Jack White at Hammersmith Apollo

Jack White
SHIRT
Hammersmith Apollo, 28 June 2018

Back in July 2001 I saw The White Stripes for the first time. It was before they had hit big, although there was a huge buzz about them - they even had articles in the tabloid papers raving about them - so they had sold out the tiny Dingwalls venue in Camden. It was one of the hottest days that year and a lot of people were sitting outside before the show started, including me and my friends. Sitting next to us with his own group of friends was a young Jack White, wearing green (this was when he only wore red and white). He was discussing the latest episode of Brass Eye (it was the infamous "cake" episode) and seemed funny, normal and down to earth. 

Pearl Jam at the O2 Arena

Pearl Jam 
O2 Arena, 18 June 2018

There were jokes about sounding like Liam Gallagher, a Donald Trump mask being forced to drink wine, the usual Eddie Vedder nostalgia about Britain (The Who etc, etc) and more and more tambourines being chucked into the audience. And of course Pearl Jam tunes aplenty despite Eddie clearly struggling with a sore throat. But I am so done with arena shows.

Lump at Oslo Hackney

Lump (Laura Marling & Mike Lindsay)
Oslo Hackney, 6 June 2018

There's something delightful about going to a gig that starts perfectly on time and ends when it's still daylight out. But then this was an unusual show. A side project for Laura Marling and Tunng's Mike Lindsay, Lump have been performing their short debut album in full, playing both an early and a late show in one night, just like something out of the 1960s.