So I’ve had a thought about this, but I decided it’d be useless trying to rank the gigs I’ve been to this year, seeing as I can barely remember what I did last night let alone 12 months ago. So instead, I’m going to go by month and then pick out a selection of memorable gigs, with a small blurb and maybe a picture. Let’s start with the first 6 months:
January:
The Walkmen @ Central Methodist Church, Manchester
An easy choice seeing as it was the only gig I went to in January. Despite being in the upstairs seating I remember it felt quite intimate and they were certainly entertaining to watch. There’s more to this band than just The Rat you know.
February:
The Joy Formidable @ Club Academy, Manchester 
This was wild. It was sold out, their debut album had been released earlier in the week and they were just up for it. They played a blistering set to a crowd that couldn’t get enough. I do also remember getting incredibly drunk afterwards in Big Hands.
The Duke Spirit @ Sound Control, Manchester 
I chose to spend Valentines day in the presence of a dirty garage rock band. The Duke Spirit are joint band I’ve seen live the most times and this gig was no exception in how ace they are. Energetic and seductive all in one, it was pretty special.
Mogwai @ Manchester Academy
I was still reeling from the news my favourite band had split up the day before when I ambled in to watch Mogwai. After being supported by the excellent Twilight Sad, Mogwai delivered a loud and devastating set, with an incredible setlist covering all the best parts of their career.
March:
Former Ghosts @ Ruby Lounge, Manchester
You know a gigs something when you can see the sweat dripping from the performers. And sweat Freddy Rupert most certainly did. It was incredibly cathartic watching Former Ghosts play their songs of heartbreak and loss live.
The Twilight Singers @ Moho Live, Manchester and F’leche D’or, Paris 
I saw The Twilight Singers twice in the space of a week, once in Manchester and once in Paris. Both were incredible shows, with brilliant setlists. I think the Paris show just wins though, the performance just seemed that bit more powerful, even though Greg apparently wasn’t very well that night. Also, it was actually at a good venue (words do not describe how awful Moho Live is).
April:
Rival Schools / …And you Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead @ La Maroquinerie Paris, Electric Ballroom London and Manchester Academy 2
So, I saw the Rival Schools/ Trail of Dead double headline tour 3 times in total in April. Each gig was pretty fucking awesome too, each band rocked out and the crowds loved it. I think Paris was the best show for Trail of Dead whilst Manchester was Rival Schools best show. They just seemed to get better and better.
Best Coast @ Club Academy, Manchester
This was a lot of fun too. I didn’t expect it to be so wild, but the crowd were nuts. It really spurned the band on too after a disastrous week touring mainland Europe. The stage invasion was only the half of it.
Johnny Foreigner @ Night and Day Cafe, Manchester 
I didn’t get to see JoFo anywhere near as much as I’d have liked this year but their gig at Night and Day was perfection. Playing lots of their bests songs as well as new tracks that would make up the best album of the year, it was non stop fun.
Live At Leeds @ Various venues around Leeds. 
A very long day out in Leeds watching ace bands. Too many to go through individually, but highlights were: Kong, Let’s Buy Happiness, The Duke Spirit, The Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit.
May:
Sounds From The Other City @ Venues around Chapel Street, Salford
Another ace day running around my own neighbourhood this time. Again too many ace bands to talk about individually, but the highlights were: Charlie Barnes, The Louche F.C., Willy Mason, Young British Artists
Explosions In The Sky @ Manchester Academy
This was epic. A night of wonderful post-rock spread across Explosions brilliant career. The new material sounded much better live and the performance was really passionate.
Suede performing ‘Suede’ and ‘Dogman Star’ @ Brixton Academy, London 
It was a dream come true seeing Suede in the first place, it was something else being able to see them perform two of my favourite albums of the 90’s. Both nights were wonderful, with B sides and other classics played. Support came from Chapel Club who were also excellent both nights.
…And You Will know us By The Trail of Dead @ Leeds Cockpit
Yes I saw Trail of Dead a fourth time in May. And you know what? It was the best I’d seen them yet. A different setlist made it fresher and the band were even wilder than before. Marvellous.
June:
The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart @ Sound Control, Manchester
It was a bloody hot night in Manchester, so what better way than to jump around to hazy indie pop? After a slightly dodgy start with iffy sound, Pains came to life and we went wild. It was amazing.
Tom Vek @ Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Like everyone else in the room, I’d waited 6 years for Tom Vek to do ANYTHING again, and his new album and tour were worth the wait. It started slowly but built up more and more and got more and more fun.
Amplifier @ Sound Control, Manchester
This was an amazing night. There was a huge group of sizeboard members attending, and Amplifier played loud and heavy. It was loads of fun, and the piss up afterwards was great too.
Glastonbury Festival @ Worthy Farm, Pilton
Glastonbury is always loads of fun and this year was no exception. I’ve gone into a lot of detail of my weekend previously so here’s some quick highlights: Guillemots, Warpaint, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, U2, Fight Like Apes, The Twilight Singers, Patrick Wolf, Pulp, Coldplay, The Joy Formidable, Laura Marling, TV On The Radio, Queens of The Stone Age.
The second half of the year will be done a bit later.
