We went to see the Sex Pistols at Birmingham Academy on Wednesday. The first time I saw them was at Finsbury Park, TWELVE years ago. They were fantastic. I saw them a second time just months after the Finsbury show, at the Phoenix festival. It was cartoonish and it was Dire. The third time was 2002, at Crystal Palace. That gig had its moments, such as the unexpected Hawkwind cover, but again was a little bit pantomime.
Wednesday just gone, I saw them for the fourth (and final) time - at the Academy in Birmingham. The venue was Ideal for the pistols as it was small enough for them not to have to resort to cartoonery in order to please all those in front of them. The gig was stupidly hot, very loud, and one of the most powerful I've seen in a long time. I actually thought they bettered Finsbury Park.
My one regret after Finsbury was seeing the band again, only for them to disappoint me. Now I've seen them play such a fantastic gig once more, I'm not going to mar the memory and see them struggle at some arena or festival.
(Live pic taken by Birmingham Live on flickr - my camera is useless with shutter speeds, but excellent at recording film - film of which is too large to upload to youtube!)
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