[Music] Best LIVE band?

[Comrade Sam]

Best festival performance was Fella Kuti. I love small sweaty venues and the best for that for me was Dengue Fever. Then Fat Freddy's Drop, who I have seen many times have done both one of the best live gigs and worst that I've paid money for. Last year I had a good run Thee Headshrinkers, The Courettes and Sleaford Mods were all excellent live.

 

[Iron Butterfly]

Can't beat Dr Feelgood for raw energy

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Muse for me. Brilliantly bonkers shows.

 

[Gabbafella]

Linkin Park, without question.
I was lucky enough to see them at the O2. Chester Bennington's voice was unreal, how he could switch from soft and melodic to screaming metal, gave me goosebumps. Their music meant so much to me in difficult times.

Motorhead. Without doubt the loudest thing I've ever heard. My ears were ringing 5 days after the event.

Alice Cooper. Saw his poison tour up at Wembley when I was a kid and then about 10yrs ago at the Brighton centre with Motorhead and Joan Jett.
His stage shows are something else, the props, the storytelling, first class.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Fontaines DC, Shame and Black Midi have been my favourite this year. I think in terms of new bands I’ve seen recently, Lazarus Kane, Tiña, The Lounge Society and Do Nothing have been really good.

Saw Shame about a month ago, not really my thing but a very good live band, and the mate who took me mentioned Black Midi.
AC/DC have always been good whenever I’ve seen them

 

[BN9 BHA]

Muse for me. Brilliantly bonkers shows.

Do they put on a brilliantly bonkers show to make up for their depressing music?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Still around and playing live?

And Also The Trees
VNV Nation
Assemblage 23
Lebanon Hanover

I think that just for the absolute joy of VNV live, it has to be them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht7zFlO9LvA

 

[aolstudios]

I really hesitate to post this on NSC.

Watching Coldplay Live in 2006 in Toronto and along with a number of other live concerts I’ve seen of theirs I am going to put my neck on the line and suggest that they are the World’s best live band at the moment. Every concert is brilliant


Now where is my tin hat?

I think that they are possibly NSC’s most hated band

Very late edit (3 pages in!) I am talking about bands who are still around and touring now

By far the worst live singer I've ever seen

 

[Live by the sea]

The main issue with Coldplay is the lead singer is a rubbish vocalist..

The best band live - easy it’s these boys

https://youtu.be/_RKYQ-nf2VM

 

[Napier]

The Kate Bush/KT Fellowship Before The Dawn residency at The Apollo in 2014 was mind blowing. Although it was more of a production than a gig.
Another vote for Springsteen and the E Street Band.
A shout out for Deacon Blue - they always put on a good show/singalong.

 

[Muhammed - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

Muse for me. Brilliantly bonkers shows.

Very close 3rd behind Maiden and Green Day

 

[SeagullsoverLondon]

Best
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, St James's Park, Newcastle 1986
U2 Ninian Park, Cardiff 1987?
Joan Baez, Ephesus, Turkey 1989 or so.

Worst
Bob Dylan, Singapore 2012
Neil Young and Dire Straits both at Wembley Arena also not good, but the lousy acoustics may have had something to do with that.

I saw Bruce Springsteen at Bramall Lane in Sheffield in 1986 (really good).
Have seen him several times since, always gives a great live show, but I guess the thrill of seeing someone for the first time elevates the concert in your mind.

Agree with Bob Dylan, can be a very disappointing experience. Have seen him 4 or 5 times (Wembley Arena - worst venue in the world imho) soulless and awful. But saw him at Hammersmith Apollo about 17 years ago and it was actually pretty good.

Re Neil Young. I've seen him about 7 times, and apart from the O2 four or five years ago has always been great. Best time was the Finsbury Park Fleadh in the early 90s.



Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[zefarelly]

Can't beat Dr Feelgood for raw energy

That was 40 years ago . . . Having played with them a few times its not quite what it was

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It seems that almost by definition people think of the best live band as stadium rockers. I'm much more entertained and excited br small venue performers where you can see what theyre playing and how they're playing it, and their personality comes across.

This

It's very easy to produce and over produce on a massive scale, give me COmedia/Ropetackle/RIchmond/ even the Free Butt and you really get to know exactly what your listening too.

The last few years have been a bit barren.

Not my cup of tea really but we supported Gong last summer at a festival in Devon, they were very good.

Not long before he sadly died we saw the Pretty Things, still superb after all theres years

Unkown mortal orchestra @ the Concorde not long before covid was also very good. and Steve Mason & Weller @ Cardiff Castle both piss all over Coldplay.

For me it really depends, sometimes a small venue is excellent, other times I have really enjoyed the spectacle of a bigger crowd/venue. It also depends what it is I’m wanting from the gig. Sometimes I want to watch the artist at close quarters and sometimes I want to be part of an event. For example, two gigs I have seen are Moses Boyd and Tony Allen at very close quarters, literally two feet from Moses and literally in front of Tony Allen on one occasion in a room with no stage. No one in front of me either. Watching both was mesmerizing and I all of this would be lost in a bigger venue. Arcade Fire are a band I have seen all through their career from small club gigs to large shows and I feel they work best in an arena…..their music feels “communal” and they have the ability to really connect with a large audience; it’s quite magical being part of that and the audience feels a part of the event. Similarly with Radiohead and Depeche Mode. In my option Depeche Mode would be a bit shit in a small venue. I have seen Major Lazer in both a club and a large outdoor….always go large with them.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

AC/DC have always been good whenever I’ve seen them

Good call. Same here even with Axel singing….which was quite extraordinary in my opinion and I’m glad to have witnessed it.

 

[Baldseagull]

Of course and nobody has seen every band. For me it’s the ability to at least match a studio recording and for that reason I am championing Coldplay. I seldom listen their albums more than a couple of times but whenever I come across a live performance on tv I’ll watch and I’ve yet to be disappointed.

As far as on stage charisma goes Freddie Mercury is hard to beat but I just don’t like Queen

If it sounds the same as the studio recording, and the personalities are as boring as Chris Martin, you might as well stay at home, turn the volume up, and listen to the studio recording whilst looking at a picture of Chris Martin. The only benefit of going to the gig I can think of for someone into Cold Play, is finally meeting other people that are into Cold Play.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Hot Chip is another band I have seen umpteen times and they are have always been spot on. In fact, if anything, I’d say they’re better now than ever. Saw them twice on the last tour and they were such fun.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If it sounds the same as the studio recording, and the personalities are as boring as Chris Martin, you might as well stay at home, turn the volume up, and listen to the studio recording whilst looking at a picture of Chris Martin. The only benefit of going to the gig I can think of for someone into Cold Play, is finally meeting other people that are into Cold Play.

We can discuss their music until the cows come home but Chris Martin isn’t boring. I have seen a number of interviews with him and he is very amusing, self-deprecating and funny. His Carpool Karaoke is amusing, and he interviews well: the Graham Norton on with Hugh Grant and also the tale about going to see his daughter working in H&M is fun as is that outtake from Extras when he can’t stop laughing. I reckon he’d be ace down the pub.

 

[Mexican Seagull]

Lou Reed when he was on form, always knew how to pick some of the best musicians to play with him

 

[arfer guinness]

Seen too many great ones to list here, and also too many crap ones as well. But the one that really sticks in my mind was Beth Hart at St Georges Church. Only went to see her because I liked the album with Joe Bonamassa, but what a voice and talent, just her and a piano.