Heartland

Obviously we are all of different ages, locations and tastes. I am interested to know which is the worst band you have seen live. I don't mean your mate's band at the local poly/uni/bar but a proper professional band that you forked out your hard earned for and were extremely disappointed.

Mine was WASP in 1986. I went because the singer was vaguely connected to the Dolls (he had played guitar a few times after Johnny walked and he was also in a band with Arthur).

I have seen heavy metal bands before and although it's not my favourite genre it's usually a good night out but these were absolutely crap. In fact so crap that I remember it 28 years later.
The problem I think was that they had no humour and rock n roll needs humour.

The damned a couple of years back. dave vanian with the captain but no rat scabies. they played grimly fiendish/eloise-era awful pop-goth stuff, their audience didnt move at all and vanian was "here to sing for you" arrogance doing us a favour. dreadful.

but i got in for nothing and i'd only gone to see the dickies supporting, who were excellent.

My younger brother used to drag me to all sorts of jingly-jangly third-rate Smiths copyist crap back in the mid-to-late 80s because my parents insisted I had to keep an eye on him. Christ I've been to some proper shīte gigs. I usually used to just sit in the bar and let him get on with it though, so I don't know if that really counts.

I've seen a fair few bands that were severely disappointing when the primary draw for me was actually the support act; Danielle Dax was particularly unmemorable when she was supported by Rosetta Stone for example.

I think the worst though was probably Pulp at Sheffield Arena. (Yeah, I know, but I'd seen them at a festival a few months earlier and they had been great.) It was a complete embarrassment. A soulless venue and they just couldn't make a connection with the crowd. To add insult to injury, I couldn't even get pissed; I had to drive back to Leeds afterwards.

Christian Death in the 80s in either Sheffield or Leeds. Can't quite remember which. The Lorries supported them and were much better.

I tend not to remember terrible concerts. Then again, most members of White Rose Movement obviously didn't want to be in a Joy Division revival act, and that sort of thing makes for a bad gig.

Oh wait, I've just remembered an entirely soulless Alex Empire gig a couple of years ago.

And then there is that set of live recordings by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, which is utterly, utterly sh!te.

You won't like this, but... The Sisters at Rock City, Nottingham about 14 years ago.

Norman Hunter wrote:You won't like this, but... The Sisters at Rock City, Nottingham about 14 years ago.

I've been expecting someone to say it TBH.

markfiend wrote:

Norman Hunter wrote:You won't like this, but... The Sisters at Rock City, Nottingham about 14 years ago.

I've been expecting someone to say it TBH.

Do I win £5?

Nothing can be compared to the experimental avant-garde support of the Die Krupps concert in Athens back in (Gagarin 205 , 10-04-2009) but i suspect that you mean the main band not a support act you cant remember right ?
i think that it must be Scorpions back in 1990-91 but there are some more candidates cant even remember the places and dates, usually bad performances dont stay in memory, especially the traumatic kind

Def Leppard, supporting AC/DC, way back when, they even copied a Thin Lizzy drum solo.

markfiend wrote:

Norman Hunter wrote:You won't like this, but... The Sisters at Rock City, Nottingham about 14 years ago.

I've been expecting someone to say it TBH.

If he hadn't, you know I would have. Not that particular gig (wasn't there) but just in general these days.

However, I did once see a support act get the opposite of booed. Can't remember her name. She was Canadian, just her and an acoustic guitar before Mike Oldfield premiered Tubular bells II at Edinburgh castle in 1992. She was grating from start to finish and the audience was against her all the way through. Towards the end of her final song, she sang the word "goodbyyyyyyyyyyyyye" - and got a huge cheer for it. The only positive response to her entire set. To her credit, she laughed.

Norman Hunter wrote:You won't like this, but... The Sisters at Rock City, Nottingham about 14 years ago.

Was there too, certainly wasn't my favourite trip back up the M1 afterwards.

Another bad one was an attempt to see The Mish whilst actually sober at their Xmas gigs at theT&C, bad mistake, never happened at the second night.

The Horrors. Absolutely f**king awful every time, I wouldn't mind but they keep getting support slots for bands I like!

I can't remember the name but this solo act was supporting Front 242 in Dublin a few years ago.

The guy basically put a cassette of really bad EBM into a ghetto blaster, pressed play, then stood on stage flexing his muscles for 30 minutes or so.

Press stop, walk off.

What the f--k was that all about?

mh wrote:I can't remember the name but this solo act was supporting Front 242 in Dublin a few years ago.

The guy basically put a cassette of really bad EBM into a ghetto blaster, pressed play, then stood on stage flexing his muscles for 30 minutes or so.

Press stop, walk off.

What the f--k was that all about?

Gym promotion?

Swinnow wrote:Another bad one was an attempt to see The Mish whilst actually sober at their Xmas gigs at theT&C, bad mistake, never happened at the second night.

My former 'significant other' has just reminded me that I "accidentally" head butted Simon Hinkler on the second night after several loud ones in the Fox & Newt. Thankfully he was only guesting for the Guru's encore set

At this moment I think the worst band I've ever seen was Taking Back Sunday at Sonisphere 2009. Jesus they were sh*t.

I could think of someone else and get back to you though.

I remember posting on this topic shortly after I became active on HL but the thread appears to have disappeared. The already quoted Christian Death would also make my top 5 worst bands, along with Party!-era Iggy, Cabaret Voltaire, Under Two Flags and (on a bad day) Virgin Prunes.

Apart from The Sisters, Kraków 2009, I could add few local as well as few outside PL, mostly copying goth/post punk.

Christian Death at the Windsor Old Trout in the early 90s was terrible.
Really really terrible.

No, really really that bad.

Thought the Cult were s**t too when I saw them on the Cult/m*****n thing a couple of years back.

Most sisters supports are worth guzzling cider while they 'play'.

Worst band i paid for?

Sisters natch, but also ghostdance. Played all thenew MOR stuff, slagged offthe audience andthen played a medly of old stuff at the end. Maybe not the worst but they hurt my feelings!

Nitzer Ebb, f**king backing tape one light bulb flashing double act of cnut!

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George Baker - he sang quite well, and I enjoyed Little Green Bag but he did keep looking at his watch which was kinda offputting.

Editors last summer. They headlined Pukkelpop and made me just shout ugly things at them and their bad, 3rd rate U2 plagiarism. Really made me mad. The massive cocktail of yummy stuff I was enjoying at the time might have made things even worse

Nah, I loved the band when they released their first 2 albums and especially the first few times I saw them they were an excellent live band. But for me it began to go wrong around the time of the 3rd album (that also had some great moments) and they pumped up their sound for the live shows. Each time it got worse, but the press and public seemed to like it a lot. Last August I gave it another chance and ended up in disgust. It's over.

I never forgave the Editors for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5fT4ngA0rw

mh wrote:I never forgave the Editors for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5fT4ngA0rw

Understandably so, I have to say. Djeez...