Best Canberra gigs

Tim Rogers and the Temperance Union at the UC Bar in 2004.

Oh,and back on topic:

Purplene at the Church bar (on a Wednesday night with all of about 15 people in the crowd)

Bluebottle Kiss at the Green Room.

Both around 2005 IIRC.

Beasts of Bourbon were *complete* crap when they played here a few months back at the ANU.

Disappointing, as they’re usually one of Australia’s finest live acts. Hooper couldn’t even stand up/hold on to the bass FFS.

Violent Femmes @ the Uni Bar got a bit that night on the Rugby Oval, Ah what a night what a girl.

(insert an a into their name)

the resemblance of that boy to his father when you see him sing is scary…

Betchdupa at the ANU bar.

Faith No More at The ANU for the Angel Dust Tour.

Anthrax at the ANU.
Suicidal Tendancies at The ANU

Von Bondies at The Greenroom
Von Bondies at Stonefest with Rocket Science.

Not to mention any Mudeye gig at the Termo back in the day.

The cap should have had “Charnwood” written on it instead.

Oh and Patton owns Kiedis. Faith No More!!!

LOL @ compton as well, damn those O’Malley gangsters…

another funny ANU concert thing, during Mr Bungle concert, Mike Patton continually abused the Red Hot Chili Peppers and specifically Anthony Keidis (see here for why: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Bungle#Anthony_Kiedis_feud), and there was one guy in the audience who was wearing a giant RHCP asterisk t-shirt… he looked very uncomfortable as Patton tried to incite the audience into an anti-RHCP frenzy…

TISM and Regurgitator in a double header at UC – The gurge were good, but TISM were outstanding.

Faithless at ANU Bar was a touch surreal, but that night, god was a DJ

No Doubt also played at ANU many moons ago. Gwen was HOT.

Another highlight for this young bloke was anytime that Def FX played and Fiona gave a bit extra for the boys in the crowd

LOL @ Compton baseball cap. That would have been hell funny to see.

seconding beastie boys, check your head. tops!
Belly – ANU bar same year. very cool. Tanya Donnelly and masturbating into a coma.

I was at the Nirvana gig. A window/door combination of the ANU refectory was smashed. I think the big deal with that gig is that Nirvana were at their peak and played, of all places, the small ANU venue. Awesome.

Violent Femmes did a really long show at the ANU refectory, 2+ hours and even set up speakers outside for people who couldn’t get in. Public Enemy even graced ANU. Some Uni-kid wore a baseball cap with “COMPTON” written on it and Chuck D slapped it of his head.

For local acts, Prick Harness were funny. The Gadflys at the School of Art were righteous. And I remember a few times The Doug Anthony All-Stars busking in Civic.

Does anyone remember The Snowdens?

Buddy Guy @ Royal Theatre 91 (my first concert ever… sooo good!)
PWEI @ ANU 92?
Tumbleweed & Hardons @ ANU 92 (blood was shed)
Prodigy @ the Asylum 92 or 93?
DIG @ Olim’s Hotel 93

The Tourists at…was it the JAM FACTORY? Anyway – they were booed off stage and then, years later, became the Eurythmics!

All those great ANU Midnight Oil gigs.

Iron Maiden – Bruce Indoor around 1981/82?

The Cure at the ANU in 1984/85.

Secret 7 and the Gadflys – 1984/85 at the Kingo.

The Angels in 1988 at QBN LC with James on Bass – I got backstage and very out-of-it with the band.

Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton (separately) at the Casino – late 80s.

Michelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen 2005.

tool in 96 as others said was awesome..

Riotrecords – Inflatable Ingrid made our night at the Potbelly a while back : ) But always seem play when I’m busy!!!

Yes, local gigs should get a mention. The combined Little Smoke & Night Train launch @ ANU a few years back was a good one. 500 punters crammed into the room with another 100 standing in line, hoping to get in. Not often that happens for an all local show. Was a great night.

Henrys Anfer @ The Terminus Bar many, many years ago is another that’s stuck in my mind.

Thugs & Terrorists @ The Terrace Bar in the late 80’s is another.

Some Indyfest shows “back in the day” also…like when Three played.

May I attest that alot of local bands have blown me away on Canberra stages? 4Dead at the ANU last saturday was an experience and a half, The Henchmen at the Church bar for their album launch in 2004/5… I’m sure alot of people would put an Andi & George gig at the Phoenix in their top 5… The Evens at the Front (probably the only international show that I’ve loved here), Alchemist & Henry’s Anger at the Woden MIC.. so many good shows, so many good memories.

Yeah justbands – the Beasts show was a shambles but I thought they held it together well enough to count as a magnificent shambles. Tex and the boys were hilarious.

Jeez rambling how about something easier like resolving Iraq, Korean Peninsula, Taiwan/China. It all started with Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band at the uni bar and then sort of blurred out over the following 30 odd years.Will work on it over some thinking juice at lunchtime.

Stan – I went to the weezer gig – it was fantastic, so much so I went up to Sydney to catch their next show.

I was at the Nirvana show – from the inside you couldn’t really tell the drama was going on outside until the doors came down and a few extra people came in. I was underage and got into that show using my monther’s Grace brothers card – oh they were the days.

For me – my favs – Beastie Boys at ANU on the Check your Head tour must have been ’92. And the Violent Femmes – ANU – 1992 – a huge crowd and just a great party atmosphere.

> did they play a lot of undertow?

Yep, Undertow, Opiate & Aenema. I was about 2 metres away from the band for the whole gig…ahhhh, the memories.

To name but a few…

Sepultura at ANU in around 2001
Seconded Mr Bungle at ANU around the same time (California tour)
Miles of Smiles 3 at UC in about 1998 (I believe a young upstart named Kid Kenobi was playing there, anyone remember?)
Krafty Kuts at ANU, 2006
Tool at Canberra Theatre for Lateralus tour was only OK due to terrible sound mixing (However saw the same tour in Sydney and it was the best concert ever put on by anyone in the history of music…). Would have LOVED to see the 96 ANU gig…did they play a lot of undertow?

My partner saw the Cure.

She’s still deaf…

Nah … she’s just ignoring you Thumps.

I should also have added: Iron Maiden, early 80’s (I think it was 83) @ The Canberra Theatre.

I should start a new topic. ‘Which band damaged your hearing the most in Canberra?’…

Regurgitator

Mine is “Doves” at the Belco Labor Club in 2000 supporting Alex Lloyd would you believe.

At that time they had just been nominated for the Mercury Music prize and were playing huge shows and festivals in the UK and Europe.

It was surreal having such a great act playing a little ballroom in a local little venue.

(and the Cure playing in the same year at the Royal Theatre…Unfrickenbelievable)

The Barbed Wire Ball: headlined by the Angels and Screaming Jets at QBN Leagues in the mid-90’s. A fantastic night, so good I can’t remember who the other 2 bands were…

They’re still going, I think they may even have an album coming out this year.

I was a little young for Nirvana, but I would have given my right arm to have seen Weezer in 1996 at the ANU bar. Did anyone go to that?

Yes! Von Bondies at the Green Room was fantastic too : ) Possibly better given the more intimate setting. Ah the Bondies, where did you go?

BDO in Canberra. Now you’re talking!

My personal fave was Von Bondies at the Green Room (2004?). Another highlight was seeing New Zealand band Zed at the ANU bar on a cold wednesday night with literally eight other people.

Something very strange about a gig where the band and their crew outnumber the audience watching!

Sounds like it was off the hook howdy. They are always the best gigs.

I have always wondered why they have never brought the current Big Day Out circus to Canberra. The Sydney gig always sells out instantly and I’m sure they could easily sell out a Canberra BDO with the people who missed out on tickets from both Sydney and Melbourne. Somebody should get onto that.

hingo – you might have given your right arm at that Nirvana gig : P

Von Bondies at Stonefest. And TISM when one of the guys got nude and climbed up onto the balcony….

Oh man I would give my right arm to be at that Nirvana gig

Hehe, yes…the Nirvana gig is kinda like Woodstock, 543798347589347 more people claim to have attended than actually did. I wasn’t there (either of them!) either.

I remember considering going to see Nirvana & thinking “Nah…I’ll see them next time they come” & then BLAM!

> Could someone explain, for those of us who are under 33, what happened at the Nirvana gig?:)

Nirvana had just “hit the big time”, in a BIG way. I believe they’d booked the ANU before this really happened & basically, the venue was way too small to meet the demand that had now sprung up. So…many, many more punters turned up than the place could hold & hence, many of them ended up not getting in. Not wanting to miss out…the doors & windows of the place were crushed under the weight of the outside crowd, confusion reigned & the night was written into Canberra folklore.

> Beasts of Bourbon at the ANU bar last year

I friend of mine (A BIG beasts fan) went along to that & was very non-impressed. The bass player was too smashed to even play & my friend left very unhappy. Yes, that’s what that band is “about”, but there is a limit.

I second Pearl Jam in ’95.

Pendulum at UC in Dec 2006 (or was it 05?) was pretty special too.

Could someone explain, for those of us who are under 33, what happened at the Nirvana gig?:)

I’d like to nominate Angus and Julia stone at the UC even though the crowd where shit because it’s the only band I’ve ever seen in Canberra, most of the time I have to go to Sydney.

Van Halen at the AIS in about 1998 wins hands down.

That Tool concert was awesome! My picks also include the H&C gig Elvis mentioned and a Spearhead gig, again at the ANU again in ’96 I think.

I was “at” the legendary ANU Nirvana gig only in so much as i was outside – I didn’t try to get in once the doors went down. I didn’t get to see anything and heard sod all (I still had a great night though). As one of my friends says – I’ve met more people who claim they were there than there ever was in reality

Machine Gun Felatio at the Gypsy’s Star bar sometime around the same era where all the band and half the crowd got nude was also a stand out 😉

Beasts of Bourbon at the ANU bar last year

Pearl Jam at NATEX in ’95.

TOOL @ ANU when Aenema was out (96 I think). Fantastic.

Oils..anywhere, anytime they played here.

The Black Keys w/ Kill Devil Hills @ ANU last year.

INXS w/ Hoodoo Gurus out at Bruce in the early/mid 80’s.l

ACDC played at the Ginninderra High School Hall back in 1976. That would have been awesome.

The Cog and Dead Letter Circus gig at UC was probably the best gig I have been to in Canberra so far.

Elvis, I got here in 03, and I still hear stories about that Nirvana gig (or lack thereof).

The Living End, Gyroscope and the Casanovas at the ANU bar a few years back. Possibly the best mosh pit I have ever been in. Back in 2003 I think. Less then Jake were also particularly good that year too.

Nirvana at ANU in 92 off memory, and a most memorable Hunters and Collectors at UC about 96.

The Dirty Three at Tilleys.

Gersey at The Green Room…’04 or ’05 I think.

Sonic Youth at the ANU Bar.

Mr Bungle at the ANU Bar.