Small shows/Big shows

Over the years, I’ve tended to prefer smaller venues and new bands to the wide screen, high definition experience of a stadium gig. I love the connection you get from being in a small, loud space with maybe a couple of hundred sweaty individuals who are there because they love the bands who are giving it their all on that night. In a stadium or arena setting, you’re more likely to be standing or sitting next to someone who gave their partner a ticket for Christmas because they “used to love this band 10 years ago.”

Such was the case with Tropic Gold and Banks Arcade last Saturday at the Waterfront Studio in Norwich. I first saw TG when they supported As Everything Unfolds several years ago and loved the EP they released that year. This time around, it’s clear they’ve picked up the pace and, fresh from a brilliant early slot at Download, their performance was no less energetic than previous shows. But it’s matured and, like their music, taken several steps forward - to the point where I think they should now be taken very seriously as a decent future prospect. WFS was a perfect small venue for them and they’re definitely one to watch over the next couple of years…

My Chemical Romance, on the other hand, were simply sublime at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night. Super-sized venue or not, the spectacle and showmanship was nothing less than spectacular and they fully deserve the 5 star reviews they have received from Rolling Stone magazine, Kerrang! and many others. Skunk Anansie opening for them was a masterstroke as well, combining Skin’s spiky, “take no shit” attitude with a back catalogue full of government shaking bangers. MCR and their music clearly mean so much to so many of their fans, that even in a venue that size there was a clear sense of community. I loved this show and it will stay with me a long time.