Pop Will Eat Itself, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer – Assembly Hall, Islington
Upper Street looking Christmassy
My first gig since the start of the pandemic, and I only had to wait nine months for it!
Pop Will Eat Itself managed to do the socially-distanced gig thing by arranging the hall in “pods”, which in reality were two chairs and a table. As much as I like standing around and dad dancing at gigs, seats are always welcome.
But I did something stupid too. Tickets went on sale at the always-awkward-to-use dice.fm app and they were in short supply. I got my tickets as soon as they went on sale, then just before I checked out I wasn’t sure if I’d ordered the right thing, so I went back in app, re-read everything, re-ordered the tickets … and they were sold out! I think only about 100 went on sale for a venue that would otherwise hold 1500.
This really annoyed me – but I joined the “waiting list” not expecting to hear any more and then forgot all about it until about two weeks before the show, when I was offered waiting list tickets. And lo and behold – front row tickets as well! So everything worked out just nicely in the end.
The whole arrangement was very well done, with drinks being ordered on an app, and coming quickly. I probably ordered drinks a few too many times as a result. Still it’s been a hard year, we have to enjoy ourselves …
I have to admit I wasn’t quite sure about Mr B, it did seem a bit too much like a joke I wasn’t in on, and yes that’s probably overanalysing too. (I enjoyed him more when I caught him in Collapsed Lung in 2021).
PWEI were, as ever, excellent and it was great to be out and about seeing live music again.
Another “play an album in full” set, once again featuring 1989’s This Is The Day … as we’d seen a year ago at the Craufurd Arms. But it’s such a good album it’s really no problem hearing it all again! The second set featured a couple of new songs too, which both bode really well for the future.
Someone else took these next three. I think I can see us in the last pic …
-
Set 1: This Is The Day…This Is The Hour…This Is This!
- PWEI Is a Four Letter Word
- Preaching to the Perverted
- Wise Up! Sucker
- Sixteen Different Flavours of Hell
- Inject Me
- Can U Dig It?
- The Fuses Have Been Lit
- Poison to the Mind
- Def Con One
- Radio P.W.E.I.
- Shortwave Transmission on ‘Up to the Minuteman Nine’
- Satellite Ecstatica
- Not Now James, We’re Busy…
- Wake Up! Time to Die…
Set 2
- Dance of the Mad Bastards
- Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!
- Everything’s Cool
- Chihuahua (new song)
- PWEI-zation
- They Can’t Take (What You Won’t Let ‘Em Have)
- Ich bin ein Ausländer
- The Poppies Strike Back (new song)
- Bulletproof!
- Their Law
Saturday 12 December 2020, 1127 views
Next post: Abdoujaparov, Big Boy Tomato – The Holroyd Arms, Guildford Previous post: Smokin’ Donuts – The Chequers, Billericay
Gigs
- Aggrasoppar – OY Brewery, Tórshavn
- International Pop Overthrow 2025
- Gigantic Indie All Dayer – Marble Factory, Bristol
- HMS Morris, Pictish Trail – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- The Others – The 100 Club, Soho
- Stray Tracks: White Gates Band, Mystery Team, Basharan, SNM, Monumental – Pink Toothbrush, Rayleigh
- Franz Ferdinand, Master Peace, Great Leslie – Empire, Shepherd’s Bush
- Melys, Yr Anghysur – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Ynys, Sybs, Lafant – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- Sultans of Ping FC – Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox, Glasgow
- Franz Ferdinand, Permanent (Joy) – Grand Central Hall, Liverpool
- Half Happy, em koko – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
- My Life Story – The Quarry, Liverpool
- Melys, Osgled – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- They Might Be Giants – The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm
- Darling Buds, Simon Love and the Loves – 229, Great Portland Street, London
- Fightmilk, Tugboat Captain – Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney
- Bugeye, Lucky Number You – The Victoria, Birmingham
- Art Brut – The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
- Sultans of Ping FC, Meryl Streek – The Ritz, Manchester
- Chroma, Baby Brave, Lila Zing – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- Melin Melyn, Ynys, Pys Melyn – Town Hall, Llangollen
- Antarctic Monkeys – The Buttermarket, Shrewsbury
- Bloc Party – The Institute, Digbeth, Birmingham
- Urdd Gobaith Cymru: Achlysurol, HMS Morris, Llareggub Brass Band – Mathrafal Field, Meifod
- Echobelly, Camens – Live 45, Kidderminster
- Futureheads, Adult Play – Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury
- Adwaith – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
- Melys, Pys Melyn, Sophie Kilburn – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Sea Power, Callum Easter – Town Hall, Birmingham
- Dydd Miwsig Cymru: Morgan Elwy, Tew Tew Tennau, Mynadd – Y Institwt, Llanfair Caereinion
- Bikini Beach Band – The White Hart, Stoke Newington
- Pacifica, House of Women – Academy 2, Islington
- Fonda 500, Bugeye, Hurtling, Colossus – Amersham Arms, New Cross
- Snow Coats, Toodles and the Hectic Pity – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Snow Coats – Tunbridge Wells Forum
- Darling Buds, Keeley – The Thunderbolt, Bristol
- Fightmilk, Feeble Strength – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Thousand Yard Stare – The Lexington, Islington
- Thousand Yard Stare – Prince Albert, Brighton
- Be Your Own Pet – Rough Trade East, Whitechapel
- Brian Butterfield – Bush Hall, Shepherd’s Bush
- Pulp – Apollo, Hammersmith
- Blur, Self Esteem – Wembley Stadium, Wembley
- Blur, Wu Lu – City Hall, Newcastle
- Salad, Repetitive John – Arts Club, West Hampstead, London
- Salad – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton
- The Others – The Garage, Highbury
- Fightmilk – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Ynys, Gillie – The Victoria, Dalston
Leave a Reply