Friday 21 May 2010

I Got A Date With Destruction

When I was but a young girl of 14, I had an ambition: to see Guy Mcknight in person. Tonight, after a mere six years of waiting, I fulfilled that ambition. Tonight I saw The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster live.

It was the most insane, intense and incredible thing that I have experienced in a long time. I feel like my brain has been punched by pure musical genius. I am tingling all over. My body is aching. It was painful and beautiful and astonishginly mind-blowing. Please do not misinterpret me: I have been to better gigs. I have seen better bands. But I am having a hard job thinking of the last time I saw a band perform with such raw intensity. And I go to a LOT of gigs.

My friend (not Hayley, this time) and I were right at the front. The venue was quite small. There was no barrier between the stage and the crowd; we were leaning on the speakers. The place was packed; it was incredibly hot, incredibly sweaty, and every single girl I saw appeared to be absolutely loaded with I don't even want to know what. The lass next to me actually kept flashing the band. Just pulling h er dress down. It was surreal. They didn't even notice her (apart from the rhythm guitarist, who frowned in a confused, kind of disgusted, way).

They were exactly how I always thought a band should be: focused, committed, and fucking great performers. They owned the room, they really did. They just commanded your attention. And the songs, oh man, the songs just blew me away. They played all the old classics, plus several off the new album (which was released this or last week - BUY IT) which were fantastic. Listening to them play live was, as corny as it sounds, like stepping into a dream world. Everything was just different. It was beautiful.

Now, I know I say this about every band I write about, but please, please go and see them. Tonight was only their second in as long list of current tour dates, and for £9, you cannot got wrong. Go for the music or go for the experience - either way, it will absolutely blow your mind.

Here are some photos I took. They're not up to my usual high standard because I was right at the front and the lights were mad, but you can see McKnight's various stages of undressing.













2 comments:

  1. Really loved this post. Gig sounded amazing, but really gutted I can't see them now, haha.
    Glad you had a good time. Sounds like it was worth the wait.

    Vicky xx

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  2. aw cheers :D
    oh man, it was completely epic. i heard the drummer talking to some lad and they said that they were touring for the new album, so they might do some more gigs later in the year...here's hoping.
    Em xxx

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