Blur, Bots – Winter Gardens, Margate

Just by coincidence, I paid £35 when I saw Blur in Cambridge in 1994. But that was from a tout from a sold-out gig, and even he didn’t charge me a booking fee

Down to Winter Gardens in Margate to see Blur for the 8th time. We’d managed to get a weekend away in nearby Ramsgate, booking into the smallest hotel room we’ll ever stay in. We did manage to pass ourselves off as members of the Ramsgate Yacht Club and had an enjoyable afternoon drinking in there.

This was a warm-up for a massive Hyde Park gig and I was lucky to pick up a pair of tickets for a “small venue”, although it’s not a tiny place as the official standing capacity is 1900. Because of the room’s oblong shape you’re never too far from the stage though, which is a nice touch.

Apparently London Loves was getting its first live performance since 1994, and I was really pleased to hear it again as it was always one of my favourites from Parklife. That might also explain why the video of the song I posted on YouTube is getting between 10 and 40 times the number of views of the other three.

No Distance Left To Run was getting its first play since 2000, too, and it was good to hear songs like Young And Lovely, Caramel and Trimm Trabb too, although more from Modern Life Is Rubbish would have been nice.

In some of the photos towards the end you may be able to spot funeral-queue-jumping Holly Willoughby getting a better view on the side of the stage than most of us.