Yeah it was a DJ International artists showcase and definitely late 1987. The one I saw was at Bradford University. Luke Una said he thought he remembered it being arranged by Mike Pickering - there was a similar tour six months earlier with other Chicago House artists.
The one I went to was Daryl Pandy, Paris Brightledge, two girls called ‘Out of Control’, and Keith Nunnally from JM Silk - basically they were all singing to backing tapes, there was no band. There is a long clip on YouTube of pretty much the same line up in Holland, so probably the same tour.
Was Greg Wilson’s Key comeback definitely 2003? I heard him there too in the chandelier room in 2005 whilst DJ Pierre was in the main room, and for some reason I thought that was the comeback? Either way, it was mega. My first real exposure to the whole nu-disco scene, purely by chance
Remember Greg at fat tuesdays at the big chill 2007 and playing unashamedly populist, and the crowd loving it. One of my fave memories. I think you might’ve been on earlier Piers?
Loved The Key on a good night but it could feel as dark as fuck in the morning… The staff were really moody. Rolando, Dixon, Rahaan played great sets from memory. Remember that multicolour grid dancefloor and losing it to dubtribe do it now at one of the Faiths.
Was at both the JV Cream night and the Xpress 2 residency debut. Have posted about it somewhere else on the forum, Rocky gave me a copy of Muzik Xpress at the end. They were brilliant that night. IIRC that was the same night that Oakenfold started playing the courtyard.
Love Parade, Leeds. I imagine many others here were too.
Few Blackburn raves. Was supposed to be at Love Decade near Leeds but mate’s car broke down. Was a blessing as it turns out, largest mass arrest in UK history
i’ve got a reputation for being the the a&r guy you’re super glad you never hired.
i saw nirvana open up for others a couple of times in portland (once for sonic youth at the exquisite melody ballroom) and thought “these guys are melodic, but they kind of suck, they’ll probably never escape the i-5 corridor”.
i saw jane’s addiction open up for love & rockets at the pine street ballroom and thought “christ, these guys are awful - both to listen to and to look at”
and of course being from portland i saw a number of the portland bands in their infancy, many of which i really liked - but i never saw any commercial potential of someone like quasi or elliott smith or the oly bands like sleater-kinney. i thought the dandy warhols were great but everyone would hate the name. shows what i knows!
Was that the one with N Joi supporting?
Wanted to go to Konspiracy but being 15 year olds me and my mates had no chance lol, a couple of 16yo girls from our school could get in there though, as well as The Thunderdome which was in a dodgy part of Nth Manchester, just up the rd from Ancoats, the Spinmasters from 808 State were the residents.
In the same vein, I saw Death Cab for Cutie open for Sunny Day Real Estate around 1999, I was still in high school. Thought the band was as bad as their name. Still can’t understand how they blew up.
oh, i got a good one - i saw autechre in seattle at a teen club on what had to have been their first US tour. dj lewis opened, played hard techno (which was awesome). they laid out all their roland boxes on a cheap card table and played under super basic disco lighting. there might have been 20 people there. i’m guessing that was maybe 1993 or so.
i was also at the 1993 “see the light” tour in the SF design center in san francisco that featured aphex twin, orbital and moby. moby sucked, of course - he was just trying on his “guitar god” persona, which totally didn’t fit. if i remember right, young american primitive and maybe vapourspace also played. wild, live techno in an the early era. jeno opened up the afterhours with “rez”. after, i slept face down in a public park in berkeley for a couple of hours after and then drove a group of spun-out dipshits all the way back to portland in a straight shot. good times.
That GMEX do in 1990, was there too… First proper gig on my own, coach from North Wales with Tech. Don’t remember too much either but recall 808 State leaving quite the impression on me.
Spike Island - bit of an outlier on this but I loved it, thrilled just to see them I think and that probably tainted any impressions. I didn’t get out much back then (bit like now!).
I was at a pub in Bondi in '89/90 and word went about that there was rave happening. We all jumped into taxis and the next thing we knew we were all at a rave in Sydney opera house with a full view of Sydney harbour, it was a cracking night. We were all very excited.
About 98 I got a call from mate on a Wednesday night to get down to a jazz venue in Sydney, Prince was doing an after show party. I got down there to find Prince DJing. He was on for about an hour and and he rocked the room, then Blackalicious played a great eclectic set for another couple of hours to about 40 stunned and heavily refreshed locals.
Total, and utter chaos