h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Joey Santiago - I watched this man make his guitar play itself on a stand, as it hummed to the croud cheers, while he danced around it. The closest I've seen to actual witchcraft. And the Pixies remain for me, THE coolest and best band ever - thanks in no small part to the guitar. If we're including Bassists, then Kim Deal, the pixies' bassist - who is my all time music hero - must qualify. Her later band The Breeders has one of the best bass lines ever in Cannonball - a song that I can never resist dancing to - even if I'm in my kitchen or sat at my desk. That's got to qualify.

regards
kd

I saw the pixies in that tour they just did... watching jeoy santiago play his patch cord in the palm of his hand was maybe the coolest thing i've ever seen. except kim's cigarette acrobatics, switching it from hand to mouth to hand again, depending on whether she was singing or playing...

man, what a bloody fantastic live band.

I know - it's just the most superb trick. It borders on spinal tap - but is done with such self depreciation, it becomes even more cool.
I missed them first time around, they had split by the time I got wise to them but I've been a massive fan for years - so i was a bit nervous seeing them play now - old heros don't always resurrect so well and I desparately didn't want to be disappointed.
But the thing with the pixies was that it was never about image - thay always looked like their mums had picked their clothes, so the fact that they were older / fatter etc made no odds. The music was as amazing as ever and to finally see them play it live was one of the greatest moments ever for me. I saw them play T in the park - which was great. They weren't the headline, the Strokes were on after - of whom I'm not really much of a fan. The pixies blew everyone else away and once they had finished, about half the crowd left the field - before the 'proper' headline act. I'm still laughing about that. Ah, it's lovely to rave to a pixies fan - I'm surrounded by philistines round here.
Where did you see them?

regards
kd

Victoria Hall, Hanley (Stoke), 1991

Second gig I ever went to - I was lucky!

wowsers. I know the vicky hall well - I'm from stoke. Amazing accoustics - that must have been amazing. 1991 was the year I left for for uni and went to live in sheffield. My cool genes were still developing. Are you from Stoke? I live in Edinburgh now and can't say I miss N staffs (apart from oatcakes) but the Vicky Hall is a cracking venue.
regs
kd

wowsers. I know the vicky hall well - I'm from stoke. Amazing accoustics - that must have been brilliant. 1991 was the year I left for for uni and went to live in sheffield. My cool genes were still developing. Are you from Stoke? I live in Edinburgh now and can't say I miss N staffs (apart from oatcakes) but the Vicky Hall is a cracking venue.
regs
kd

grrrr. don't you just hate it when your finger get's trigger happy and you press post twice.
(doh!)

I'm sort of from Stoke... born in North Staffs Infimary, grew up in Eccleshall, went to school in Stafford and college in Newcastle-under-Lyme. I can't say I miss it that much either, but I was on the Student Union for a bit at college and I got to go to some cracking gigs at the Wheatsheaf for free because we used to put up posters for them.

Oddly enough I think the Pixies were the only band I ever saw at the Victoria Hall - the bigger bands used to play Keele University more often. There was one Ned's Atomic Dustbin gig that I went to when I was in the 5th Year at school, which must have been about 1991, and it turned out that everyone I became mates with over the next three years at college had been to it as well.

It was our sort of rubbish North Staffs equivalent of the Sex Pistols gig at the 100 Club.

I saw them in an old airplane hangar near Toronto. Basically it was a huge room and I could hardly see them, but man was it ever amazing.

to whirlwind -
Well T in the park was an enormous field - but I was pushy and the crowd being somewhat senior, the moshpit was terribly civilised.n

to no. 6 -
snigger - Ned's atomic dustbin. Right up there with jesus jones in the 'where are they now' folder. Sorry, musn't be bitchy.
It's funny hearing all the old familiar names mentioned. I grew up in exciting Burslem and went to school and college in Newcastle - I was at newcastle high (orme girls - I'm not posh honest, I got a bursery). I actually didn't used to go to many gigs in Stoke as i didn't drive, I got into gigs when I went to uni - I was to be found loitering around the leadmill in sheffield most saturdays.
Did you used to go to ritzy's on 'alternative' night - I think it was mondays.
Beer soaked carpets and watered down lager - fond times.

Mondays at the Ritzy-Cubey-Box-o-drome!

Yes - when it was Ritzy, then the Cube, then the Hippodrome... took three years to do my A-Levels!

£1 in with one of those dindgy bits of card, sticky carpets, crap beer, dancing to cannonball and the stooges, curry and chips across the road after. Explaining a hangover to my teachers the next day.
ah, fond times.
When were you at college? I was in 6th form 1989 - 1991.

It's hard to get too rowdy at a pixies show.

unfortunately I was just much shorter than everyone there.