2012 has been a pretty mental year. I've seen some absolutely amazing acts. Here is a list of my top 10 with a brief description of why it justifies my top 10. I've included videos where appropriate. Although I did really enjoy The Vaccines, I decided to leave them out of my top 10 as they're my favourite band and I'm a little biased.
1. Pulp
It was a funny little story with Pulp. I should have seen them at Leeds Fest in 2011, but was too lazy to go back to the arena after a tiring weekend. Looking back on the YouTube clips of the performances, I was gutted that I'd been so foolish. One of my biggest regrets in life today. However, by chance I happened to go on the Pulp gig list and saw they had planned a homecoming gig in December. Perfect! I bagged tickets in pre-sale, and managed to get standing tickets which is always better. It was genuinely the nicest, homeliest gig that I have ever been to. There were nobody throwing beers, no idiots stood next to us, we were all there for the music, and Pulp delivered. It's sad to think that they aren't going to be around for much longer, if at all, but I can finally tick them off my list, after one and a half years of regret.
2. Mumford & Sons
Like The Courteeners, I saw Mumford & Sons twice in 2012. The first time was in Greenhead Park in Huddersfield. Looking back, I can't even remember how I found the tickets, but despite the rain it was an amazing day out. Singing and dancing in a field under the moon light to Mumford's music was perfect. The second time was equally as special. We arrived just as the band started due to our train breaking down, but that wasn't going to dampen our evening. Mumford said that this was the biggest venue that they had played in the UK, and boy did the crowd response. I Will Wait was absolutely epic, the whole place from top to bottom was singing back to them. Absolutely incredible. I said in a previous post I don't think they're big enough to headline Leeds festival, well I take all that back. Would be very happy to see them at Leeds.
3. John Bishop
I wasn't expecting much from John Bishop. Despite being a big fan of him, he's not my favourite comedian and I was quite apprehensive at not being able to understand his thick scouse accent. As well as this, we also ended up buying tickets a long time after they went on sale, and our seats were pretty poor. However, Bish pulled out all the stops and was by far the funniest of the 3 comedians that I saw in 2012. The show itself was executed brilliantly, which made it all the more special. Would urge everyone to buy his new DVD, his best tour by a country mile. Looking at the acts below, it's a testament to how good his show was that Bish placed so high in my rankings.
4. Foo Fighters
Despite not being the biggest fan of Dave Grohl's band, I was really looking forward to their headline set. A close friend of mine is the biggest Foo Fighters fan, so I maybe didn't enjoy the set as much as he did. Yet, they still put on an absolutely amazing set, and despite it being a little on the long side and being painfully tired about half way through, I'm so glad that I stayed to the end. Worth every penny to see live. All My Life was absolutely brilliant live, and I get chills watching the Reading performance of it.
5. The Courteeners
I was lucky enough to see The Courteeners twice in 2012, and the Manchester born band certainly didn't disappoint. Brilliantly enough, I also saw them both times while I was aged 19, adding to the specialness of the song 'not nineteen forever'. The first time at Leeds festival was special, however a third slot on the NME stage meant they had a painfully short set. No worries though, I somehow managed to clinch standing tickets for their homecoming to the MEN arena, and wow, what a night it was. It was basically just a longer version of their set at Leeds fest, and Liam's acoustic solo in the middle of the arena was pretty special. Gave people who weren't near the front to get a bit closer to him. Got hit with a couple of drinks, and had this woman stood next to us who was adamant to offer every single small person to get on her shoulders, but it wasn't ruining the night. Perfect performance from a perfect band, can't wait for the new album.
6. Kasabian
This was my second time seeing Kasabian after seeing them in late December last year. I knew they were going to smash their headline slot at Leeds festival, and they proved me right. It's amazing how everyone at a Kasabian concert just happens to bounce at the same time, and it's an extraordinary feeling to be part of that bounce. No more words, just go see them if you haven't already. You're missing out. Watch the video below for unreal chills. I will never tire of seeing them.
7- The Killers
I cannot put into words how loud everyone sang along to The Killers. I've liked them since their first album, and their newest album Battleborn is getting back to The Killers that we know and love. So glad that I went to see them on this tour, When You Were Young was a personal highlight, and was easily the best song of the night. Closely followed by Runaways and Spaceman. The amazing thing about a Killers concert is that the songs are so popular it's impossible not to sing along, and like I said, the noise from the crowd was deafening. Absolutely outstanding gig. With a shuffle around of a couple of songs, and playing my favourite song 'River is Wild', they could have easily placed in the top three.
8- Kevin Bridges
Without a doubt, the funniest man to ever walk this planet. I've been a big fan of Kevin Bridges since seeing him in his early days on Mock The Week, and i've followed him ever since. His appearance on Would I lie to you? is perhaps one of the funniest things i've ever seen. We bought the tickets to see Kevin, 14 months before the actual event. So the wait was a long and excruciating one. It was well worth the wait though. I'm not going to try and replicate any jokes that he told, but I seriously recommend you buy his DVD, for many laughs. Only placed so far down the list because of the small venue and being sat behind a human giraffe. I'm hardly one to talk but I had to keep leaning just to get a decent view.
9. The Gaslight Anthem
A nice surprise that I never anticipated would get on to this list. I went to their show at Leeds festival simply because a friend was a massive fan of them. Their live show also turned me into a massive fan, and I disappointed myself that I'd not listened to them sooner. I punched the air in jubilation when news came out they were touring the UK, only to be let down that they clashed with first placed Kevin Bridges. Of all the days, in all the months they just had to be on the same day. Regardless, i'll still be seeing them the next time they tour, and so will many of my other friends who are also turning into massive Gaslight fans. Booked tickets to go see them next year after their stellar performance at Leeds.
10. The Black Keys
Number 10 was hard, I didn't realise how many bands I had seen this year. Leeds fest amounting to most of them, but to leave out bands such as Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs and The Vaccines (my favourite band ever) was hard. However, The Black Keys just sneaked in due to being part of a great day at Leeds festival. I'd only got into The Black Keys a couple of months before Leeds Fest but the bluesy rock stole my heart and I listened to them as much as I could before I saw them. Loved every second of their performance and knew every single song they sang. Kicking myself that I didn't go see them again in their own tour, supported by The Maccabees! I have no idea why I didn't get tickets, but i'm sure that i'll see them again.
So there you have it, been an epic 12 months of music. Hopefully, 2013 will be just as good. Probably going to do a post of the top 10 live songs of 2012, just to keep the blog rolling.
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