Band T-Shirts...

[Infinite Jest]

I was surprisingly impressed. I went last year for the Bob Dylan/Ray Davies day and was really disappointed. It was about 35 degrees, and there were huge queues for water, impossible queues for beer, long queues for toilets, just didn't seem fun. (Plus Bob was an ass).

This year I went on the Moz/Stooges/Lou/Patti day and had a great time. Non-existent bar queues - literally - and really friendly bar staff. Lots of food - probably too many food stalls, the queues were so short I doubt they made money. Sound seemed pretty good. Crowds were good. Shuttle buses to station were good. I saw 3 really good sets (Moz, Stooges, Patti) and a couple of OK ones (Lou was grumpy and started off playing long obscure songs, but got happier and better).

I hear Prince the next day was amazing, too. Overall, I've gone from thinking it's the worst festival around, to being really happy with it. For what it is, it was good.

[shoebox]

I went the same day as IJ, and had a great time.

Had my reservations after the reports from the previous year, but there was no way the missus was going to let us miss out on Mozz practically on our doorstep. Anyway, as IJ says it was a great day. Bit of a nostalgiafest really, but that's a good thing.

Started off with a new band, The Head & The Heart, who I was mightily impressed with. Nothing challenging, just decent multi-vocalist indie-folk. Then we hit up the Big Top for the Bluetones/Tim Booth/Graham Coxon triple header, with The Bluetones bringing big sing-alongs very early in the day. A very brief stop over for Lou, which wasn't great, before The Leisure Society were simply magnificent. Again, a brief stop over for Iggy, before the missus got bored and we decided to check out Guillemots, who didn't disappoint. Then finally Mozz himself, playing a storming set. Real crowd pleasers. I've been less than impressed with his last three albums, so it was good to hear a strong selection of Smiths songs and earlier solo material, especially Speedway.

The queues for everything, bar the toilets, were excellent. The only disappointing thing was the comedy. As the comedy tent bar was the only one open after the bands had finished, there were a LOT of people in there chatting and socialising. Fair enough, but you couldn't hear the artists as a result. We got there for Sean Hughes and planned to hang around for Stewart Lee, but there seemed little point when nothing could be heard.

My friends live across the road, so we crashed at their place for the night, meaning we didn't, thankfully, have to deal with any queues to exit the site or public transport.

[Yokel Again]

Started off with a new band, The Head & The Heart, who I was mightily impressed with. Nothing challenging, just decent multi-vocalist indie-folk.

[Infinite Jest]

Shoebox, the guy who runs the comedy is a friend of a friend. I'm seeing him tomorrow and I'll pass that on. Obviously not his fault, but maybe he could feed it upwards to the organisers.

Agree with you about Head and the Heart, I saw them support Low Anthem as well. I saw a bit of Dry the River, who I suspect could be quite big - they had a crowd-pleasing folk-rock sound that got a great reaction, and they are playing a huge number of festivals. I wonder if they might do a Mumfords? They're a bit heavier but have cross-over potential.

Was in the moshpit for Stooges and it was great. Much better than the last two times I've seen them. Iggy is a machine and the fans were great - old punks and young hipster girls throwing themselves around, all in good fun. Thought Moz was great, didn't think much of his Glasto performance (on TV) and I'd seen him live twice before and not been hugely impressed, but he nailed it.

Oh, and I saw Magazine who are legends but didn't really grab me, and Newton Faulkner, who isn't my cup of tea but had a great stage presence.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Infinite Jest

[shoebox]

Yeah, definitely wasn't his fault about the comedy setup, but by all means pass on my comments. The only thing I would suggest would be that it suffered from our age-old Tipi disease and there were a LOT of people sat on the floor at the front, meaning those standing were a little crammed around the bar area. You can't make people stand, but you can certainly encourage people to do so.

[perfectpassion]

OOOhhh Head and Heart, I would have liked to see them, they are touring now with support from PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS of whom I keep going on about, he is wonderful and would also be great at EoTR.

Ben, we can do Morning Runner & Gene chatting at EoTR, 7am ok with you? I have all manner of Gene things including a bootleg of their Camden gig that I went to on 26/3/97 and lots more!!!

I will wear my D&K tshirt that I got from the Duke himself

Edited July 6, 2011 by perfectpassion

[FactCheckinCuz]

This thread has made me think about how I appraoch this and it boils down to (for me only) as:-

1. Never wear a band t-shirt to a gig by the band (unless you've made it yourself)

2. You can wear a band tshirt to a festival on the day before that band is on at that festival but not on the day itself

3. Never wear a tour tshirt if you didn't see a gig on that tour.

At EotR last year(or maybe the year before) I wore a light blue Bill Callahan Tshirt on the Saturday and saw at least 6 others exactly the same (admittedly it was just after a tour he'd done in the UK). This got mixed reactions on meeting each other. Most people just laughed it off and said 'Nice tshirt mate, isn't he great etc.' but I remember one guy who really had the hump with me and seemed really embarrassed by it for the minute we stood in the urinals together. It's hardly 2 actresses wearing the same designer dress at the oscars - lighten up fella. So...

4. If you wear a band tshirt and someone else has the same one on when you do, please take it as a complement.

I wear them a lot, just to show that I like the band. I stil have a Smiths tshirt hanging in my wardrobe from a gig in 1984, with holes in the armpits because I virtually never took it off for 2 years. I can't part with it. That said, I now wish I had a Gene one, they were great.

Or, you can just ignore all the above and just wear what you want. Yep, that's it.

Edited July 7, 2011 by FactCheckinCuz

[bennyhana22]

Now, for a first post, FCC, that was first class! Welcome to the forum.

1. I actually do agree with you, but frequently break this rule as I can't suppress my desire fully to immerse in 'participation' at a band's gig, including pronouncing (again, really only to myself) my love for them.

2. What about the day after their set?!

3. Absolutely cast iron, solid, 24K, completely correct answer!

4. Totally agree. Even nicer than a verbal acknowledgement is a subtle, but indisputable little nod between you. You both know what it means, enough 'said'.

Ben

[Sipperana]

Getting jealous of all this Gene love-in. Why I never went to see this lot I'll never know. Apparently Mr Rossiter is doing solo gigs still, would be interesting.

One of my other faves from back in the day were Kingmaker. Now, I had a totally ace KM t-shirt which was a good quality, plain red t-shirt, with a small embroidered KM logo on the left sleeve. I was once asked if Kingmaker was the brand name of the t-shirt - that's how much unlike a band t-shirt it looked. And I wore it until it was pink.

The point of that ramble down t-shirt memory lane is that I found out this week that there is a reincarnation of KM doing the rounds, but without Loz and Myles, i.e. 2/3 of the original band. I won't be going to see them, then. It would be like seeing Chris Squire's Yes.

[Sipperana]

btw loving the name FactCheckinCuz. Do you really know Geddy Lee?

[FactCheckinCuz]

Thanks Ben, much obliged.

1. I've remembered I actually do break this for the Wedding Present gigs. They've probaably made 100+ tshirts in their 25

year career (including Cinerama), so there's plenty to choose from. I know, what a hypocrite.

2. Yes the day after's okay but I would only do it after they blew me away.

Another eotr t-shirt anecdote. On the Saturday of the first 2005 eotr in the Bimble in (Tipi as was) they had a Swedish night with a bout 4 or 5 Swedish bands on in a row - Fanfarlo, Suburban Kids with Biblical Names I knew and liked before but there was a band called Hemstad I'de never heard of who did 40 minutes of the best, most uplifting music I've ever heard, mostly instrumental and just nailed it. Anyway they had no cds to buy so I looked them up on Catbird records in the US, who'd released it. On their website they had a Hemstad tshirt for sale so I thought - right I'm having that, only to find out the tshirt run was limited to 15 tshirts. 15!!, and guess what - none left. I believe they spilt up soon afterwards after they're flat burnt down in Gothenburg with tall their equipment in it, or so the story goes. 2 uk gigs only - EOTR 2005 and 1 in Telford, Shropshire, around the same time.

So what is the best band t-shirt you've really wanted but couldn't have, saw someone wearing but couldn't get etc.?

[bennyhana22]

And, I've decided that my EOTR pyjama t-shirt will be the incredibly disappointing Leisure Society one I got along with the LP. It looked like a marl grey on the website (yay). It turned out to be white (boo). So consigned to the PJ drawer it has been. Still, nice way to shoehorn another relevant band t-shirt into the EOTR wardrobe!

Ben

[FactCheckinCuz]

Do you really know Geddy Lee?

[ElGanzo]

What do people think about musicians wearing other bands t-shirts? Or indeed their own t-shirt (?!) as I once heard Donovan did.

I've noticed a lot of band members wearing Herman Dune t-shirts for example..

[FactCheckinCuz]

I think it's fine if a band wears another band's tshirt, they may well be fans after all. Unless there's a merch swap thing going on between bands on the same bill.

Whenever I see a band wearing their own tshirt I always think it's shameless advertising or they've run out of clean washing on tour. It doesn't happen that often at gigs I go to to be fair.

[Sipperana]

I'd rather see a band wearing another band's t-shirt than their own. It's a kind of musical solidarity thing. Hoping to see the odd Pavement t-shirt on a musician this time around

[tomtrumps]

I write my Pavement t shirt at last year's EOTR and have never spoken to so many people about Pavement, so definitely a fan of band t shirts! Bit in a band thought sadly Sipperana!

What about football shirts... I'll get my coat!

[tomtrumps]

"Not" in a band, of course!

[tomtrumps]

And "wore". Must stop using Swype!

[M.G.Frogworthy]

Three whole pages on whether or not to wear a band t-shirt at a festival. Are you all mad? Now must remember to pack my signed Val Doonican cardigan.

[perfectpassion]

Three whole pages on whether or not to wear a band t-shirt at a festival. Are you all mad? Now must remember to pack my signed Val Doonican cardigan.

[M.G.Frogworthy]

NO 'Which band TShirt to wear' Hi Froggie you have been quiet....go on wear your Take That Shirt, VD Cardigan so last year!

[M.G.Frogworthy]

'VD Cardigan' sound so ...er...medical. Like Incontinence Pants!

[Sipperana]

Three whole pages on whether or not to wear a band t-shirt at a festival. Are you all mad? Now must remember to pack my signed Val Doonican cardigan.

[Outlier]

What is anyone's opinion on wearing the t-shirt of a band to the gig of a solo artist who was a member of said band, or perhaps to a gig of a band who shared members with the band on the t-shirt? Could I wear, say, a BSP t-shirt when seeing Brakes?