quite an interesting point you raise up.

I have seen of Montreal, Man Man, Ruby Suns, Los Campesinos and Les Savy Fave

All better live then on album x

and I would probably rather buy an album than go to a gig because I will get more out of it. Of course when a gig is ace then it is unbeatable but this doesn't happen enough to make me desperate to go to more gigs.

STOP TRYING TO GET RID OF THINGS, yeah?!

'coz they're sure as shit not making any money from recorded music anymore.

thing is - you're wrong.

life sized pictures of your favourite bands, stick them to your wall, play their records and pretend they're playing a gig just for you. You mentioned yesterday, I believe, that you couldn't understand why anyone would want to go to more than one or two gigs a week. Since you don't go to any what the hell do you care ?

but don't you love the feeling of being in a crowd, all sweaty and smelly, all singing the words together whilst you move and struggle about to get a good place. The mass jumping and swaying, the dancing, the arms round strangers, seeing people who love the music as much as you, the beautiful camaraderie of it all!
Well, that's how it feels on a good day.

Dear People Who Make Music,
Just because you make music please don't feel you have to see yourself as a 'band', not all music suits being played live.
regards

standing up for hours + getting my ears destroyed by overly zealous sound technicians + people

vs

sitting + fine wine + underwear

no contest. Fuck live music

each to their own and all that, but there's no way I could go a whole year without a gig, I'd have to be working abroad in the middle of nowhere or saving up to pay for a sickly relative's op or something.

Don't you miss them? Ever?

I NEED gigs.

I like gigs I have been to the most fun ones in ages recently with No Age & The Mae-Shi, JoFo... great fun the best gigs I have been to in ages becasue of the band and their music. But your right some times its who you are with at a gig rather than the bands.

- feeling great music become a physical experience [the way the bass drills through you, the reactive movement of everyone around you, your own physical reaction]
- the potential increased intensity of the music [louder, faster, harder, more unpredictable, whatever]
- the accompanying visual experience, seeing the band react to their own sounds, seeing how they interpret it onstage
- the pretty pretty lights
- the feeling of being surrounded by a crowd of people that feel the same as you do about this band
- the fact that you can have all this while being with your friends and intoxicated to whatever degree you desire
- the dancing

...all make a good gig far more satisfying than a band's record to me, if the band are one that are in their element live.

that said, i'm glad i go to less gigs than i used to. seeing a regular stream of not-really-THAT-great shows is disheartening.

move to Reading.

whilst at uni. I thought nothing of getting the train from Soton to London a couple of nights a week as well as seeing bands locally. My student overdraft was a result of this compulsion. I finished uni, spent ages paying the money back and now I have to prioritise other stuff. If I have any money left then I'll buy gig tickets once in a while. I still love live music, I still need to go to gigs, but I can now go months without worrying about it. I don't care about the banter and drunkness. I rarely drink at gigs. Lets face it, some of the worst bands and worst performances can suddenly seem amazing when drunk. I do love the build-up, the anticipation, that I miss.

Ultimately the only reason I go to fewer and fewer gigs is financial and that I don't have as much free time. That, and I'd rather not go out on a school night.

That might sound KERAZY but I really like Stapleton's music and feel that I am giving them something back by going to see them after they have gave me some great music that I like.

I also like bands that are fun live - The Music; the dancing, The Hives; the theatrics, and folk bands; for the skillful musicianship and atmosphere.

I understand what you are saying though and I think I will come to that in a few years too.

it can be a bit overwhelming, and it feels like you're almost guaranteed to see a favourite band at SOME point - people reforming for one-off shows, constant touring, festivals, etc

Personally, I love the whole experience, and would be really depressed if I didn't see at least three to four bands a month (not much by DiS standards!).

Maybe if you didn't live in Manchester and have a constant influx of amazing bands, you'd feel differently?

Personally, one can enjoy music just as much without going to gigs, but there's such a thing as community, as well!

due to living in nowheresville, I have to train everywhere and paying 13 quid to get to London all the time ain't that great. Recently, this year had been a bit dry gigwise, but June + July are looking up so it's not all bad. Plus, I think my ears have enjoyed being rested the last few months or so.

and if I was being the harshest critic i'd say most were a waste of time. However, while you may be sharing it with however many people, nothing beats the intimacy of seeing and hearing the band, there, live, within spitting distance. Gigs take the records and either make something beautiful of them or not.

Yes there is the whole social aspect, the football type build-up and excitement (and let down) and a bit like having a season ticket for your football team - you will see alot of shit in a year but every now and then along will come those special moments that make it all worthwhile.

There are some bands that you really have to see live to fully get, for example, I only really got HEALTH after seeing them live, and Los Campesinos! convey a real sense of fun and exuberance live that doesn't come across fully on record. Yeasayer, on the other hand, were unable to recreate all the layers and atmosphere of their album live and left me wishing I'd just stuck with the record...