Who've you seen live most times?

[Chris P]

It may be interesting to hear from forumistas on this.

I suppose it should include individuals regardless of which band or grouping they're in (at one time I seemed to be seeing Andy Cutting every month or so), it should ideally be gigs you've paid for ie not close mates who put you on the guest list (but we'll cut industry types like Garth some slack).

Flipping the coin & kicking off then, I reckon I've seen Robin Williamson more than twice as many times as anyone else (I've been regularly going to his gigs since '81 and he always comes up trumps musical & repartee/story wise). I've lost track of the number of times but I reckon it's over 15.

Otherwise Carthys Martin and Eliza, Mr Cutting, and local-ish heroes Men Diamler & Rozi Plain. World Music: Toumani & Bassekou get top hits of (only) 4 times each.

[NormanD]

Probably Watersons - Carthy, singly + various combinations, going back to around 1964. Twelve / fifteen times.

Cheikh Lowe, around five times. Nick Lowe, probably the same. (The two together with Ishmael Lo would be perfect). Fairport Convention, around six times from 1967 onwards.

Charlie Haden, four times. Carla Bley, ditto.

Adam Blake and/or Errol Linton, about eight times (I pay, I pay).

Usually

[Chris P]

Cheikh Lowe, around five times. Nick Lowe, probably the same. (The two together with Ishmael Lo would be perfect).

:) the 3Los3 ?

[Adam Blake]

Usually

I was about to say... Fair play, old boy.

Probably The Count Bishops in 1977-78. I went to all their London gigs for awhile.

[AndyM]

I've rarely seen anyone more than twice, to be honest. Though I did see The Kinks four times in the 70s. Now I'm old and cynical, I tend to think that after twice they won't be able to stun or startle me again, however much I've enjoyed them before.

But then, and here comes a heresy that will propel me to the outer reaches of pariah-dom, I far prefer recorded music to live.

[Chris P]

I far prefer recorded music to live.

The Charlie Gillett, as opposed to the Ian Anderson, tendency - so no pariahdom on Charlie's forum. I incline toward the Anderson schism & was about to head out for the third night on the trot & 4 gigs in 5 evenings, but suddenly it's all caught up with me

[Hugh Weldon]

1. The Clash - at least five, 1977-80

2. My mate Mark's band the Resistance who I used to hang around with, nine or ten times, 1977-81

3. Alias Ron Kavana, 1980s pub rock, at least six or seven (closely followed by Los Pistoleros)

The demise of small venues and the lack of anyone really worth following plus the price of tickets for 'big' gigs means anyone else since the 90s it seems only once or twice.

But I would pay to see Messrs Blake, Wood and Linton in any of their varied incarnations again. Anything coming up Adam?

[Rob Hall]

A good topic. Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Ron Sexsmith (I was a big fan of his earlier albums) about 4 times each. June Tabor, about 3 times. Roogalator, Electric Bluebirds, lots of times. World music credibility department: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, at least twice, possibly 3 times. SOTW credibility department: The Recidivists, 2 times.

[Adam Blake]

Anything coming up Adam?

Thanks for your interest. I am playing The Hideaway Club in Streatham with Errol and band on Sunday March 4th.

[will vine]

Loads of jazzers loads of times...Alan Barnes, Scott Hamilton, Jim Mullen, Spike Robinson - but not so many of the big american names.
It's surprising when you realise that, like you lot, I have seen people on fewer occasions than I'd imagined. I guess I saw Kokomo half a dozen times, and I still miss 'em. I reckon Rory Gallagher, Dr. Feelgood and The Stones four times.......Oh blimey...no...Chicken Shack probably up there with Kokomo! Then, of course, there was the Third Ear Band who seemed to open all the free Hyde Park Concerts in the sixties.
I suppose the bands either got successful and outgrew your favourite venues or failed and disappeared.

[Adam Blake]

Then, of course, there was the Third Ear Band who seemed to open all the free Hyde Park Concerts in the sixties.

I must have seen Hawkwind at least four times at free festivals without ever particularly wanting to.

[AndyM]

Or just one verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long Hawkwind set ?

[Adam Blake]

They were all very long sets. You could go off for a brisk walk and come back and they'd still be banging on about being masters of the universe and that the winds of time were blowing through them. They sounded like a psychedelic washing machine and, no, being on drugs didn't make it any better. Funnily enough, I am quite fond of them these days. At the time, though, battle lines were drawn: Public Image and This Heat were played as loud as portable cassette machines could go in protest. These are largely undocumented British culture wars, Andy, perhaps you could supervise a thesis?

[AndyM]

Very happy to - will you be self-funding ?

[Adam Blake]

Aaah, you're just saying that to be polite.... Nobody cares about tribal disputes between anarcho punks, hippies and hell's angels anymore. What's funny is how important it all seemed at the time. In the face of genuine menace and oppression (ie, the full force of Thatcher's police tactics at "The Battle of the Beanfield") it didn't seem to matter if your hair was long or spiky. You got beaten up just the same. The politics of Utopia very quickly gave way to the realities of getting fucked up on fortified lager and heroin (anyone remember the unspeakable Bru Cru?) Fortunately for me I had left the free festival scene behind by then.