Top 5 shows of the year?
1. Taylor Swift - February 1st (O2, London)
2. Foxes - March 2nd (The Haunt, Brighton)
3. Lucy Rose - June 25th (Sebright Arms, London)
4. Jenny Lewis - September 5th (Islington Assembly Hall, London)
5. Anavae - August 9th(The Hope, Brighton)
6. Marmozets - October 6th (Komedia, Brighton)
7. Echosmith - November 24th (Barfly, London)
8. Tove Lo - May 8th (Komedia, Brighton)
9. Charli XCX - May 10th (Corn Exchange, Brighton)
10. The Pretty Reckless - March 24th (Electric Ballroom, London)
Total number of shows?
41, nearly double last year, helped by The Great Escape.
First show of the year?
The sparkly wonderful Taylor Swift at the BT Cellnet Arena in London on the first day of February.
Last show of the year?
Marmozets blowing my drunken socks off, with Royal Blood as a warm-down act at Brighton Dome.
Marmozets blowing my drunken socks off, with Royal Blood as a warm-down act at Brighton Dome.
Most surprising show?
Charli XCX. Considering I only really knew her as the hook from Fancy, the show was surprisingly punk.
Charli XCX. Considering I only really knew her as the hook from Fancy, the show was surprisingly punk.
Most disappointing?
Demi Lovato. Didn’t feel the connection, it was uncomfortably busy and I was subjected to an unsavoury act beforehand.
Farthest travelled?
80 miles to the O2 Arena.
States attended shows in?
Cheerful, grateful, euphoric, terrified, bored, knackered.
Venue most visited?
Concorde 2 four times (Blood Red Shoes, The Subways, Foxes twice) just edges out the trio of times I visited Prince Albert (Dog In The Snow, Wonder Villains, Laurel)
Worst injury?
Came over all faint at Honeyblood at The Hope and worsened my cold at WATIC in Kingston causing me to miss out on the meet/greet/eat at Koko the next day.
Most expensive ticket?
Taylor Swift was the best part of £60, but well worth it.
Band seen the most?
Blood Red Shoes (five times) beat out Foxes (four) and Lucy Rose (three).
Best new discovery?
Laurel, Tove Lo, Honeyblood, Wonder Villains, Charli XCX, Hero Fisher, Soph Nathan (since renamed Our Girl), Echosmith
Bands seen this year that also broke up this year?
None! Yet.
Friends made at shows?
Little Grace at Foxes, Jen at Lucy Rose
Band members met?
From the top: WATIC briefly, Foxes (three times!), Blood Red Shoes, Lightknife, Pawws, Tove Lo, Wonder Villains, Lucy Rose, Becca from Anavae (twice!), Becca from Marmozets (twice!), Echosmith.
Best souvenir from a show?
Love my Foxes baseball tee.
Longest time in line?
An hour in the cold before WATIC and The Pretty Reckless, a warmer hour before both Foxes Concorde gigs.
Shows seen from the barricade [front row]?
All three Foxes gigs in Brighton, we had nobody in front of us at Lightknife, Blood Red Shoes at The Black Heart, Concorde 2 and Canterbury, Tove Lo at the Warren and at Komedia, Pawws at Komedia, worked my way down the front for The Subways, Lucy Rose at the Sebright Arms and Dalston Car Park, Anavae and Honeyblood at The Hope, Marmozets at Komedia, and Laurel at the Prince Albert.
Most shows in one month?
Excluding The Great Escape, six in March.
Most shows in one week?
Foxes, 2x Blood Red Shoes, Anavae and Dog In The Snow in FIVE DAYS in March.
Biggest crowd?
Taylor Swift, at the O2.
Any drunk encounters?
I don’t remember any.
Top 5 best 2014 concert moments:
1. Foxes being utterly happy and lovely and friendly and wonderful at all four gigs.
2. Taylor Swift being even better than I’d said.
3. Tay from WATIC loving my Stitch badge.
4. Lucy Rose nearly giving the game away about my birthday surprise video with less than a month to go. In fairness, she actually gave it away, I was just too stupid to notice.
5. Jenny Lewis at Islington Academy. I had a near religious experience, especially seeing her perform “A Better Son/Daughter” in person.
Top 3 worst 2014 concert moments:
1. Not concert moments per se, but the refusal of some bands to take five minutes out of their not particularly busy days to video a Happy Birthday message for my 30th grated a bit. I can understand the big American artists not doing it (after all, Taylor Swift doesn’t know me from Adam) but for smaller bands – in particular, one who I’ve followed around Europe and who are fairly major in my personal life, to the point that we’re on amicable chatting terms – not to bother upsets me. That has affected some of the gig standings – three of my top five were in my birthday video.
2. Getting groped at the Demi gig left me in a weird mood for her whole set.
3. Not having enough time to meet Jenny Lewis after her London gig. That would’ve sent the gig up several places.
