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The Specials at Brixton

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It was April 2008 when I heard the rumour . It was December 2008 when the tickets arrived . And last night, 10 days after it was cancelled due to Terry Hall's vocal problems, The Specials gig at Brixton Academy went ahead. Saturday May 16 could well go down in history, not only as the best gig of my life, but also, the best sweat-soaked, beer-stained, moon-stomping night of my life.

Bring back the hot and sweaty gig

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Last time I was at Brixton Academy was earlier this year to see this band and I was there again last night to see Editors. It was a good gig, but that's all it was - good. There was no excitement, no getting lost in the music, no hot and sweaty jumping up and down, living just to sing along to the band. Where's it gone, that missing ingredident that sets a gig on fire and gives it some spark? It was the first gig I'd been to since the smoking ban came in so there was no smoking and not much drinking going on either. While that might bode well for gig goers' livers and lungs, it did nothing for the atmosphere and made the gig seem like a well mannered if noisy middle-class school assembly. When the band did their encore it wasn't the power of clap and cheer that brought them back on, it was probably written into their contract before they went home and had a cup of tea. Which I guess is what most of the audience did too. Bring back the hot and sweaty, noisy raucous g...

James

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To Brixton Academy on Friday night to see James. A fab night, a brilliant gig and a mad sign by the stage depicting No Crowd Surfing which made no difference whatsoever to lead singer Tim Booth. A great gig. PS: I'm not sad enough to take my phone to gigs to take pics, I found this online. People were searched going into the Academy for drugs and such. If only mobile phones and video cameras could have been confiscated too.