GIGS - How Much Do I Pay? How Do I Act?

Hello lovelies,

I have decided to write a general post about gigs, they play a large part in my life and in the lives of many of my friends. But there are some things which bother me.

Firstly price. I know, I'm a student and I really don't have that much money to spend, therefore I really appreciate it when bands have a standing area, and whether you are right at the front or not depends on how committed you are as a fan, and how early you get there and how long you are willing to wait out in the cold. However recently more and more so it seems that you can buy your way to the front with VIP tickets for many events, which I find sad. I would happily wait hours to see my favorite bands and be right at the front, in fact I have waited up to 10 hours before, but now it's the case that rich kids can just buy a ticket and be at the front. It is more difficult for us poor students now to get the experience which we are so dedicated for. I don't know it just seems a little unfair, some of us have been loyal to bands for years and now just because we cant afford to spend £100+ on one ticket we are denied what we used to have.

Another thing, how do acts decide how much they are worth? How is it that some artists decide that they can charge so much more for tickets than others. I saw Biffy Clyro and my ticket was around £35. I wanted to go and see Justin Timberlake and standing tickets were in the region of £80! I cannot afford to spend £80 on getting crushed and hot and sweaty (Muse tickets were only £50!) So why is it that JT is worth £30 more than muse?! I don't get it. They are making it more and more difficult for their music to be accessed by all. Especially us most dedicated (obsessed), the teenagers and the students.

Next is how to act at a gig. This one really bugs me. Firstly if you go to a standing gig you should expect that people will ram into you at some point, and they can't help it it's just a sort of domino effect. But you have got tickets for that area, so you should be willing to accept it, and not get rude and shout at people (me and my friend experienced an incredibly rude woman's wrath at Biffy Clyro once). Secondly when you go to a gig like Bring Me The Horizon and then get angry at the people moshing around you. YOU chose to go to BMTH and YOU decided to go standing, you knew what it would be like, so stop bruising everyones ribs with your elbows and go to balcony to sit if you don't like it. Lastly ENJOY YOURSELF. In my eyes there is nothing more frustrating than seeing miserable people not enjoying themselves, and even worse is when they feel the need to look down their noses at people who are dancing and enjoying themselves.


After this whole post you may start to think that I don't like going to gigs, but I do I love them, and I mostly have brill experiences, there are no better memories than the magic of hearing your favourite songs and bands live. It's just that I'm curious to know what everyone thinks about these issues.

Let me know,
Seeya x

Jake Bugg!

I know I'm a little behind with this one. Well actually a lot behind on this one, but nevermind! In half term I went off to the O2 Academy in Birmingham to see Jake Bugg ( I saw him at Cambridge Folk Festival last year and he was ace, despite being late) and I must say that he himself put on a great show, however the crowd on the other hand were a different story.

Jake is bringing out a new album very very soon, and having enjoyed his first album so much I was wondering if it would be as good, especially as he has boomed in popularity and been off performing with all the big shots, however all my doubts were soon put to rest when he played his newer stuff. His set was split pretty equally between old and new, and his new stuff contains more rocky guitar stuff, and is a bit more angsty than his folk ballads. Jake sings about life in a very blunt way tackling all of the often taboo subjects, which is what I like so much about his music, it's REAL. I would strongly recommend seeing him live, his music just has to be listened to live.

Unfortunately I had to spend the night next to a "Jake Bugg wonnabe". He dressed like Jake and spent the whole evening trying to be "cool" He didn't crack a smile once and spent the whole evening complaining about everyone else. It seems odd to me that Jake's fanbase started off at Cambridge, with people playing his songs on guitar and us all singing along while we waited for him to arrive, to some of these miserable "too cool for anything" people. You're supposed to enjoy gigs, otherwise you might as well stay at home! It was a shame that our "Jake" complained that the crowd was too boring and there was no "mosh pit" however when one did oddly open up, he was the first to run away from it! Oh dear.

Anyway, if you were into "2 Fingers" and "Taste It" you will deffo like Jake's new stuff. He's also blossomed as a guitar player. It's all sweet.