Apart perhaps from my daughters, there’s nothing I love more than live music. I don’t go to gigs nearly as often as I’d like to, but luckily there’s now a vast library of full sets freely available on YouTube. True, it’s not the same as being there, but on the plus side, the sound and picture quality is often excellent, and there’s nobody talking just behind you or pushing past on their way to the bar. Plus you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own sofa.
So I thought it might be fun to do a virtual gig series. Weekly/fortnightly/monthly, depending on how it goes.
I’m going to start with a ’Spill favourite. Most people here will be familiar with Katzenjammer, but might not be aware that they’re even more fun live than on record: swapping instruments, harmonising exquisitely, playing a massive bass balalaika painted like a grinning Cheshire cat and generally giving off enough good energy to power a small city.
This show comes from Hamburg in 2012, and is possibly the most joyous 86 minutes on YouTube.
There’s usually an element of FOMO when it comes to watching these virtual gigs, but in this case I was fortunate enough to see them play a near identical set at Concorde in Brighton at around the same time. My jaw literally ached the next day from the grin on my face all night.
If any genies are reading: world peace, a stable climate and, pretty please, a Katzenjammer reunion.
The 'Spill 