If i remember correctly, the venue was what was originally called the Polytechnic, which was nowhere near the actual University. I think it was a time of changing things around & everything merging. It wasn’t a very highly attended gig,but, it was still enjoyable 🙂
This was one of those jinxed gigs. Firstly, having been into the Manics since about ’92, it was amazing it took me so long to finally see them. But it’s easy for me to see why,when i look back at my personal life from that time : changes. So first part of the jinx was that my ticket never arrived, so i had to arrange for collecting on the door. But the worst thing was the travelling : I’d stayed in London as was doing a course for work. I wasn’t as wise as i am now about London car parks! The morning of the gig, i went back to my car & it had been broken into (yeah, i KNOW!!) Rear side window smashed in & my in car mini disc player was stolen. But i guess i might have had the last laugh as not many people had mini disc players back then. Imagine the smack head ” Hey these CDs are way smaller what do i do?”. Well, i wasn’t gonna pay london prices to get window fixed, so i still drove to Kettering. It was a noisy & cold journey! Tbh, i wasn’t really in the mood for the show,but, i had to do it. Gig was pretty cool though. I think my gig ticket turned up some months later. Appears there had been a local postie who wasn’t delivering the mail & was just collecting it! Dick head!
3 day event. Had a nice hotel only 10mins away from the festival.A great festival. Some fantastic acts. Page & Plant were brilliant. New Order were fantastic. Garbage were ok. Biggest disappointment was that Curve pulled out last minute. I’m sure that made someone less nervous about their performance 😉
28-8-98 Headswim, Monster Magnet, Rocket From the Crypt, Symposium, Deftones, Mansun, Ash, Page & Plant
29-8-98 Lee Scratch Perry, Echo & The Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Supergrass, Prodigy, Beastie Boys.
30-8-98 Drugstore, A , Divine Comedy, Shed Seven , Bluetones, New Order, Garbage.
2 day event. Had digs at a university.
Day 1 :Â Headswim,Feeder,Stereophonics,James,Dandy Warhols, PJ harvey, Republica, Robbie Williams,Texas,Charlatans. Â Band of the day PJ Harvey
Day2. Marion, Midget, Iggy Pop,Lightning Seeds,Green Day,Sea Horses, The Verve. Band of the day was easily Green Day 🙂
Crap support act !
Another great show from Tori & we had seats on the 4th row ! I know someone else who would have liked to have gone,but, well, she should have thought about that before she started screwing around.
The one & only time i went to “see” a gig in this crappy place. I was disgusted that they’d even try to charge for “watching” bands in this place. Even now, it winds me up thinking about this. The place was tiny & this was my first visit. The stage was pretty much same level as those “watching” the gig. I couldn’t see a thing. So i went & sat on the end of the bar as it was slightly raised. Security told me to get down. I firmly, but fairly, said “I’ve paid to see the bands & i cannot from anywhere else. Show me where i can see the stage or i want my money back”. Sure enough, i got my money back & left. Something i remember Jase from A saying was to do with song lyrics…there was a low pipe or something above the stage & he said it’s “not a good idea”. Well, to myself, it was not a good idea to have gigs in this shit hole of a venue. I never went back again (Well, unless was up RC on a Rock Night getting drunk & this was one of the rooms playing the music)
