Abdoujaparov, Big Boy Tomato – The Holroyd Arms, Guildford
With restrictions starting to ease, I was excited when I found out that socially-distanced gigs are coming back. So excited that I was prepared to drive all the way over to Guildford to the Holroyd Arms for the pleasure.
What was less exciting was finding out we had to sit down at a table (hooray) at the back of a very long pub (boo). Visibility wasn’t great. Still, we could hear it all fine, and they also had TV screens of the stage in our section too, although that’s not quite the same. Not being 19 years old any more I’m not quite as excited spending all night in a pub as I used to be, especially when I’m driving and not drinking.
Our view of Big Boy Tomato. They’re there, somewhere
Still, for all my whinging here, it was actually a good night out. It was my first gig of the year – and my first for nearly six months. Abdoujaparov were as fun as ever, and it was my 20th Aboud/iDou gig too – I’ve only seen Carter USM and the Sultans more. Big Boy Tomato were a new one on me, even though they’ve been around since the late 80s, so it was good to catch them live as well.
This was about the best picture I took of Abdou, after walking to the toilets and then “not returning to my seat immediately” – I did actually go back to my table after a minute, although towards the end a lot more people were ignoring that which was a bit worrying. Great T-shirt too!
Friday 4 June 2021, 123 views
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Gigs index
- Hybrid Kid – Shortts Bar, Brighton
- Speakeasy Vol 1 – Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe
- S*M*A*S*H, The Astronauts – Club 85, Hitchin
- Thousand Yard Stare, The Shop Window – Academy 2, Islington
- Bugeye – The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishop’s Stortford
- Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Powerhaus, Camden
- Sea Power – Esquires, Bedford
- Salad, Piney Gir – The Lexington, Islington
- Fightmilk, The Spaces – Oast Community Centre, Rainham
- Fightmilk, Gold Baby, Gutts – The Victoria, Dalston
- Genesis – Liverpool Arena
- Pop Will Eat Itself, Utah Saints, Collapsed Lung – Assembly Hall, Islington
- Salad, Maschina, Burnout, Stick In The Wheel – High Tide Festival, Twickenham
- Hybrid Kid, White Dog, Lemur Lemur – Prince Albert, Brighton
- Futureheads, Mt Misery – Esquires, Bedford
- Sea Power – Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
- The Primitives, Jetstream Pony – The Lexington, Islington
- Becontree 100: Nova Twins – Parsloes Park, Dagenham
- Abdoujaparov, Big Boy Tomato – The Holroyd Arms, Guildford
- Pop Will Eat Itself, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer – Assembly Hall, Islington
- Smokin’ Donuts – The Chequers, Billericay
- Republica, All Tomorrow’s Stories, Saint Nevis – The Boston Arms, Tufnell Park
- Dream Wife – Audio, Peckham
- Xmas Freak Show – The Railway Hotel, Southend-on-Sea
- Pop Will Eat Itself, Jeana – Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
- Steve Hackett – The Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea
- Darling Buds, Helen Love – The Lexington, Islington
- Salad, Cozy Slippers, Gold Baby, Macadamia Sluts – The Finsbury, Finsbury Park
- Hurtling, Pink Haze, Petrol Boys – The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishop’s Stortford
- Divine Comedy – Empire, Shepherd’s Bush
- Jim Bob, S*M*A*S*H, Midway Still – Esquires, Bedford
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