Heartland

I was driving up the M1 yesterday, past the site of the Leeds festival. It got me thinking.

Would the Sisters ever play the Leeds/Reading festival again? (Ok, they only played at the Reading site in 91, but you get the idea. )

Would Von ever want to play the main stage as a non-headliner? Jane's Addiction played 3rd on the bill in 2002, they didn't have a record contract at the time, but did release Strays in 2003.

Would they ever headline one of the smaller stages? Would they ever be asked? I'd love to see them play an outdoor gig in the UK.

I would be interested in your thoughts.


PS. btw, hello, my first post , you know.

Welcome Bill, you'll get on fine here.

I've often thought the same thing myself, but the festivals appear to be the same old rotating bands with their same old rotating schedule of new releases. Bit of a closed shop.

Until (haha) the Sisters release another album, there's no chance. I don't think he'd have any problem headlining a smaller stage (did it at Pukkelpop the other year). I guess the real reason I'd like to see them play the Leeds Festival is that it's just up the road.

Jane's Addiction 2002 - what a gig, what a band. And yeah, they were more or less back in the cycle by that point.

Yeah, Jane's Addiction were great at Leeds in 2002, much better than at the London Forum earlier that week. Talk about a shambles of a warm up gig!!!

Why haven't the Sisters ever done their own headline outdoor gig, say, in Leeds at the Millenium Square? (the place next to the old Town and Country Club.) If Embrace can do a couple of shows there? The capacity is maybe 3000/4000?

It would be an ideal venue for a Sisters gig, similar to Museumplatz in Bonn, 2001. Or would it be just too big for a UK Sisters gig?

Bill Hicks wrote: Why haven't the Sisters ever done their own headline outdoor gig, say, in Leeds at the Millenium Square? Or would it be just too big for a UK Sisters gig?

Yep.

Big shame, when they can play in front of tens of thousands at mainland festivals.

This is probably a decision made by AE, regarding his opinions on playing live in the UK...?

Would people at Leeds 'get' it though? Or would there just be a small hardcore contigent who made it to Joseph's Well all over again?

timsinister wrote:This is probably a decision made by AE, regarding his opinions on playing live in the UK...?

Would people at Leeds 'get' it though? Or would there just be a small hardcore contigent who made it to Joseph's Well all over again?

You might have a point there Tim but I must pick you up a little bit. Please don't confuse 'hardcore' with 'can rearrange life at two days notice.'

Some of us are destined to howl in horror whenever NME show up in their flirtaciously short notice way & some can just toddle along.

On the other hand, give me enough notice, enough space on the credit card, & not during school holidays when all the mothers have block booked the month a year in advance & I am there.

Sorry. Deep breaths. But it does grate.

The Sisters have played major shows in the UK in 2000, 2001 and 2003. All in the Autumn or Spring. I'm sure a summer show in the north/midlands would attract a fair crowd. Especially if it was the only UK show during that year. People do seem to be attracted to "special" gigs in unusual locations.

Maybe it's just too expensive to organise a one-off gig? I seem to remember that the Bonn gig in 2001 was a series of gigs in the city, probably organised by a single promoter?

It's a shame with all the festivals in the UK, promoters can't use their imagination and organise a series of smaller gigs, like the Eden Project gigs, in the North. I went to Leeds Festival in 2002 to specifically to see Jane's Addiction, but the thought of seeing them in a venue like Millenium Square in Leeds??? Well its not possible now, but.....

How about the Sisters at Magna in Sheffield? For all those fans of Bladerunner. I think Pulp played there a few year back.

straylight wrote:

timsinister wrote:This is probably a decision made by AE, regarding his opinions on playing live in the UK...?

Would people at Leeds 'get' it though? Or would there just be a small hardcore contigent who made it to Joseph's Well all over again?

You might have a point there Tim but I must pick you up a little bit. Please don't confuse 'hardcore' with 'can rearrange life at two days notice.'

Some of us are destined to howl in horror whenever NME show up in their flirtaciously short notice way & some can just toddle along.

On the other hand, give me enough notice, enough space on the credit card, & not during school holidays when all the mothers have block booked the month a year in advance & I am there.

Sorry. Deep breaths. But it does grate.

No apology necessary Stray, that was a pretty broad generalisation on my part. I was only lucky because I wasn't due to start my new job until that Thursday. My sincerest apologies and sympathies to you!

My original comment still stands though - would The Sisters be able to compete with the modern bands hammering the Leedsfest? I know The Pixies, Iron Maiden, Brian Warner and the rest have, but is this the place for the intellectual love gods? Don't think I'm slamming them, I'm just curious...

Stupid lag.

what straylight said (well, the sentiment -slightly different circumstances).
anyway if it was an advertised gig all the "crazy mainlanders" would come too -if there's any reason not to come for a one-off/handful of uk gigs it's not the fans that are the problem so much as the promoters-are-cunnts thing.

It would be great to see them outdoors in the UK again, but if it could be as part of a festival rather than a Sisters show it would give the chance for people who don't know much about the Sisters to be converted.

It is a bit awkward when you get to billing etc. But if it was something that had a decent enough second stage maybe it could be sorted out.

It's true that you rarely find an imaginative bill at UK events, everyone has to stay in their own box as perceived by promoters etc. The European festivals seem a bit more open minded.

By the way, love the signature eastmids!

It would kind of be a waste though. The reason people play festivals is, as someone said above, to get exposed to different music fans - who hopefully then go and buy your records. Can you see where the problem with this might be?

yes - hard to play a mainstream festival without any new material to support you really.

fingers crossed though eh???? cant do a worse job of headlining than metallica did at reading last year. had waiting years to see them live..words cant describe how dissapointed I was.

and to pick up on an earlier point - i thought Janes addiciton at leeds were absolutley awful! still each to their own....

SomeKindOfStranger wrote:yes - hard to play a mainstream festival without any new material to support you really.

Ask everyone who caught Echo and the Bunnymen.....only one new song in their set and the crowd absolutely LOVED it. Storming set by all accounts.....me? I had to leave early to go to some goff night in Leeds

Personally I don't go to festivals to hear new stuff...I go to have a damned good time and a singalong. If I want to hear new stuff I go to the tour that's supporting the new album (please remember I'm talking about the kind of band that releases new stuff )

As part of a crowd, I am always impressed by how the crowd react, so if the main part of the crowd are bopping and jumping up and down to songs that they obviously know - I'm more impressed than by that than by the hushed whisper of 'what's this? - it must be new' It gets you into the moment , so to speak. And I know for a fact, that I've bought stuff by bands I'd never seen or heard before, on the crowd reaction at a festie.