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March 28, 2024, 06:33:45 PM

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Gig venues you hate

Started by Nice Relaxing Poo, June 25, 2022, 05:01:23 PM

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Concorde 2 in Brighton. I've been there dozens of times and always hated the layout  of the place. You have to fight your way through most of the crowd to go to the bar or the toilet, there are pillars obstructing your view and it's a long walk back to town afterwards if you haven't the cash for a cab. My dislike of the place slightly spoils even good gigs I've seen there.

kalowski

Manchester Arena or whatever it's called. Fucking dreadful, cold, echoing hangar.

SweetPomPom

Earls Court was always rubbish.

The Troxy, the pit at the bottom of the stairs is the only decent viewing spot which makes the bar and toilets inaccessible once you're in.

The bottleneck tunnel at Hammersmith is a pain in the arse for getting in and out.

I don't mind Concorde2, it is long and thin with a low stage though. Chalk is way better.

Leeds Uni is another long and thin one, bit bigger tho so not as bad.

Quote from: kalowski on June 25, 2022, 05:04:11 PMManchester Arena or whatever it's called. Fucking dreadful, cold, echoing hangar.

Genuinely don't mind it. As massive arenas go I think it's one of the better ones. Victoria Warehouse suits the fucking dreadful, cold, echoing hangar description better - and it's a pain in the arse to get to and from.

I hate Gorilla in Manchester. Always far too busy, and the layout of the venue means you have to fight your way to the front to get to the bogs.

Kankurette

The giant concrete shithole of despair that is the Victoria Warehouse. I saw John Carpenter there and while he was great, I could barely see or hear him. Plus the venue was oversold. It was a fire safety nightmare. And the sound in Northgate Arena is dreadful. I'm so glad Chester has decent live venues now.

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: Wayman C. McCreery on June 25, 2022, 05:22:57 PMI hate Gorilla in Manchester. Always far too busy, and the layout of the venue means you have to fight your way to the front to get to the bogs.

Yeah, it's horrible.

Don't like the Albert Hall (Manchester one) either. The windows are nice to look up at but door staff are horrible and beer is shit and expensive. Even 10 years or so ago (whenever Slint played) it was five quid for a coke sized can of fucking Tuborg. Glad I smuggled a 4 pack in. (I always smuggle booze in nowadays unless the venue are decent/ small and don't take the piss with pricing.)
Still think Deaf Institute is best venue in Manchester although not been there for about 8 years.

GoblinAhFuckScary

Quote from: Nice Relaxing Poo on June 25, 2022, 05:01:23 PMConcorde 2 in Brighton. I've been there dozens of times and always hated the layout  of the place. You have to fight your way through most of the crowd to go to the bar or the toilet, there are pillars obstructing your view and it's a long walk back to town afterwards if you haven't the cash for a cab. My dislike of the place slightly spoils even good gigs I've seen there.

Ah yeah Concorde is crap. I have a bit of nostalgia for Sticky Mike's now that it's rubble, but that place felt genuinely cursed.

The Haunt was proper shit. WORST sound ever. Totally ruined Pissed Jeans for me. On the flipside I did get to play a show with one of my heroes before it shut and moved itself to Chalk.

Quote from: holyzombiejesus on June 25, 2022, 06:27:14 PMYeah, it's horrible.

Don't like the Albert Hall (Manchester one) either. The windows are nice to look up at but door staff are horrible and beer is shit and expensive. Even 10 years or so ago (whenever Slint played) it was five quid for a coke sized can of fucking Tuborg. Glad I smuggled a 4 pack in. (I always smuggle booze in nowadays unless the venue are decent/ small and don't take the piss with pricing.)
Still think Deaf Institute is best venue in Manchester although not been there for about 8 years.

I don't mind the Albert Hall (I don't drink, so the beer prices don't make a difference to me), but only if I'm upstairs and facing the front of the stage. The sound's been horrible whenever I've been stood downstairs.

Agree that the Deafy is Manchester's best venue. It's a huge shame that the size of act that used to play there now end up doing Gorilla instead.

Sebastian Cobb

I didn't rate ether o2 venue in Glasgow very much. Both beautiful art-deco buildings but also had the acoustics of swimming baths. Moshulu/Garage in Aberdeen wasn't very good, although their loading dock backed on to a Riley's pool hall and me and a mate were smoking outside it when a big winnebago reversed up with stickers all over it, and a guy darted out to smoke as well and me and my mate said in unison 'FUCK'S this?' and the guy just said 'bad manners tour bus', turns out he was the keyboardist. Got tickets and saw, so while a crap venue very fond of it for that.

Purple Toupee

O2 Academy Glasgow is a good shout: shit sound, absolutely crushed when it's seated and toilets at the front of the room beside the stage. I liked the ABC though, RIP.

The Mollusk

Both upstairs and downstairs of Earth in Hackney.

The main space is a big amphitheatre where it's all unreserved seats and if you don't get a spot with your pals you're fucked and wondering whether it's acceptable to go and stand down the front. I dunno whether it's the norm to do that but when I saw Deerhoof there we sort of started a wave of people flocking to stand at the front since it seemed stupid that we would have nowhere else to stand or sit. Until we went down no one else seemed to think it was actually okay. To stand in the space at the front of the stage. At a gig. Stupid.

The downstairs is better but if there was ever a fire you would absolutely perish. Curfew kicks in and despite there being two exits it took us about 20 mins to move about 20 metres. It was quite absurd.

Every time I see a gig announced there I sheer well clear, it's just shite.

Tokyo van Ramming

Saw Sunn O))) at Fabric this week. Not been before so don't know what it's like when there's a dj on but they definitely shouldn't have bands there. Probably a third of the crowd were behind the huge sound desk enclosure, unable to see anything. Luckily I got in someone's slipstream to get a better view but it wasn't great.

Apparently they stopped serving booze early too but that might be to do with stringent rules enforced by some cunty council. 330ml cans of Heineken were £6. Everyone was thoroughly searched on the way in as well which made for a half hour queue for entry, also probably due to the same imagined cunty council.

I will say that the sound was mega though.

Kankurette

Quote from: Wayman C. McCreery on June 25, 2022, 07:41:50 PMI don't mind the Albert Hall (I don't drink, so the beer prices don't make a difference to me), but only if I'm upstairs and facing the front of the stage. The sound's been horrible whenever I've been stood downstairs.

Agree that the Deafy is Manchester's best venue. It's a huge shame that the size of act that used to play there now end up doing Gorilla instead.
I love the Deafie as well, I saw Piroshka there last year. And it does veggie curry! Not been to Gorilla yet though. I've got Cave-In there soon. And I agree the Albert Hall is better upstairs.

I liked the Haunt, I saw Space there, but the gig itself was marred afterwards by half of the band getting into a fight and the other half copping off with the girls I was with, who were paralytic.

dontpaintyourteeth

I'd hate to start some sort of o2 pile-on, but the Academy in Bristol is fairly rubbish as well, I reckon.

Quote from: GoblinAhFuckScary on June 25, 2022, 06:41:53 PMAh yeah Concorde is crap. I have a bit of nostalgia for Sticky Mike's now that it's rubble, but that place felt genuinely cursed.

The Haunt was proper shit. WORST sound ever. Totally ruined Pissed Jeans for me. On the flipside I did get to play a show with one of my heroes before it shut and moved itself to Chalk.

Sticky Mikes had the lowest ceiling of any gig venue I've been to. If you had a load lanky streaks of piss standing directly in front of the stage, you couldn't see the band from the back of the crowd.

The Haunt was turd for sure, such a crap layout although I saw one of my greatest gigs ever there (Kvelertak) and it didn't detract from the experience thankfully.

I saw High on Fire at Chalk last night and it's an absolute joy of a venue, plenty of space, everyone can see the stage, easily accessible bar and toilets and great acoustics. I'm glad there's now a much better alternative to the Concorde in Brighton.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Purple Toupee on June 25, 2022, 07:58:18 PMO2 Academy Glasgow is a good shout: shit sound, absolutely crushed when it's seated and toilets at the front of the room beside the stage. I liked the ABC though, RIP.

Yeah I saw Young Fathers in the balcony bit and that was even worse - more echoey up there and packed, wasn't really the sort of gig to see seated really and I couldn't really begrudge some people bopping about. I wouldn't have bought them out of choice but it was all that was left and a pal sorted them.

Sebastian Cobb

I've also got mixed feelings about the Drygate being a big cold concrete warehouse but they do the best they can sound-wise and I've seen some good acts. One thing I will say is I'm not really a big fan of drinking Brewdog-esque strong and hoppy beer at a gig.

I've also been to a gig in the standing bit of the concert hall and it felt like I was loitering in a corridor on the way to the seating.

Kankurette

I hate the MEN and yet I've seen some of the best gigs of my life there.

Brundle-Fly

I used to love The Camden Palace but since it's become Koko all the charm has been sucked out of it after the makeover and the drink prices are astronomical. Bring back the huge inflatable Edwardian trapeze artists and the old hippy with the maracas who'd dance on his own on the empty dance floor on Feet First nights just after doors opening.

I hated The Underworld up the road in NW1 at The World's End purely on the basis of the disgusting toilets that always used to flood and to go for a piss, you almost had to wade through the raw sewage and soggy toilet paper, ('bangers and mash' as Kunt & The Gang call it). To be fair, they've sorted this issue now.

The Mollusk

Friend of mine was bemoaning the Birmingham Academy the other day because of the huge balcony that obscures the view of the stage of you're stood too far back on the bottom level.

boki

Quote from: SweetPomPom on June 25, 2022, 05:16:24 PMEarls Court was always rubbish.
Oh, fuck yeah. I saw Iron Maiden there in 2000, and although they sounded okay, the undercard of Slayer and Entombed stood no fucking chance. Imagine being such a shitty tin can of a place that Slayer sound insipid.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that I hate it, but the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham is a bit crap, due to its thin, rectangular layout. It feels like such a chore to get anywhere near the front after you've been to the toilet (which is in the bar portion of the building, so you have to actually go out and in again) or the bar. You just end up with a big conglomerate of folks at the back who can see fuck all and might not even hear much more. The balcony bit's okay, I suppose. That's where I ended up during Pupil Slicer when they supported Rolo Tomassi.

dr beat

Hate is perhaps too strong, but never been a fan of the Camden Roundhouse.  Never liked the acoustics in there.

Ferris

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on June 26, 2022, 04:00:38 PMI used to love The Camden Palace but since it's become Koko all the charm has been sucked out of it after the makeover and the drink prices are astronomical. Bring back the huge inflatable Edwardian trapeze artists and the old hippy with the maracas who'd dance on his own on the empty dance floor on Feet First nights just after doors opening.

I hated The Underworld up the road in NW1 at The World's End purely on the basis of the disgusting toilets that always used to flood and to go for a piss, you almost had to wade through the raw sewage and soggy toilet paper, ('bangers and mash' as Kunt & The Gang call it). To be fair, they've sorted this issue now.

Koko and Worlds End/Underworld also the first places I thought of when reading the thread title. Glad to see they got a mention.

non capisco

Moth Club because I had to say my date of birth to the bouncer when I didn't have photo ID on me and he laughed out loud because it's in the 1970s. 

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: The Mollusk on June 26, 2022, 05:55:28 PMFriend of mine was bemoaning the Birmingham Academy the other day because of the huge balcony that obscures the view of the stage of you're stood too far back on the bottom level.

I went to that when it was the carling academy and where all the goths went. Didn't think much of it, but then I was going up the med bar and radius at that point.

I used to hate seeing bands at Newcastle City hall before they made the seating on the floor removable, nothing worse than wanting to jump about (this was back in my youth) and being hemmed in by seats. My mate went to see Pantera there in 1994 and the frustration in the mosh hungry  audience must've been palpable.

Chicory

Yeah, Concorde 2 is an arsehole of a venue, run by and for arseholes. 

I'm impressed by the person upthread who manages to smuggle in their own booze.  I don't think I've attended a gig (big or small) where there hasn't been bag searches and/or pat downs in the last twenty or so years.

Rich Uncle Skeleton

Quote from: dontpaintyourteeth on June 26, 2022, 09:37:26 AMI'd hate to start some sort of o2 pile-on, but the Academy in Bristol is fairly rubbish as well, I reckon.

Agreed...it was my first regular venue when I started going to gigs as a teenager. Then as soon as you branch out virtually anywhere else in Bristol the shine wears off pretty bloody quick.

Nowadays seeing a bands touring but the nearest gig is at the Bristol academy just makes my heart sink.

The Mollusk

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on June 26, 2022, 07:03:31 PMI went to that when it was the carling academy and where all the goths went. Didn't think much of it, but then I was going up the med bar and radius at that point.

It's a different venue, they moved it! I went to countless gigs there when I were a lad (and also a confused goth/greb hybrid) and had a belting time but then I was an uneducated little shite so it could have been wank, we'll never know.

Custard Factory was always my favourite gig venue in Birmingham. Some amazing weird music courtesy of the legendary Capsule plus heaps of drum n bass and dubstep nights in the drained out swimming pool. Dillinja on the Function One sound system, soundtrack of my early 20s.

Ferris

Also a former Birmingham carling academy attendee. Went to just about every ska/two-tone night they had going.