The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

I decided to update my gig book today. It’s been on my mind recently, but I hadn’t realised the last update was in February 2006. My gig book (there are actually a few) is a place where I store gig tickets and flyers that I’ve managed to retain from my little nights out. I am a very sad individual, but I do like my organised nostalgia.

Here are the gigs I found bits of paper for:

2006

February 21st	The Cribs
February 23rd	Mary Hampton, supported by The Bobby McGees
March 6th	Frank Turner, supported by Nothing
March 16th	Rock Brighton
March 18th	Help She Can’t Swim supported by Joeyfat and Das Wanderlust
April 3rd	Oom, supported by Damelza Jennings and Register
April 6th	This Lonely Soul
May 8th	This Lonely Soul
May 16th	Nothing, supported by Black Lines and Ikoma
May 18th-19th-20th	The Great Escape Festival
June 24th	Gardenbury Mini-Festival
July 2nd	Polysics, supported by Quit Your Day Job
July 22nd – 23rd	Truck Festival
July 28th	The Gin Club, supported by Conrad Vingoe, Kate Walsh and Eleanor Jane
August 26th	Reading Festival
September 13th	Aberfeldy
October 12th	The Holloways
October 18th	Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly
October 23rd	Puscha, supported by Turncoat, Soundatlas, Daze One and Gentlemens Club
November 6th	Six Nation State
November 12th	Misty’s Big Adventure, supported by Kates Goes & Restless List
November 26th	This Lonely Soul
December 3rd	Marowak Records Christmas Party
December 14th	Joan as Policewomen, supported by Peggy Sue and the Pirates

2007

January 1st	Fat Boy Slim
January 6th	The Mountain Firework Company
January 13th	Sodastream, supported by Monkey Swallows the Universe and Airport Girl
February 11th	Regina Spektor
February 12th	Bonnie Prince Billy
February 17th	Bearsuit, supported by the Retro Spankees and Das Wonderlust
April 17th	Camera Obscura
April 20th	Wilf, supported by Illumanti 3
April 22nd	Andy Yorke, supported by Oom
April 23rd	Help She Can’t Swim
June 12th	Cocorosie
June 22nd-23rd-24th	Glastonbury Festival
June 30th	Kimya Dawson
July 13th-14th-15th	Latitude Festival
Sept 14th-15th-16th	End of the Road Festival
Sept 22nd-23rd	Truck Festival
September 26th	Peggy Sue and the Pirates, This Lonely Soul
October 12th	Misty’s Big Adventure
October 17th	Globalista
October 24th	Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters supported by Professor Louie
October 27th	This Lonely Soul
November 20th	Wobbly Squadron
November 25th	Babyshambles
November 30th	Beans on Toast
December 3rd	Viking Moses, supported by Little Wings, Tiger Saw, Golden Ghost & Phosphoresce

After updating my gig book - whilst singing along to Turin Brakes ‘The Optimist LP’ - I decided that I didn’t go to enough ‘non-festival’ gigs in 2007. I did visit Germany twice, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Spain, as well as trips to Coventry, Manchester, Norfolk (3 times), The Lakes, and Alton Towers. The challenge is to combine more trips away with gigs. Then I might have time for more live music treats. Or perhaps I should fully commit myself to live music by squatting in the rafters of a gig venue and surviving on dripped sweat and spilt beer. Who needs friends, trips abroad, or even an income, when there’s dripped sweat, spilt beer and live music going to waste?