Football survey 2023

Started this last year, so why not make it a tradition?

Top 5 games of the year?

1. Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1, 4th March, Selhurst Park (Continental Cup final)
2. Haywards Heath Town 2 Chatham Town 4, 12th November, Hanbury Stadium (FA Cup 1st round)
3. Valerenga 4 Avaldsnes 0, 17th April, Intility Arena (Toppserien)
4. Arsenal 2 Bayern Munich 0, 29th March, Emirates Stadium (Champions League quarter final)
5. Arsenal 2 Wolfsburg 3 (aet), 1st May, Emirates Stadium (Champions League semi final)

Total number of matches?

Eight, slightly down from last year but life got in the way (also there wasn't an international tournament hosted in my country).

First match of the year?

Gillingham 2 Grimsby Town 1, 14th February (yes, I spent valentine's day in the most romantic place on earth!)

Last match of the year?

Gillingham 0 Crawley Town 2, 26th December (yes, I spent the day after Christmas at the most magical place on earth!)

Most surprising game?

Arsenal 2 Wolfsburg 3 (aet), given Arsenal's injury woes I wasn't expecting them to run Wob so close!

Most disappointing?

The first half of the Gillingham game vs Grimsby - this was my first men's game in England in nearly five years and the quality of football was 10x worse than the women's game I was used to for much more money. It was cold, abject and nearly turned me off men's football for life. If it wasn't for the next train being cancelled I would've left at half-time - thankfully I stayed, saw a significant improvement in the second half and a last minute winner!

Farthest travelled?

Intility Arena in Oslo, around 1000 miles/1,600km from my front door.

States attended games in?

Cheerful, grateful, euphoric, bored, knackered and achy.

Stadium most visited?

Gillingham's Priestfield stadium and Arsenal's Emirates, both twice.

Worst injury?

I got surprisingly sunburnt for the Champions League semi-final in May.

Most expensive ticket?

Gillingham, for £22. This was cheaper than a Champions League quarter final (£9) and semi final (£20, in the club lounge!). I can't even bring myself to joke about paying more for quality.

Player seen the most?

I saw a number of Arsenal players at least three times.

Best new discovery?

I've really enjoyed watching Victoria Pevlova play.

Bands seen this year that also broke up this year?

I’m not sure how to make this football related, but I’m open to suggestions.

Friends made at games?

None, I've kept myself to myself this year.

Footballers met?

After the Valerenga game I saw while on holiday, which they won 4-0, they had a meet-and-greet with the entire squad in the stadium canteen afterwards. I got chatting with the American goalkeeper as we were both quite pleased to talk to someone in our native language and joked about her having a quiet game ("I let them have a corner because I was bored"). Due to the post covid landscape, and an abundance of small children holding suspiciously well written signs begging for players' shirts, I've not met any at English games. However, while out for my morning run around Brighton earlier this year, I passed a number of the Man Utd squad (including Leah Galton and a pre-Arsenal Alessia Russo) who were out for a stroll ahead of their FA Cup game at Lewes.

Best souvenir from a game?

I didn't get anything from games, but the new Gills home shirt really makes my eyes pop.

Longest time in line?

I've not really queued up at any games.

Games seen from the front row?

Arsenal’s game at Meadow Park I’ve seen from my favoured spot on the front row of the northern terraces. I spent the second half of Haywards Heath Town vs Chatham Town on the barrier, close enough that the Chatham players could hear and follow my joking time-wasting suggestions!

Most games in one month?

March and November tied for two games apiece.

Most games in one week?

Two - a Thursday night game Continental Cup game at Meadow Park, then a Sunday lunchtime FA Cup game at Haywards Heath Town, both in November.

Biggest crowd?

Arsenal vs Wolfsburg in the Champions League semi final at the Emirates set a record for a domestic women's game in England, at 60,603 people.

Smallest crowd?

If Haywards Heath vs Chatham broke three figures I'll be surprised. It's more likely that more people finished ahead of me at Lancing parkrun - one of the smaller ones in Sussex - the morning before, than were in the crowd.

Any drunk encounters?

I did not get to drink at my annual game abroad, as the Valerenga game only had alcohol-free beer. I did take advantage of attending a non-league game at Haywards Heath Town and was pleasantly merry for the start of the second half.

Top 5 best 2023 footballing moments:

1. An injury hit Arsenal taking Wolfsburg to the last minute of extra time despite having about three fit players at the end.
2. Making a women's game abroad an annual thing
3. Seeing matches across five different competitions this year (League 2, Continental Cup, Toppserien, Champions League, FA Cup)
4. The Youtube algorithm seems to keep showing me Argentinian games live whenever I have the TV to myself for an evening!
5. Taking in a football match with my dad for the first time in a decade.

Top 3 worst 2023 footballing moments:

1. I've been on holiday to Italy three times and still not managed to see a Serie A game. The original holiday was booked to coincide with a Gillingham friendly there but was postponed due to a family tragedy (the second of the year). We rebooked it for early September, thinking that the season will have started and at least one of the three clubs that play around Milan would have a home game, only to find that the season didn't begin until October. Maybe next year?
2. As mentioned above, the first half of Gillingham vs Grimsby was dreadful. Even by Gillingham's standards. Especially by Gillingham's standards.
3. More of a personal one than a footballing one, but after the Arsenal vs Bristol City game in November, I happened to notice a tweet comparing the turnout for a midweek cup game - which was a sell-out weeks before the game - with an equivalent fixture in 2019, which was sparsely attended. My initial positive thought about the growth being good for the women's game quickly saw my mood plummet when I realised that it didn't need my help any longer and led me down an existential rabbit hole when I realised how little difference it would make if I didn't attend any of the matches/gigs I've got lined up next year - after all, Taylor Swift isn't gonna see a space in the crowd and think "wow, James isn't here, I hope he's ok", is she? Thankfully I managed to snap out of it, get some sleep and park that train of thought to pick up again with a therapist in the new year, but it was a concerning thing.

Gig survey 2023

 As ever, previous years can be read at #gig-survey, and this year’s one can be found below.

Top 5 shows of the year?

1. Boygenius w/ Muna and Ethel Cain, Gunnersbury Park, 20th August
2. The Warning w/Dead Pony, Islington Academy London, 26th June
3. Beyonce, Johann Cruijff Arena Amsterdam, 17th June
4. Madonna, O2 Arena London, 14th October
5. Zara Larsson, Brighton Pride, 5th August

Total number of shows?

Seventeen - more than the last three years combined.

First show of the year?

The Subways, at Chalk in Brighton, on February 3rd.

Last show of the year?

Against The Current, Kentish Town Forum in London, December 1st.

Most surprising show?

Honestly, Madonna. After her US leg was postponed our gig was unexpectedly the first night of the tour so we had no idea what to expect, but we got two and a half hours of a whirlwind tour through an extensive discography that wasn't phoned in at all!

Most disappointing?

The Who came on stage and immediately slagged off their support act, which meant that it got off to a great start.

Farthest travelled?

Johan Cruijff arena in Amsterdam, 296 miles/477km from my front door.

States attended shows in?

Cheerful, grateful, euphoric, terrified, bored, knackered and achy. 

Venue most visited?

Chalk and Resident Records in Brighton, both twice.

Worst injury?

Got pelted with confetti after the second Carly Rae Jepsen gig at the end of the tour - it was the dregs so rather than raining down gently upon a euphoric crowd, it rained down heavily and we're still finding bits ten months later.

Most expensive ticket?

Beyonce, hands down.

Band seen the most?

Carly Rae Jepsen, The Warning and Dead Pony, all twice.

Best new discovery?

Dead Pony supported The Warning at their second gig in London this summer and were great enough to make me immediately buy tickets to see them in Brighton a few months later. Also I hadn't really paid much attention to boygenius before their gig (I was mostly interested in Muna and Ethel Cain) but loved them.

Bands seen this year that also broke up this year?

None!

Friends made at shows?

None! There were nice interactions before The Warning in Islington, though. I tried my best in Amsterdam but the Dutch were having absolutely none of my charm.

Band members met?

Billy from The Subways and Carly Rae Jepsen at their (separate) Brighton gigs in February. Jay-Z passed behind me at his wife's gig, too, and Chrissy from Against The Current mocked my baseball team from a third floor window while I was queuing.

Best souvenir from a show?

I have worn the heck out of my Warning tour tee and my boygenius "always an angel never a god" tee. I'm yet to wear my Against The Current t-shirt, as I'm saving it for work tomorrow.

Longest time in line?

Several hours baking in the hot sun before Beyonce.

Shows seen from the barricade [front row]?

I was fairly close for the Warning fan show in May, the Carly shows, and Zara at Pride. Right at the front - uncomfortably close - to Dead Pony at Green Door Store in Brighton.

Most shows in one month?

June had three, but should've had four...

Most shows in one week?

...however we didn't manage the Sabrina Carpenter gig two days after Beyonce, so only the two Carly Rae Jepsen gigs in a week in February (either side of a Gillingham game!)

Biggest crowd?

Probably boygenius at Gunnersbury Park.

Any drunk encounters?

Not really - I was drinking but never drunk.

Top 5 best 2023 concert moments:

1. The Warning. I got into this rock band formed of a trio of sisters from Mexico around the beginning of 2022. They announced a UK and Europe tour for this summer, mostly supporting bigger bands (Muse, Royal Blood) and playing festivals. Wrapping up the tour was a June date at Islington Academy, and I got tickets as soon as they went on sale. Perusing the tour dates on their social media I noticed a private show the day after their first UK date - I hopped on the discord and found out how to get tickets, managing to see their first ever headline show on this continent! They were as fantastic as expected and with the label support they've got are gonna be big in the next few years.

2. Zara Larsson - I saw her in Brixton in 2019, at a gig I was encouraged to go to by my lovely wife who thought that my ironic fandom would dissipate with a live gig (in her defence, this plan worked amazingly with Dua Lipa). I had a wonderful time and my ironic fandom quickly became an actual fandom. For some reason she didn't play many gigs over here since, only an unfortunately timed club show (August 2021, Dana was away so missed out) so when she was announced as the de facto Brighton Pride headliner - Black Eyed Peas closed the night but nobody cared about them - I spent the intervening months hyping her up...and she exceeded my expectations! A rip-roaring set cramming in everything she's released as a single over here (including the Euro 2016 anthem!) saw me at my most enthusiastic, least self-conscious giddy self watching her.

3. Carly Rae Jepsen was fantastic, as ever. At a pub in London before her Ally Pally gig I saw a flyer for a strong, tasty beer so I ordered it with our food. The woman behind the bar was very new at the role - possibly her first day - so was unaware of how to find it on the till, opening and pouring the beer so I could start drinking while she found out the price.

Two minutes later a very nervous bartender approached me with a card reader and a request for £25 for about half a litre of beer. Fortunately for her I was expecting it to be pricy, and had had the sort of news that week which justified a hedonistic outlay, so when I paid it the relief on this woman's face was palpable!

4. Boygenius, Muna and Ethel Cain was a great afternoon up in London to take the disappointment of England losing the World Cup Final away. I knew Muna would be great after last year's gig; I had high hopes for Ethel Cain, and was prepared to be wowed by the boys. All of them exceeded my expectations and I got to spend a great evening in the sun in south west London with my wife and my sister-in-law.

Top 3 worst 2023 concert moments:

1. With a purchase of her album and an extra £20, we got to see Mimi Webb's album launch gig that lasted less than an hour, had half a dozen songs and spent more time on a pre-selected Q&A session than her playing music. To make matters worse, she's from Whitstable, and sounds like it as well. Her accent is the Kentish accent that our parents deliberately trained out of my brother and I; hearing it in the flesh (and unexpectedly so as well) was such a jarring shock to my system I went from hyped up to hating an artist in an instant. Even listening to a brief interview clip to find the link above has set my teeth on edge and I need to go and have a bath to calm myself down.

2. Back near the beginning of the year we didn't have any big gigs lined up, so when The Who were announced to play at the local cricket ground we booked tickets, paying expensive prices to get to the front of block B - not right at the front but with a decent view as nobody would be in front of us (we thought). The gig got off to a bad start when I queued up for 45 minutes for a bar that had run out of all but the bland IPAs. During this queue the Who came on stage and immediately - before playing a chord - spoke dismissively about the support band. When I got back to our seats I found people standing in front of us on the barricade blocking our view, despite repeated requests to move, signs stating "no standing" and a stewarding team fresh out of school. After being verbally abused by a pensioner for asking her not to stand in front of the seats we'd paid £80 each for we decided we had better things to do than watch a Brexiter and his nonce bassist go through the motions and went home.

3. The total shows should've been even higher, but we missed several. In the spring we missed a pair of hometown Maisie Peters shows due to a family tragedy. In August I missed seeing be your own PET! for the first time in fifteen years due to a different family tragedy, and we missed seeing Sabrina Carpenter headlining at the Hammersmith Odeon due to being stranded in Amsterdam after easyjet cancelled our flight home. It's not been a great year, all things considered.