Welcome to The Year of Yes...

So, I ramble on a lot about the 'Year of Yes', but I suppose I should really explain what this actually means. And before anyone asks, no it's nothing to do with the band 'Yes'. Wakeman was in my last post and I think that's about all of him I can handle...

I made a decision at the start of this year to go to more gigs. As a lifelong music fan and a bit of a know it all, I thought how can I actually talk about it when I don't get involved? So I made myself a promise and tried to be a bit like Danny Wallace to say yes more when people asked me if I wanted to go to a concert. It began with my friends at work asking if I wanted to go and see Frank Turner.

I have written about this briefly before, but as a bit of a recap, I didn't really know who Frank was. I'd heard the name and was under the impression that he was a bit like Billy Bragg, some sort of generation poet. My friends said that he was good and the tickets weren't too bad so I thought 'why not?' and agreed to go with them. It turned out to be a really good night, I discovered 3 new artists that night as the 2 support acts were also great and I now am slightly in love with Frank and all his tattoos! And it proved the point that if I hadn't have said yes, I would never have gone and discovered someone new to listen to. In fact Frank is now on regular repeat on my precious iPod (it never leaves my side, seriously) and we've looked at going to see him again later this year when he tours again.

iPod. I love it more than anything. Touch it and I will destroy you.

So what else did I say yes to then? Well, whilst checking out the upcoming gigs on an email mailing list, I noticed that the band Therapy? were due to come to Nottingham in April. I was vaguely familiar with their music and liked some of their songs, but more so I knew they were my sister-in-law's favourite band. Looking at where they were playing though it was only a few locations in the UK and nowhere near to her so I told her about it and said that I'd go with her if she wanted. She said yes pretty much straight away so I booked the tickets and prepared for a night of loud and heavy music. April rolled around and we went off the to famous 'Rock City' in the heart of Nottingham and joined the crowd for a night of having our ear drums burst. The support act were called 'Lonely The Brave' and were pretty good. In fact they are now getting a lot more popular so one day I'll be able to say "I saw them support Therapy? when no-one knew who they were" and feel a bit smug! Anyway, Therapy? were great, playing the whole of their seminal album 'Troublegum' which is now 20 years old (hence the tour) and other tracks that the audience loved. The thing I loved about them was how humble they were with the crowd. I think Andy Cairns thanked people for coming out about 5 times and expressed how grateful the band were for the fans support and dedication. It was a lovely thing to hear and see. My one downside of this concert was the fact that my ears did not stop ringing for 2 days afterwards. Seriously, it was bad. I've never experienced that before and it was very concerning at one point. Either the band were far too loud or the PA system sucked, but it was such a relief when the car alarm in my head finally ceased!!

Or your PA system sucks

I also went to see a couple of musicals at the theatre aswell which I guess counts as listening to music. I went to see Thriller Live and Rock of Ages which were both pretty fab. As much as I like Michael Jackson I don't actually own any of his albums and I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to him. Don't get me wrong, I like his songs when they are on, but I wouldn't seek them out if that makes sense. I have the same relationship with Madonna - good artist, wouldn't buy the music though. The Thriller live show was not exactly what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. One of the singers was particularly good and the female lead was from the 90's band Cleopatra (for those of you who remember 'Coming 'Atcha' being inflicted on us!). Now, the Rock of Ages show was amazing. Very funny, very near the mark, but great songs and the whole place was jumping. In fact, I was in the upstairs of the theatre and the floor was bouncing so hard at the end I thought I was going to end up in the stalls! Well worth seeing if the tour comes near to you.

Roll onto May and my all time hero Neil Finn was bringing his 'Dizzy Heights' tour to the UK. As soon as I found out I checked the dates and was annoyed to find he was coming here on a Monday night which for a concert was not great being at the start of the working week so I was fed up. It was only when I looked at the date again that I realised it was a bank holiday which meant no work that day! Huzzah, I could go! Tickets were booked straight away and I was very excited as I hadn't seen Neil live for a few years. The concert was great, Neil played for over 2 and a half hours and there was a section he did on his own with no backing support which was breathtaking. Not many artists can hold a large stage alone and completely own it, but he did this totally. Impressed was not the word. Even the stage backdrop was amazing as you can see in the picture below. It lit up and changed throughout the show.

Now, I have talked before about how much I love Fall Out Boy, but have never seen them live. When they toured the UK earlier this year I didn't go as they weren't playing anywhere near to where I live. Get off your arse and go and see them I was told, but I didn't so I can't really complain about it now can I. Anyway, when I found out they were playing the Download festival which is very close to where I live it seemed like the ideal way to see them play live. Looking at the line up there were lots of other great bands on too so it would be a great day out. My friend from work agreed to come too as Linkin Park were headlining on the same day so I booked day tickets as soon as they came on sale and excitedly waited for the day to come around. Festivals are known for being muddy and wet so wellies were purchased just in case and our pack'a'macs were put in our bags. On the day we arrived at lunchtime and enjoyed wandering around seeing the stalls and enjoying the atmosphere. I had to buy a hat because the sun was beating down and it was actually a very hot day. We spent most of the day sitting on a picnic blanket viewing the stage from a way back where we could see everything that was going on. Some of the bands were a bit questionable and I was surprised by the attitude of some of them and how they addressed the crowd. One up and coming band who I won't name (they are often on the cover of Kerrang etc) came onto the stage and basically everything the lead singer said was a swear word. He didn't seem grateful to be performing and ranted on a lot which put me and my friend right off. I even think they left the stage at the end of their set without saying thanks! Not good. My boys came on and were excellent as always. I really enjoyed seeing them although because I was watching it on the screens at the side of the stage it felt a bit surreal. I couldn't do the barrier thing though as I have a bladder the size of a pea so it just wouldn't have worked! Linkin Park closed the day and played the whole of their album 'Hybrid Theory' which was great. We really enjoyed it, but as the sun went down it started to get very cold and we were glad we were going back to the warmth of our houses rather than sleeping on site in a tent.

I still have a few more concerts coming up and in fact the 'Year of Yes' has rolled over into 2015. I'm looking forward to seeing Mark Morriss in October, Beans on Toast in November and the Black Keys next February. I'm particularity looking forward to seeing Mark as he features rather heavily on my current playlist and is pretty amazing. Someone asked me the other day if he was worth a listen to and I replied with "well, his songs are intelligently written with meaningful lyrics and great guitar" or something very similar to that. So yes, worth checking out. Beans on Toast supported Frank Turner so the power of the support act reigns! The Black Keys probably don't need any introductions, so I'll stick a video in below for them so you can sing along.

There's always an element of consideration when I look at an upcoming gig, but as long as the time and day are suitable, the artist is someone I like or want to know more about, then I think why not? Unless you go and see what artists are like live then you don't get the whole experience. I always remember an old friend of mine saying "yes, they sound good on the CD, but they aren't that great live". These are the things you need to find out. And you can only do that by saying yes....