, you know, can can sound fill this place? one thing you find I've found with with gigs is some sometimes and this is I've never been to a gig at a football stadium 'cause those those venues are n were never designed for live music. And I've heard so many people say, I mean it was a great experience, but the sound was terrible. Well I'm not surprised, you know. You'll be able to tell me a lot more about what that feeling is like at a festival, 'cause they're in a similar situation, but there's a different vibe going on there, isn't there? For all sorts of reasons.
Timbo: Yes, I think it's an interesting point about the venue, the vibe and the band.
Giles: it was an artist who was and his band who played can I name the artist? I can name the artist, yeah. Other artists
Timbo: I think you can name the artist. I think you can name it. I think you can name the artist. Yeah.
Giles: are available. Stephen Wilson, who if you know who he is, you'll know who he is and quite a lot of people don't, but if you do take a dive in, he's quite the polymath. But anyway, he was Saying goodbye to an album he released that was being sort of semi reimagined with a full orchestra. And most most bands that have some kind of live show will use, of course, the you know, LED screens or g lighting or whatever and it if they are playing at a place like the Royal Albert Hall, there's quite a quite a task to put all of that up 'cause if of course, you know, it's it was built to see things in the round. So you've got choir seats behind the stage and then you've got the full round in front. It was a full orchestra. And which is what it was built for.
Timbo: which is what it was built for, Full Orchestra, really.
Giles: Yeah, completely, completely. most of the time see you want to try and see the band or see live music. Bands want to project out in front. And so, you know you're hardwired into if if you're a musician or a performer to you know project out. It's slightly different when you're in the round. I mean, somebody like you'll you won't know much about this band, but they're quite well known. Metallica, when they do their stadium gigs, they make a point of being in the middle of the stadium. They play in the round. Yes, yeah,
Timbo: right, they play in the round quite literally.
Giles: yes did this many, many, many years ago in the round.
Timbo: You've never been to the Royal Albert Hall, so was a new venue for you.
Giles: Never been through a rabbit hole. A new
Timbo: you were a little bit discombobulated when we met about the, I felt. Do you think, or
Giles: That's an age thing, I think, though. Yeah, I think so.
Timbo: how do you find how did you find going to the new venue compared to being an old venue or well known revenue.
Giles: Well, I think there was something very much in the in the drawer of of being at of it being at the Royal Albert Hall, It was quite a unique thing he was doing with his the orchestra and the full band. So th going back to why I went to the gig in the first place, I think I was probably more Just excited about the whole idea of it, about, seeing this event at this venue. it was probably not going to get recorded. So, you you kind of you had to be there moment. It's nice part of London, which I do remember having faffed around there a few times in the past. it was exciting. It was a bit of a thrill, you know. Yes.
Timbo: So you were, you're on your own, but were you, you can't stand at the Royal, well think you can stand at the Royal Aber Hall, but you have a seat.
Giles: yes, there have been I've seen lots of bands or footage of bands who've who've got a mosh pit and the rest. but yes, it
Timbo: Web, web.
Giles: was seating. I was up in the s up in second tier in a box and
Timbo: What?
Giles: in a box. Yeah. So the second tier there are boxes of eight seats.
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: But it was at Well,
Timbo: are the best seats in the Royal Albert Hall, I think.
Giles: this was the seats. This box was the last box. So if you're stood on the stage and you look directly top right, that's where the box was.
Timbo: where you were
Giles: That's where I was.
Timbo: and you were you were obviously you're on your own who
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: who else who else is in the box take me through entering the box so
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: you see obviously got there you know you're in a box
Giles: Well, I left i you and I you you and I le you and I you and I parted company and I wandered up Exhibition Road and I took a moment outside to enjoy some cherry vanilla tobacco and to see as I as you arrived coming up from Exhibition Road the the door entry door was was right there, so I didn't have to wander
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: around the place. Went in, got myself a libation. And thought, right, I'll go and have a wander around and have a look. queued for some merch, managed to get the the the last, last, absolutely the last double XL T shirt in a particular style that was the better of the two on offer, which was a delight. I thought, hang on, it's
Timbo: That's a win.
Giles: gonna be one of those nights. it's all about little wins.
Timbo: What's
Giles: So I just had a mooch around. Nosey went back outside again. Went back in again. And as I approached the the t on that floor where the boxes are, all the doors were shut. So there was a couple of concierge people there. I said, I'm in box seven or whatever it was. let me open the door for you, sir. So the door was open, gracious me, yeah. That's very good of you. And ki key out. Yeah, I mean I just love the fact.
Timbo: key.
Giles: a key to unlock the door to the to the b to the booth, to the box.
Timbo: they lock you in do they? When you're in they lock you in? No.
Giles: No, no, no. Once they they unlock you and then the door stays open. You walk in and there's a little table there. there's a little menu toward some pizzas, if you wish, or some drinks that could be brought to the the booth. There's a little table there. Place to hang up your your various things, like your bag with your t shirt in you were fortunate enough to buy.
Timbo: your cloak, et cetera.
Giles: or whatever your overcoat of choice is. and then it had I was first in. I was first in,
Timbo: Were you the first in? Were you the first in to the book? First in.
Giles: So I was first in, yeah.
Timbo: See the first thing, do you have a specific, so does your ticket mean that you've got a particular seat in the box or is it, right.
Giles: particular seats. And I was told by the beautifully beautifully coffered a a fabulously mustachioed concierge chap who was probably about nineteen. And and interestingly enough, I heard him talking to one of his other colleagues a bit later on about Dutch philosophy. Now I thought you don't get that at the Manstream News Arena. Anyway, so there were eight seats. Mine was the two seats at the back of the sorry the four seats at the back and the four seats at the front. there was a step down to the floor at the front, to the floor at the back were actually high chairs or bar stools.
Timbo: not like a kid's high chair with a little tray on the front that you.
Giles: Not like a kid's touch here with a little tray, because I don't think I could have got into that or certainly not pulled the tray down. But anyway, so mine was back right. So of that box, I probably had the best view of everybody in the box. So
Timbo: Were you not concerned about balance on that high chair? Stool?
Giles: Am I okay actually with balance? I can still at the moment anyway, can still don't suffer from anything verti vertiginous, vertig vertig I don't I struggle with my balance.
Timbo: Getting in and out, did you get up? Did you have to clamber?
Giles: I was okay yet no no no No I didn't need a leg up. There were no separate stairs up to the high chair stroke bar still. So
Timbo: So you've identified your barstool. You've identified, obviously I'm
Giles: Yes, yes.
Timbo: sure you've been perusing the menu thinking, can I get a drink delivered?
Giles: Yeah, well as I'd already eaten, so I wasn't probably in the mood for any more food at that particular point in the evening. But it that view of the stage, bearing in mind how the place is con constructed, was slight, slightly restricted view. So if I was to l sit back in the high chair bar stool, I would have probably struggled to see the bottom eighth of the stage. In fact I did. So to get the fullest view, bearing in mind the drum kit was set up almost right underneath us, I had to lean forward and teeter forward.
Timbo: Do you need to see, when you go to a gig, do you need to have a full view of band? Does that affect your experience?
Giles: Not at all. 'Cause I'm sure we'll talk about public s public service broadcasting that we saw at the end of September. We'll come to that. And we'll also come on to
Timbo: We will, we will, we will. Okay, so.
Giles: the point of do we stand or do you sit?
Timbo: At the Royal Aberhal you're sitting down, you're in your box, you've identified
Giles: Hmm.
Timbo: your bar stall, you've taken your photos, you've done your selfies. Still on your own? In the box?
Giles: Mm. Hmm. I think so, yes. I think so, yes. Then two couples came in, and the two couples were clearly from Italy because they were talking Italian, oddly enough. And they were very pleasant and they were very excited because they'd bought some T shirts.
Timbo: So you engage with the Italians.
Giles: There was a little bit of I I was sat there, just taking it all in and then watching them get very excited about the fact they had some t shirts and the w the woman in front of me stood up and went See, see? I think see as in not look, but yes, yes. I think that's what C is in Italian. Anyway, so I just said Bellissima and then there was a bit of a you know, very cool at
Timbo: Very good.
Giles: the end, yeah, all of that nonsense. So I got up and because I'd bought myself an IPA, so I thought I'd go back and have another sip of the IPA that was on the table. And then two more people came in. two fellas of a certain age, tall fella, who I very quickly worked out was Dutch. So you very
Timbo: Bound to be at that height, bound to be at that height.
Giles: So we just we just started chatting. it started with the Dutch fella saying to me, Shaw you were here early in the week and Shaw Hackett when he's last short of the tour. Steve Hackett, former Genesis guitar player and solo. no. No. Why didn't you I can't? You should fantastic gig, it was great. I'm doing a Dutch accent, by the way. Yeah, all of that. So
Timbo: God, great, thanks. It's good to the listener to understand that.
Giles: thank you. so then that just kind of started and then we just talked about other stuff that they they go to a lot of gigs. Particularly the old man. The eyes got broken
Timbo: so the ice got broken.
Giles: with my terrible j Dutch impress no, and with the question about a hack it. Anyway, so then They'd go to a lot of gigs together. They'd seen a lot of Stephen Wilson in the past.
Timbo: wasn't your first thought with the tall Dutch fella, is he sitting in front of me?
Giles: No, because the the four Italians were. And
Timbo: right,
Giles: by nature of the Italians, they were quite small.
Timbo: Okay.
Giles: Delightful, but quite small. So it it's so the as as we sort of leading up to the gig and then we had the you where do you live? Where are you from? This is the Dutch fellow again. and then the obligatory football talk anyway, so We're we're getting close to the kickoff now. And I think naturally, because there was this we can't quite see the full stage, we kinda just stood up. Just stood up at the back, which was, you know, raised up from the seats in front.
Timbo: Yeah.
Giles: And and it was like a stood up gig for a bit. And then we could sit down, then we could stand up. And then there was a intermission and then
Timbo: And you weren't in a mosh pit, you weren't on your own.
Giles: Not in a box sixty feet up, no.
Timbo: I know when you a few months ago, went to Brickson Academy, you were very unhappy You were
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: in the mosh pit by the bar, with one of your sons. You got very unhappy with the
Giles: Eldest, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: bumping. people getting in
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: your way.
Giles: Mm nostalgia got in the way of a of a decent decision about where to stand that night. Th there was no question about that. So I do c I know you have a view on Brixton Academy. I do like it as a venue, a
Timbo: So do I.
Giles: lot.
Timbo: I've got lots of happy memories of seeing lots of gigs at Britson Academy. it's
Giles: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: probably, I hate to say it's probably my home ground for gigging.
Giles: Right. Well
Timbo: I know what I'm getting into with the Brixton Academy. I know
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: it can get a bit, you have to.
Giles: I'd been b I'd I'd been in two thousand and three the first time seeing a band called Tool who were even renowned at that time as having a quite an immersive live experience. and and and and and completely,
Timbo: That was pre smartphone though.
Giles: And seeing that with a mate and standing at the back next to the Barbit, throwing Stella down your neck. It we've got very fond memories of that being quite an incredible night. So when I knew this band was coming, interestingly enough, a different band with the same lead singer, that Jez wanted to see as well. We thought, let's do that. It you know, I'm gonna recreate some of the memories of of your it was Quite early on that we found our way to the back of the hall, near one next to one of the bars, and unfortunately it just it
Timbo: The big bar, weren't you? You were at the big bar. The big long bar? Yeah.
Giles: There's a big bar and then there's a big long bar, but then there's three bars inside the inside the venue,
Timbo: Mmm.
Giles: pretty much just underneath the the the circle.
Timbo: which for the listener you want to avoid being anywhere near, because it's a bun fight.
Giles: Which well, yeah, it was less about people trying to get to the bar, it was people getting to the back bar. We
Timbo: Getting in and out of the, yeah.
Giles: just got pushed and buffered all the way through to the point where, for all sorts of reasons, some fisticus nearly ensued. But anyway, it was all fine in the end. And it didn't distract from a cracking gig.
Timbo: interestingly, so going back to your Royal Albert Hall experience, you didn't have any of that because you were in your posh box. Brilliant, so is that side deal?
Giles: No, no, no. I didn't expect to get buffered at all by the big Dutch fella at all. this made me think a little bit more based on what what are we talking about this for? So the idea of what do we do now? Gigging is I've always I've always loved watching live music, as you have, I know. it's it's not necessarily that I've not had the opportunity to go and see some of the people that I want to go and see live. and there's it I'm not necessarily thinking that, in the what do we do now world of the future, I've now got freedom to go not just anywhere, but to go and see anyone. with a plan, obviously you just need to go and I'm gonna go up to Aberdeen and see, A B C and the Carol Decker show with Topow and the rest play. But I can actually plan this stuff out now and I I could probably go and see people that I'm intrigued to find out about and and also not restrict where in the UK or indeed anywhere I could go and see live music.
Timbo: Well, that freedom is about trying, not just being able to see bands that you would, you you might have been on the fence and am I going to go, am I not going to go? It's a bit far, it doesn't matter. But
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: going to new venues like the Royal Albert Hall is also part of that experience.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: have, correct me if I'm wrong, the outdoor gigging experience is not one that you've partaken in.
Giles: The only band I've seen live and outside was Porcupine Tree at the Deansgate Castle Castlefield Bowl, which was gr which was great. Again, went with jazz to see them. And they and I w saw them because, you know, they're a band, again, led by Stephen Wilson, but they'd played one gig. They were never going to get back together again. All of a sudden they get back together again. They're never going to re release any more music. And they have done. They're at Wembley Arena. So I drove down to Wembley Arena. parked up next to it, went in on my John Bond, went in, so drove back home. Yeah, sorry. It's not it's yeah, for being on your own.
Timbo: John Bond, John Bond, what's that? Wormsloe rhyming slang for...
Giles: It was a point where John Bond was manager of Man City and he seemed very alone. Nobody really supported him. So for for a while. Yeah, I know we changed it. So
Timbo: Okay, I think it's Jack Jones. being outside does, it's interesting how,
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: don't you see the venue and being outside does massively changes your experience of the gig.
Giles: It does.
Timbo: I think we went to, as you were talking about earlier, I think we went to public service broadcasting at Alexander Palace
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: two or three weeks ago. a band we both love. I band, true.
Giles: Yes. Well, you more than me, I'd I'd I'd I only really, inspected a couple of tracks here and there, but thought, you know, I knew they were and you'd see them live and raved. I'd
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: knew they were w were quite a band to see live. There was a reason to go to Ali Pally because I'd never been before. It was a great opportunity
Timbo: Not the new venue.
Giles: for for my colleague and I to get together along with another dear friend
Timbo: I think this is a good example though, because I've seen that band in three different types of venue. I've seen
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: that band at a very intimate of
Giles: Soiree?
Timbo: album, a very intimate venue that I'm actually going to on Wednesday to see editors
Giles: yes. Yes.
Timbo: called Circuit in Kingston, which is part of Bankrupt Records. as you will be aware Giles, album launches,
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Timbo: et cetera. Bands will often do a sort of mini tour,
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: to do a bit of a launch or a listen through of a new album in a very small venue. So I've seen them twice at that venue with less than 200 people in it on a very
Giles: Interesting. Yeah.
Timbo: small stage. I then saw them at a festival. Latitude 2025,
Giles: yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Timbo: which was absolutely superb in really, really good. And then we went to see them Ali Pali, very different. I think it was the largest venue they'd ever played,
Giles: I would have thought so.
Timbo: although I think they have done the Royal Albert Hall. actually. They did the Royal Albert Hall
Giles: Still more at Ali Pali.
Timbo: for their BBC homage piece which is
Giles: Okay.
Timbo: worth a listen to. And it was the three experiences with chalk and cheese. I Ali Pali.
Giles: You were le I think you were less enthused about Ali Pally, weren't you? Overall.
Timbo: Yeah, and I think some of that was the venue rather than the band. The band put loads of effort into the show at Ali Pali. The
Giles: Did
Timbo: experience, I thought the sound was pretty good at Ali Pali. Yeah, but the visuals were good, the playing was good.
Giles: I thought the sound was really good. And the visuals were good and the staging it was good. And coming back to going back to your point of, seeing a band actually being able to see the band. You know, I've regal
Timbo: we couldn't see the band.
Giles: I've regaled a few times my given my, you know, significant stature is unfortunately in the wrong direction. It should be up rather than across. Of the sort of three other mates that re regularly go to gigs together whenever we can all go together. One of them's six foot nine plus a bit, and the other one's six foot two plus a bit. So often, if I can, I will try and position myself between the two to create some kind of parting of the Red Sea to get some sight of the band. Because otherwise the chances are I'll I'll I'll be on my tiptoes for five to ten seconds every two minutes or I won't see anything. No, I couldn't see anything at there's something about that big communal experience though, that's different and it sorta doesn't matter. I think.
Timbo: but this was my issue, I think, with Alipay and public service broadcasting, which because it's... The view of the stage was poor for everyone, think, pretty much
Giles: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: beyond about 20 meters from the front of the stage. The stage was very low.
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: to be fair, public service broadcasting and not sort of dancing around on the stage But there was something about that. It created a bit of a disconnect, I think.
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: The other thing was, I think the crowd was, our vintage. There
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: wasn't a lot of, I didn't get much off the crowd, was a lot of. I don't know, there wasn't, we didn't really get much.
Giles: What did you what did you want from the crowd?
Timbo: I thought a bit more movement, lot, I overheard lots of conversations of people talking about the technicalities of how they were playing this particular track and the order in which they were doing the tracks and the slight different remix of this track, I gig where,
Giles: I'm going to make a note of that because as I've had my issues with people talking and gassing on and making noise rather than s standing there or sitting there and listening to the bloody music.
Timbo: Well, that's it. I think that's whether that was true or whether it was in my head. I think it was part of the best gigging experiences is when the crowd, but
Giles: Yeah. That's distract that's distracting, isn't it? Yeah.
Timbo: when you feel that the crowd is just caught up in the music, there's nothing
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: else that's more important than the music. There's no, The smartphone, the iPhone bollocks,
Giles: Bullocks, yeah.
Timbo: it definitely makes that happen
Giles: Excuse me.
Timbo: less often where people just get involved in the gig, get involved in the music. But it has happened. it didn't happen at Alley Pally. for some reason, I think, when the gig's outside,
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: that can happen more often.
Giles: Distraction.
Timbo: Yeah, the crowd is not, festivals
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: are probably a bad example of this because people are at festival, you've got to expect that not everybody who's watching the band is there to see, is necessarily into that band because they're at a festival and it's a festival band. But when I have...
Giles: No, absolutely. and I've heard a couple of tracks, but and when this one comes on I'm probably gonna start chatting to somebody next to me or do you want a pint? Does anybody else want a pint?
Timbo: But conversely, as we're talking to about seeing public service broadcasting at latitude, that was a fantastic
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: atmosphere watching them. That everyone
Giles: More intimate.
Timbo: was really, well, there was a lot of people, but I
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: think everybody was just absorbed by the music.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: I've been to Glastonbury quite a few times and I've
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: I remember seeing Kylie Minogue at the pyramid stage
Giles: Brilliant.
Timbo: in mid-afternoon, right?
Giles: Yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: There was 100,000 people completely caught up in that music. They just couldn't get it out of their heads.
Giles: stop it. You right. This is supposed to be spontaneous.
Timbo: I've also seen people die on their arses. Ed Sheeran, for example.
Giles: Yes. Very topical. Go on.
Timbo: Well, my experience seeing Ed Sheeran at Glastonbury was... wasn't that great. Yeah,
Giles: Was this a headline?
Timbo: I think it was a Saturday night headliner and
Giles: Right, right.
Timbo: people were there but they weren't into it in the same, it wasn't the same atmosphere.
Giles: Mm, I think there's a few things there, obviously. I mean I've seen I'll go I'll go back to tool as as being the the biggest visual oral assault on the senses you can't help but get drawn in. You can't you you could just nowhere else to look. Plus they ban mobile phones. And I've seen people get kicked out of tool gigs, dragged out by security for using their phone. You're there to see the band. they play you know, they played at the Ozzy Osbourne tribute gig a few months ago at Villa Park. They play festivals all the time. So it's not like they're just, you know, it's gotta be this thing or or Or swing for it. and I've seen Queens of the Stone Age at Manchester Evening News Arena or the AO Arena, whatever it's called, who just played and just they got the place rocking in the space of three and a half minutes and it was just an exciting drawn in sound.
Timbo: Ali Pali is a venue, right? There was
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: something about the venue that didn't quite work and it might have been the crowd, but when you go to those big oblong, sheddy type venues,
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: I'm not trying to compare the architectural splendor of Ali Pali with the Co-op Live
Giles: it's not seen as a you know, on the rotor of of if you're gonna play big at venues in the in the capital, it doesn't often appear. There's something about, you know, they wanted to be there because it was where it all began, where the BBC began. So there's a connection
Timbo: Yes.
Giles: there. You know, there's all of that why public service broadcasting played it. I think If they were going to do a big gig somewhere else, again, they wouldn't go back to Ali Pali. I think it was just you know, because of the the history of the place. And it's an extraordinary building, extraordinary place, but it wasn't
Timbo: Yes, yes, yes.
Giles: it wasn't built for going back to this open air, you know, certainly football stadium thing, they're not they were not built for live music. Royal Albert Hall absolutely was built for live music, and the most recent. addition to the roster of places to go and see bands in the UK, Co-op Live was built for live music. The clues in the title. and we were fort I was fortunate to be there on the opening night to see Elbow play. And apart from Guy Garvey being an extraordinary showman, the sound quality was incredible. It was it's a big, not quite oblong, but pretty much. that just draws you in. The sound draws you in. And and he as a front man on the band drew you in. And it felt very intimate.
Timbo: you knew it was gonna be a beautiful day.
Giles: Stop it. It's grounds for divorce, this is. Anyway, some of that's for the birds, but we'll move on.
Timbo: at the risk of showing our age, gigging has changed a lot in our lifetimes. The venues
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: have changed a lot, the experience has changed a lot, you know, getting on the Twitter.
Giles: Some places haven't, some haven't. Brixton Academy didn't seem to be any different the last time I was at the O to Apollo in Ardwick, which you will have been to as a a former student of of Manchester University,
Timbo: I've been there, yes I've been there. Similar
Giles: I don't think the last time I went to the Apollo, which is quite a while ago now, was it to see Saxon, maybe? It hadn't changed. It was the same carpet. It must have been. Still very sticky. Maybe they have changed.
Timbo: I think they've changed the carpet in Britain Academy, maybe.
Giles: Maybe they have, but the venues are the same. Those venues are the bit the one the types of venue I haven't experienced, which is what I'm going to be doing in March in the space of a couple of days, is going to a much smaller, intimate type venue that you've mentioned earlier. the Ritz, which is Ritz is a good venue in Manchester. A much more intimate, much more intimate.
Timbo: I think the size of venues has changed. think the available size of venue today is very different. You didn't have something like the Co-op Live when we first started gigging. The gigging that I first went to repurposed at places like the Brighton Dome, Brixton Academy.
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: They were repurposed older buildings.
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: that had some performance, Hammersmith, Apollo, for example. you
Giles: Yeah, good place.
Timbo: know, think those venues have, they have moved with the times in terms of it's marginally easier to get a drink. But you
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: now have much more kind of purpose built. Some people would argue the whole football stadium experience of seeing a gig is less intimate.
Giles: gonna be a bit of a generalization here. you you go and see the Foo Fighters, who I would actually quite like to see them live. Then playing Anfield for four nights or whatever they did. Are are you gonna be
Timbo: Yeah, but you'd never go to Anfield anyway.
Giles: No, that's very true. That is very true on print on a matter of principle. But but they're that you're not gonna at a Foo Fighters gig, you're not gonna be stood at the on the in the mosh pit at all, or even fifty yards back from the stage going, hmm, sounds a bit tinny. You know, y y similarly,
Timbo: You're not gonna...
Giles: if you're gonna go and see Oasis at their three hundred and sixty game s date tour at the Etihad next season, you're not gonna say sounds a bit crappier 'cause you're just gonna be singing along and chucking beer and the rest around.
Timbo: But it's not gonna I disagree, I don't think it will sound that bad. I remember one of the first outdoor gigs that I went to was at the old Wembley Arena to see Madonna. sorry, the old Wembley Stadium.
Giles: Stadium, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: And the sound was awful. Couldn't hear a thing. But these days, you know.
Giles: And I'm only going off a couple of people who've said, you I went see A C D see it at Man City and it was crap and the rest. But
Timbo: I'll tell you one thing that has changed going gigging. I'll use Brixton as an example.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: you're back in there,
Giles: yeah.
Timbo: you get the tube, you get out of Brixton tube station
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: to the gig as you got up to the top of the escalators. Anyone got tickets? Still got two tickets.
Giles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: Anyone got two tickets for two? You got two tickets. So we've got two tickets. Tickets,
Giles: Nowhere to be seen.
Timbo: tickets, tickets, tickets. Have you ever bought a touted ticket back when it was proper paper tickets? you ever bought? So that Madonna,
Giles: I don't think I have. I don't think I have. I'd never
Timbo: that Madonna going to Madonna at Wembley Stadium, I went
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: with a mate who had a ticket and we went and I
Giles: Right.
Timbo: bought a ticket from a towel outside Wembley Stadium.
Giles: Outstanding or toutstanding, in fact.
Timbo: outstanding cash money yes proper shekels and in Brixton
Giles: Really? Proper shekels and all that. How much over the What's a name did you pay?
Timbo: I can't remember how much it was and it's probably you know Tuppam's apenny
Giles: Thirty, forty quid or something.
Timbo: here's the thing, gigs in pubs. there's something about stumbling on a gig. which can be very, very special when you stumble
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: across live music being played, But I'd like to present a scenario with you. So I won't mention the pub. I won't mention the name of the pub,
Giles: good. all about scenarios. Okay, don't then.
Timbo: but you'll be familiar with the, you and I have been in this pub. I frequent this pub quite a lot. And it's a pub pub.
Giles: is it? it is, yes, I remember. Yes.
Timbo: It's a pub pub that doesn't even serve food, it just serves drinks. I caveat all of this
Giles: Serves pubs. beers, yeah. Yeah. Alcohol.
Timbo: with understanding that pubs need to make a living and it's difficult being a landlord at the moment. But
Giles: Very much so. Yeah, yeah.
Timbo: this pub is very, very busy on a Friday after work, locally, and is a bit of a meeting point, lots of locals. lots of my neighbours go in there, et cetera.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: Last Friday at 7.30,
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: pubs very busy, and set up a DJ. who then proceeded to start playing, in my humble opinion, far
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: too early on a Friday night, at quarter to eight, a
Giles: That is early, isn't it?
Timbo: Northern Soul set.
Giles: interesting. Okay. Wasn't Steve Davis, was it?
Timbo: which wasn't Steve Davis, who famously
Giles: Could have
Timbo: has.
Giles: One of the largest collections of music and soul music, as the Maccabi on Wednesday told me.
Timbo: So. I think it's really hit and miss. You either go have a separate room where you have the music and make it
Giles: Yeah. Yeah.
Timbo: a thing, but if you're having it in the bar, one, It's gotta be from nine o'clock onwards. Number two, if
Giles: Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Timbo: you've got a live band in the bar, the
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: most you can have is a three piece.
Giles: okay.
Timbo: Ideally, man with a guitar works the best I've seen is person with a guitar.
Giles: Yeah, what, on his John Bond? Jack Jones.
Timbo: On these...
Giles: On his tot.
Timbo: on his Ed Sheeran. So yeah, like Ed Sheeran would
Giles: Well On his head Shearing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: go down a bomb, better than he did at pyramid stage, just in a pub. Or, or man playing
Giles: Very good. And v better than he did on his recent tour, if you believe all you read.
Timbo: Thoughts, would you go in, if you're in your local by the roundabout.
Giles: Well, I was out with out with a a very dear, dear, dear, dear friend at the King's Arms the other day and probably a couple of nights a week, certainly Thursdays, there is a
Timbo: music.
Giles: they'll have live music, yeah. In the bar though. It they don't have separate rooms.
Timbo: Does it work when you...
Giles: It does 'cause it's it was it was busy. It was a busy old Thursday night's a good night for a few cherries anyway. But yeah.
Timbo: What time were they on? What was the format of the live music?
Giles: There were it was a band of four in the little
Timbo: Fool.
Giles: nook that yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. it
Timbo: Drummer.
Giles: might have been the was it four or was it a three? but g yeah, guitar cover mus cover cover tracks, guitar rock stuff.
Timbo: Don't get me wrong, it can be superb, but you've gotta pitch it right. You've gotta...
Giles: Yeah, it was it started Half nine, maybe, quarter to ten. the
Timbo: Perfect, perfect for me, yeah.
Giles: good evening, I phone Urking Yep. Good evening, we're the grumpy old farts. Before we start, any requests? Yeah, get off. Brilliant. Before we start, any requests.
Timbo: one of the best, in the last 12 months, one of my best gigging experiences when I took my daughter to see, there was 200 people. Gray. No,
Giles: Bavarian? No. him, yeah, yeah.
Timbo: Conan, what's his name? He just released an album. It was teenage girls, was 100 % teenage girls and some parents. My wife and I sat at the bar at the back out of the melee. This album
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: had been out three days.
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: He was doing an acoustic set. They knew every single word, so much so you could not hear him sing. It was an amazing, amazing experience as a
Giles: Thank God for Spotify. Yeah.
Timbo: But gigging
Giles: services.
Timbo: is about that collective experience for me. The best gigs are when
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: everybody, you know, it's
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: a bit like being on the terraces. It's that moment where everyone is just
Giles: It is.
Timbo: one.
Giles: Yeah, it is.
Timbo: gigging's definitely gonna be something that we're gonna be doing more of. I really like to travel to see, make visiting a... different country or different town indeed. I'm having gigging part of that experience of travelling, I hesitate to say this because I am being serious
Giles: Please don't.
Timbo: here. I am blessed and cursed with living so close to London,
Giles: Yes.
Timbo: being in London. with the ability to see lots and lots and lots of gigs and failing to go to lots and lots of gigs. It's 40,
Giles: Mm-hmm.
Timbo: 40 minutes, 45 minutes it took me to get to you on public transport and I've been to the Royal Appahoe,
Giles: Nothing, is it?
Timbo: it's nothing. It really isn't anything and there's so many great, every night of the week there's some gigging to be done in London if you wanted to. As there is in Manchester, don't get me wrong.
Giles: So there's yeah, there is. Well, I g I'm I'm now on Instagram as Manchester Gig Guide and every Monday morning it lists all the live events that are happening for the next week, Monday to Sunday. And there's there's twenty gigs a day on in Manchester in various places of various shapes and sizes. The the vast minority are those at Co op Live, E
Timbo: Hmm.
Giles: N. the
Timbo: hollow.
Giles: the Apollo and such like the thing now for it being part of what do we do now is I agree totally. I know my sister took her husband to Croatia not that long ago to see in a Roman amphitheatre, famous one in I think it's in Split or something like that. Anyway, Nick Cave play.
Timbo: That's it.
Giles: And and a and the bad seeds, That's that's in the time it's took me to get on a train to the Royal Albert Hall, do the Royal Albert
Timbo: Yeah.
Giles: Hall gig and come back, it's only another half day and I could have flown to Croatia for a similar experience. So the the difference
Timbo: And why not?
Giles: well precisely, and now having if you've got the time as you rightly say to plan these things out, now there's there's two things that we've been talking about. Those to go and see because we want to go and see them, and I've got a list of people I want to see again. And there's a cycle to these things. They've got to be releasing music or they need the money
Timbo: There is, there is, yeah.
Giles: or whatever. But then there's the curious of I'm just gonna go. I'm just gonna.
Timbo: and see something new. One of the joys,
Giles: And see what happens. See something new.
Timbo: one of the greatest joys of going to a festival, and Glastonbury is the antithesis of this, is stumbling across people you've never heard of, What do we do now is going to see some new finds, discover new music. And
Giles: Yeah. I
Timbo: the experience of going to a gig, you know, it might not work out, but particularly if it's local, there's loads of bands starting out. I do think I would rather be in a more intimate venue than a bigger venue
Giles: Mm.
Timbo: most of the time. Most of the gigging I do is in smaller, I you know, I put...
Giles: Smaller venues.
Timbo: I'd put your Academies and your Apollos in that bracket as well to more intimate. You've got more chance of...
Giles: And I and I and I've c Yeah, I'd I'd I'd agree. I think that's I I would vote absolutely for solo gigging. That was a great fun, it was a great experience. It was nice to meet some very interesting people and talk some nonsense Interestingly, those Italians that were sat at the front row, the two couples, they had seen Stephen Wilson did a tour last summer, last year. They'd gone on tour with him They'd seen twelve of the European gigs. They just followed him around. And there were
Timbo: wow.
Giles: there were two gigs that I went to a Wednesday night and there was a Thursday night as one. I Al Murray was at the Thursday night one and I was nudging him desperately to get a response on Do you wanna come on the show and talk about retirement? And Prague. Nothing happened. But
Timbo: Okay.
Giles: but the Italians were going there again. They were they were there for the two nights. d very much in a planning to be this is what we do. There's the plan, the people that you know, the people that you want to go and see. You know, there's a Norwegian band from Trondheim that tour almost exclusively in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, and very rarely come this way. I would go to any of those places to see them. They're playing in December in Trondheim. I'm sure they're really
Timbo: Go to Tron Time.
Giles: I mean, it takes me no time to get there. No time.
Timbo: And it would be, maybe it'd be a bit more expensive for a beer, but I'd
Giles: Yeah.
Timbo: posse it the cost of getting there versus what you had to pay for your ticket down to London and staying overnight. It's probably that much, not that much different.
Giles: funny about and buying buying new beer and food and thing and thing and thing and thing.
Timbo: And well, and not having to interact with the salt of the earth, is the black cab drivers of London.
Giles: That was a joy, as it always is. As it always is.
Timbo: Do you reckon they'll be listening to the podcast after your recommendation? Unlikely.
Giles: Unlikely. But but both of both of them I did mention it to both of them. I couldn't help it. Imagine what would you do if you're retired. Imagine if there was a podcast that discusses such things that comes out weekly where people are trying to get to understand, well, if I'm gonna stop doing what I'm doing, what do I do now?
Timbo: Imagine if there was
Giles: Imagine that.
Timbo: such a thing. Well, if we find one, we'll let them know. Okay, Giles, I think we've really done that to death. thanks, thanks
Giles: Have we done have we d have we done that to death? Is there anything else? Isn't done it to death metal and back.
Timbo: everyone for getting this far. If you're listening to this far, thank you very much. Have a
Giles: I did have a I did have a love I'm just gonna leave with one lovely comment which you can maybe splice in earlier from a dear friend who I mentioned it's the fisherman who we might come to. he said and it was lovely 'cause I've not spoken to him enough in the last few years and we've reconnected again for different reasons. this is absolutely I've just been listening to the podcast. I found it really frustrating.
Timbo: She's not the only one.
Giles: Because it's you it's you, I kept wanting to interject and converse. Laughing emoji. Good stuff though. Thumb up. So I said, Well,
Timbo: That's lovely.
Giles: I'll take I'll take good stuff if it's had frustrating every day of the week. fishing
Timbo: We need to be careful about fishing. It is covered by two 60 year olds quite a lot. They've gone fishing,
Giles: Is it?
Timbo: yeah.
Giles: Yes, that's true. But this is we've we've got a different
Timbo: But anyway.
Giles: we've got a you know, we're certainly half of us are not as funny as those two. both of us aren't.
Timbo: True. So don't forget, were you gonna try and plug some of your socials now? Have we got any emails? Have we had any emails to that email address?
Giles: Yes. No, no, not at all. I need to send the I need to I need to yeah. So if you do want to in email us, we are at what do we do now twenty six at gmail.com. That is what do we do now or lowercase 26 at gmail dot com. There will be some snippets that'll pop out onto our social media feed. We're on the gram and the X and I'm gonna try and work out what it means to be on YouTube, I'm sure at some point. And we might even do a snippet on TikTok.
Timbo: God, please send us an email just
Giles: 'Cause we're g we're def just pleased.
Timbo: to see if it's working. That would be good. Okay, well
Giles: That'd be nice. Yeah.
Timbo: thanks everyone again for listening. Bye bye, bye. Bye bye, bye, bye,
Giles: Bye bye bye bye.
Timbo: bye, bye.
