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Sensational Gigs?
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Stevo
Stevo
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Re: Sensational Gigs?
Sep 12, 2013, 11:42
Sonic youth The Venue Victoria December 83
The band's first visit to England as the band, having for the most part been over as part of Glenn Branca's ensemble on an earlier trip. They had been told taht various people from the press were going to come down to see them, they had also been put in a slot that was almost before the doors were open.
This being thanks to Daniele Dax insisting she have a stage within a stage built by a gang including a future friend of mine. I can't remember how many other people were in the audience when Sonic Youth came on. But thanks to the intense frustration they played one of teh most intense gigs I had seen at that point and probably ever since. I think they blew up a bass amp during the performance. Think they only got to do 3 or 4 numbers.
There is video of an Italian show from right around the date that shows how good tehy were at other points on the same tour. There are also several live audios around from that tour and the one they had played in Europe in the March of that year. Unfortunately there appears to be nothing of the night I saw which I've been trying to verify for the last 20 years. SPK the headliners taht night were memorable for swinging chains and sparks close to the audience but I think they had nothing on their lowest support.
The ICA show in '85 which was probably the next Sonic Youth London appearance. Thurston has a surprisingly large number of layers on which he takes off at a rate of one between each number throughout the early parts of the set. Crosses being scratched in the stage with guitar heads, rhythmic pounding of guitars with drumsticks pretty great.
Saw the Iggy appearance with them at Town & Country too which is thankfully caught on video.

Swans supporting The Fall at Heaven in mid 1984. Gira hanging off the front of the stage with his hand around a noose. Think they were too brutal for a lot of the audience who went off to the bar.
ULU on a day when I'm coming down from speeding the night before and have got in to only catch the last number by mark Stewart & the Mafia who were supporting. This was the gig captured for Public Castration is A Good Idea. Relentless hypnotic pounding.
Birmingham Hummingbirrd in '87 on the Children of God tour I obviously can't have thought the gig was loud enough since I decided to stick my head into the speeaker. Think they were in danger of breaking local laws for volume so I'm surprised my hearing survived. But they were really addictive.

will continue this list later
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Sensational Gigs? (Charlie2300)
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