Opinion: Rusty Li
There’s a strange, inverse, relationship between how many times I see a band and how much I enjoy the show. Not always, every rule has its exceptions but more often than not.
Sometimes that is due to artists moving on to bigger, but not better, venues. Seeing Fontaines DC at the Brude on a weekday afternoon as they promoted their debut LP Dogrel was tremendous. Seeing them at the O2 Academy a few years later was uninspiring to say the least. Maybe it was due to the grind of ANOTHER tour playing the same songs for the thousandth time? Maybe it was the result of a venue notoriously lacking in atmosphere; desperate for up-and-coming, hype, bands to make it relevant - yet happy to tax them 25% of their merch sales? Maybe it was having to check the terms and conditions on my ticket to ensure the contents of my pockets didn’t contravene entry criteria and my bag was no bigger than A4?
On other occasions it’s because I’m chasing a high; going to see a band I’ve seen before and really enjoyed but like when the magician shows the audience how the trick was done - the next time you see it performed just isn’t as impressive. The Bug Club absolutely blew me away at Great Escape but when they played nearer to home I was a bit underwhelmed – they certainly didn’t do anything wrong, they did pretty much the same set as they did in Brighton but what captivated me on the South coast wasn’t a glorious surprise in Leeds.
I’ve been guilty of falling into the trap of seeing the same bands every time they tour because, well I go see them whenever they tour. And the “What did you think?” on the way out has inevitably deteriorated from “Amazing!” to “Great!” to “Really good” to “yeah alright” which isn’t really a quote for the poster is it? Like all the classic breakups though “it’s not me, it’s them” sorry, “it’s not them, it’s me”.
What’s the solution then? Well, RULES obviously! What else could enliven the heart of a stubborn old bastard like yours truly?
Anything Academy or bigger shall be shunned. If putting actual numbers on it is troublesome anything with a corporate sponsor doesn’t need my money and probably won’t cater to my tastes anyway. Much mental wrestling took place when Nick Cave played the Arena, but I dug my heels in and I think if anyone would approve Nick would.
#2. Once and done.
Attend concert. Didn’t enjoy it? Draw a line under it and move on. Not everything is for everyone and that’s OK. Did enjoy it? Draw a line under it and move on. I’ll always have ‘that night’ unsullied by subsequent shows and the rose-tinted varifocals of time will ensure it only ever grows in stature. “Yeah you might have seen Taylor Swift at Wembley mate but I saw Parsnip at Wharf Chambers, THERE’S NO COMPARISON!”
#3. Reserve the right to cheat on rules 1 and / or 2 as long as I can get a note from my Mum.
I haven’t needed to yet and it’s been quite liberating.
Is there an upside to this musical masochism? I like to see it as ‘Gigs with benefits’ - some for me, some for others. There’s more variety in who I see, and who doesn’t like finding a favourite new band? (Even if I’ll never see them play again.) Smaller venues = better view, better and invariably cheaper beer as well as staff who seem to give a shit. My hard-earned cash is going directly into the hands of the people who make this happen, whether that be the venue, the promoter or the band – especially if I choose to buy a record or a t-shirt at the end of the night. And at this level those people are enthusiastic – you have to be to haul your arse across the country in a transit van, or put the effort and risk in to discover and book bands who aren’t guaranteed to sell out the venue. If we lose that enthusiasm from the process, what will we be left with?
Someone once said “Music scenes aren’t made in big spaces; they’re made in tiny little DIY venues” and the way I see it they’re probably not being made by bands you’ve seen half a dozen times before either.
Words and photos by Rusty Li.
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