[Music] Bananarama tonight at the Brighon Centre

[Buzzer]

The Jazz Rooms... *shudder*.

This is the one in Camden, opposite the cinema and just down the road from the Dublin Castle (which is as good a pub venue as you'll ever find).

 

[Buzzer]

View attachment 91623

Fair play. I deserved that.

 

[Trufflehound]

Two best gigs I saw there were Flaming Lips ( the one when he got in the ball, touring Yoshimi battles the pink robots album I think? The finale of The Golden Path was something to behold) and Deep Purple. I watched Bananarama tonight too. Was good. They did a great job of Stay With Me and they still look fantastic.

Flaming Lips always give good show (despite Wayne Coyne's "not as out of tune as Ian Brown, but not far off" voice). There isn't "the one" where he got in the ball - he still does it (as of August '17, the last time I saw them). Only nowadays he manages a pretty decent cover of Space Oddity whilst inside.

 

[Gwylan]

This is the one in Camden, opposite the cinema and just down the road from the Dublin Castle (which is as good a pub venue as you'll ever find).

Isn't that The Jazz Cafe, not the Rooms?

That's a decent venue IIRC

 

[Weststander]

One of the first concerts I went to was supertramp at the dome in 1975. Crime of the century tour.

I saw lizzy twice so it may well have even one if them.

I then went to see the at the Brixton academy and was sure Phil was off his face that night.

Supertramp:
I was too young, at primary school, but I loved some tracks from an older brother's album. Loved the constrasting vocals of Hodgson and Davies.

A long time ago, but was it a great gig?

Not normally my genre of music, but I thought the later Breakfast in America album was an incredible too.

 

[Weststander]

see the stranglers there what a pile of shit that night , tears for fears ok , Siousxie and the banshees with Robert smith on lead guitar, ok
regards
DR

I think I went to that Stranglers gig and totally agree. But at the Suite, they were immense. Greenfield's keyboards ... wow.

 

[studio150]

see the stranglers there what a pile of shit that night , tears for fears ok , Siousxie and the banshees with Robert smith on lead guitar, ok
regards
DR

Seem to recall that Hugh was in a huff and no encore, poor show. Much prefer seeing the Stranglers at smaller venues.

 

[Buzzer]

Isn't that The Jazz Cafe, not the Rooms?

That's a decent venue IIRC

Ah yes. Sorry. I found it a bit of a pokey venue that gets very cramped and difficult to see the stage if you're at the back.

 

[KZNSeagull]

First gig I went to at the Brighton Centre was The Jam in 1980 or 81, supported by The Piranhas. I got the ticket by getting 3 extra customers on my Argus paper round (I was 14)! Saw Toyah there, also The Cure, New Order and the Stranglers. Always enjoyed the Dome and Top Rank better - The Cure at the Dome in 1982 (Pornography tour) was fantastic, as were Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, James. The Undertones atTop Rank were great too.

 

[The Large One]

This is the one in Camden, opposite the cinema and just down the road from the Dublin Castle (which is as good a pub venue as you'll ever find).

Been to both. Saw the Nutty Boys at the Dublin Castle (on Parkway) about 25 years ago.

There was also some Acid Jazz 'scene' going on around 1988-90 ish. Went to the Jazz Rooms a couple of times - as you say very pretentious. Impossible to listen the music when almost everyone is yakking (another thread entirely), trying to outpose, outpeacock each other.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

A friend of mine is an acoustic engineer (different from a 'sound man' he tells me).

It has long been acknoweldged that the Brighton Centre is poor for acoustics - the worst part being the sound bouncing straight back off the back wall in to the auditorium. However, when Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds was played there by a full-blown orchestra a few years ago, they had a few quid behind them to get the best possible sound.

Basically, a computer 'scans' the room from the point of where the music is played from, works out distances, nooks and crannies, wall materials and so on, and comes up with a report of what speaker should be placed where, at what angle and at what volume etc - for the best possible sound. The result, he told me, was astonishing, proving that the Brighton Centre can be a good venue for atmosphere - provided you spend a few quid.

This stuff may well be far more common now, but at the time it was fairly revolutionary, and not cheap.

There used to be some cladding on the back wall many years ago to help with the sound but I don't think it is there any longer. If i remember correctly, there were issues with a Cozy Powell drum solo that caused some of it to fall off.

 

[pearl]

Anyone else own up to seeing Gary Glitter at the Brighton Centre?

it always sold out before I could get a ticket

 

[Trufflehound]

If i remember correctly, there were issues with a Cozy Powell drum solo that caused some of it to fall off.

As issues with Cozy Powell drum solos go, I'd rate that as fairly minor.

My biggest issue with the Cozy Powell drum solo I saw in 1980, when he was with Rainbow, is that it wouldn't f**king end. Excruciating doesn't even begin to describe it...

 

[Buzzer]

Been to both. Saw the Nutty Boys at the Dublin Castle (on Parkway) about 25 years ago.

There was also some Acid Jazz 'scene' going on around 1988-90 ish. Went to the Jazz Rooms a couple of times - as you say very pretentious. Impossible to listen the music when almost everyone is yakking (another thread entirely), trying to outpose, outpeacock each other.

I know the couple who put on a lot of the Acid Jazz nights with Russ Dewbury. Really nice they are too. Acid Jazz just isn't my scene, I do wonder whether all those people that loved to name drop bands like Galliano and Red Snapper actually listened to any of them.

 

[Bodian]

I went to one of the very first concerts at the Brighton Centre - if not the first. Our neighbour worked for Seeboard, and was involved in putting in all the electrics - and they had a few sound test concerts in the run-up to opening, and all the staff were given tickets for friend, relations, and neighbours. I think the idea was to also see how getting crowds in and out would work and so on.

Must have been about summer of 1977 I think because we went camping the next day and I remember hoping for a repeat of the hot summer we'd had the year before.

Not a very exciting concert though - it was basically a classical orchestra rehearsing. Not quite as good as the Bunnymen concerts I went to see later - but without my parents!

 

[Weststander]

I went to one of the very first concerts at the Brighton Centre - if not the first. Our neighbour worked for Seeboard, and was involved in putting in all the electrics - and they had a few sound test concerts in the run-up to opening, and all the staff were given tickets for friend, relations, and neighbours. I think the idea was to also see how getting crowds in and out would work and so on.

Must have been about summer of 1977 I think because we went camping the next day and I remember hoping for a repeat of the hot summer we'd had the year before.

Not a very exciting concert though - it was basically a classical orchestra rehearsing. Not quite as good as the Bunnymen concerts I went to see later - but without my parents!

First gig I went to at the Brighton Centre was The Jam in 1980 or 81, supported by The Piranhas. I got the ticket by getting 3 extra customers on my Argus paper round (I was 14)! Saw Toyah there, also The Cure, New Order and the Stranglers. Always enjoyed the Dome and Top Rank better - The Cure at the Dome in 1982 (Pornography tour) was fantastic, as were Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, James. The Undertones atTop Rank were great too.

At the Top Rank went to brilliant gigs by Big Country, Flock of Seagulls, Stranglers, and many others.

Always came out soaking wet from the crush of 2,000 nutters.

 

[Steve Foster]

Best gig I think I've ever seen there. Brilliant from start to finish. Anyone else go?

Yes my wife & I went with a couple of friends. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show. Full of people our age in their late 40s/50s. They certainly haven’t lost their voices or figures & for a couple of hours the show took us back to the 80s. Wasn’t a cheesy show & I really didn’t think I would enjoy it - but the songs & show seemed fresh.

For anyone that gets the opportunity to see the show on tour I would thoroughly recommend it

 

[Jim in the West]

Yes my wife & I went with a couple of friends. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show. Full of people our age in their late 40s/50s. They certainly haven’t lost their voices or figures & for a couple of hours the show took us back to the 80s. Wasn’t a cheesy show & I really didn’t think I would enjoy it - but the songs & show seemed fresh.

For anyone that gets the opportunity to see the show on tour I would thoroughly recommend it

Agree - went last night with the wife - my expectations were fairly low, but it was thoroughly enjoyable. I was slightly concerned that it would be a bit of a rip-off, but the show was very professional. Standard of singing from the girls was miles better than I remember, and the band was really good. Nice little craft beer stall in the lobby selling decent IPA, too.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

 

[maffew]

I know the couple who put on a lot of the Acid Jazz nights with Russ Dewbury. Really nice they are too. Acid Jazz just isn't my scene, I do wonder whether all those people that loved to name drop bands like Galliano and Red Snapper actually listened to any of them.

JTQ?