Gossip to me one more (last?) time.

Manchester Academy, 25/2/07

Got up to Manchester early 1:15 ish so I could get to my hotel and get up to the Northern Quarter and eat something decent before going to the gig. I felt I had to get to the venue fairly early as it was a step up in size and sold out.

There is no direct train on a Sunday so I had to change at Crewe. The train to Piccadilly from Crewe takes the "scenic route" and stops at every lamppost. Anyway arrived at 1 ish and decided to have a wander around and decide where to eat. Had a nice meal in one of the restaurants I've been checking out lately, then made my way to book into the hotel. As I passed the Academy at about 5:30 ish there was a queue forming so I sorted myself out and got there about 6 ish. I was about 10th in the line.

They opened the doors early and I got in and went stage left. I consider this the best side as I love watching Brace play and Beth does tend to gravitate that side too.

The first band on were a band called Pre and were interesting, the singer I recognised from Comanechi the band that has supported Gossip the last few times I've seen them. Quite thrash rock with a screaming vocal. Woke lots of people up though. Next were a band called The Violets

a drum, guitar, vocalist trio who were fairly good if you hadn't seen Siouxsie and the Banshees before. The singer was just so Siouxsie but if you dismissed that they were ok.

The venue was full and talking to the people round me they were all Gossip virgins. I did spot one or two faces I recognised further back but in general their new found popularity has produced many "new" fans it seems.

I was looking forward to see how they took to the bigger stage, though in truth Academy 2 is not that much bigger than the other venues I've seen them at. I'm sure they have played bigger too. Anyway they played a storming set and I think it's the best Ive ever seen Brace play he was so "up front" here and unusually played to the crowd. Beth normally takes all the limelight but Brace just stole some of it from time to time here in my opinion. Perhaps it was my trained eye, you tend to notice small details like that. With being surrounded by "virgins" (oo! flashback) there was not much rockin' going on at first but they eventually got the jist. Midway through the show some girl managed to squeeze her way next to me and was very vocal toward Beth amusingly at times then she started to get on my nerves. When she repeatedly kept shoving her elbow accross my my face I shoved it out my way. We settled our differences without a word being spoken to each other when we rocked out to SITWOC arms round each other though.

As a band performance they were as good as I've ever seen them, but mmm! I think the Roadhouse show last year will remain my fave. I think next time they play Manchester it will be the Apollo though, and I'd probably sit that one out.