As the final hours of 2023 fade from us, the slow drifting of the drunken serenaders of Auld Lang Syne in the various pubs and clubs littered throughout the City are like the new year resolutions, memories already. Snippets of passing conversations had punctuated a quiet evening with my equally antisocial offspring as we put an end to our year with a brief pause of veganism while consuming our collective body weight in cheese.
It was a quieter year than usual, a time of prolonged limbo coupled with an awful lot of change has left me mainly seeking comfort in the familiar, turning my attention inward - which whilst being an excellent way to cope through an unusual situation - wasn’t great for productivity.
I listened a lot.
Live songs of the year…
1: Desperately, Hamish Hawk (Gorilla 03/02/23)
Angel Numbers has found its way into my most listened to Albums, and back on it’s release day I was in Manchester for a gig which set a high bar for all that followed. Already a stand out track on the album, it becomes something entirely ‘other’ live, the power of their live performances is something that exceeds all expectations.
2: Like a Friend, Pulp (Sheffield Arena 14/07/23)
Somehow I hadn’t seen Pulp live before, and after an undeniably impressive set of crowd pleasers, this was the best start to an encore I could have hoped for.
3: Bodypaint, Arctic Monkeys (Hillsborough Park 10/06/23)
This was only the second time I’d heard the track (I have a rule of not listening to an Album before I’ve seen it live) and it was phenomenal.
4: I Don’t Really Care for You, CMAT (Leadmill 20/11/23)
It’s just over 4 minutes of near perfection, and honestly that’s all you need to know.
5: A Certain Romance, Arctic Monkeys (Hillsborough Park 09/06/23)
Should one act feature twice on the same list? Ordinarily perhaps not - but as I was one of *those* fans that went to both the Sheffield gigs on the tour (blame Fuzzyfelt) and all the trepidation I had about seeing a supergroup on tour evaporated about 15 seconds into this, their opening track)
6: Coles Corner, Richard Hawley (Sheffield Arena 14/07/23)
Perhaps it’s a case of rooting for the underdog, but the hair on your neck prickling, emotional overwhelm of seeing this during his Pulp support slot stands out more than anything the main event did that night.
7: Dippin My Feet, Rick Astley (Leadmill 29/10/23 *late show)
I didn’t set out to see Rick Astley - I got the ticket as an emergency backup in case the elder of my progeny failed in their quest to snag one. They did, and whilst I *could* have put it up for resale, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be one of those nights that, for better or worse you remember for the rest of your days. It was (un)surprisingly a fantastic night, and this track from his recent album Are We There Yet? is wonderful.
