Today’s prompt is ‘What Songs would be included in the soundtrack of your life?’ This got me to thinking in terms of not just songs, but bands, as going to gigs was such a big part of life in my late teens, and for most of my 20s (and also my 30s – I just stopped collecting my gig tickets which is a shame as it’s a great way of looking back and remembering gigs I would otherwise have forgotten!).

As you can see from my photo above I was a bit on an Indie kid. It wasn’t until I was about 18/19 I became a big fan of slightly darker rock like Placebo and the Smashing Pumpkins (I’ve only got one Placebo ticket in the above collection when I think I’ve seen them about three times, and I saw the Pumpkins in 2008 at the SECC – not the best venue for them I have to say). It was at a later Placebo gig in 2009 that I discovered the Silversun Pickups as they were the main support band and I loved them. Their album ‘Swoon’ was playing on a loop when I was writing Follow Me and to this day when I play that album it evokes all the emotions I felt when writing particular scenes.

The earliest ticket in the above collection is from 1997 when I was 17 and went to see Ash at The Garage in Glasgow (a club I later frequented as a student). I think that was my first ‘proper’ gig. Before that I’d been hanging about some smaller local venues down Inverclyde way as my older brother played in a band in his later years at school, (and throughout his 20s). It was my brother and his then girlfriend – both art students- who took me to this gig and as I looked quite young for my age they made me an Art School fake I.D (as they were easy to replicate) I think my I.D said I was a jewellery student.

During the 90s/early 2000s I would have happily gone to the Bronze in Buffy the Vampire Slayer to see the bands there. The music on that show feels like a big soundtrack of my life too, as does a lot of music featured in 90s grunge films (Singles for example). In fact one of the above tickets is from a 4 Star Mary gig, a random band who apparently was on Buffy (but if I remember, this gig wasn’t great!). Also during this era my then boyfriend made me loads of mix tapes and got me into bands like Metallica and Incubus, Deftones, Portishead etc but I never saw any of them live. I was also a massive Nirvana fan from about age 16 onwards and sadly Kurt died when I was 14 so I never got to see them live either.

There’s a couple of Snow Patrol tickets from King Tuts amongst the above collection. I always tell people I discovered them (well, me and my pal Gemma who accompanied me on the majority of the above gigs) before they hit the big time. I remember being part of a very small audience one of the nights. Their older stuff sounds a lot more alternative than their more recent commercial tunes and I went off them a bit as I felt they sold out (but ya know I get that they had to earn a living). I also saw Astrid play (who hung about with Snow Patrol and later joined them as part of ‘their super group’ The Reindeer Section). I actually served Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol when I worked in Cafe Cosmo at the GFT and I was debating telling him I was a big fan. But then he complained about how expensive our Haagen- Dazs ice cream was and it all felt a bit too awkward (I was also quite shy & socially awkward anyway in my early 20s).

Other memorable gigs (tickets missing from the above collection) are ones I saw during my 30s -Biffy Clyro, and one of the best gigs I’ve been to- Will Butler (from Arcade Fire) at the Art School (something about the venue and the energy of him and his band just clicked), Owen Pallett (also from Arcade Fire) at the CCA… I also dragged my husband (during the early years of dating) along to see Jamie Campbell Bower (actor/musician) play at Stereo and when he came right into the crowd, encouraging girls to gather round, Chris sadly held me back and jokes to this day I would probably have run off with him if he hadn’t been there. (I actually wouldn’t have haha).

I also had some fun times going to see my brother’s band Sundown play at numerous venues across Glasgow (one of the guitarists Paul became a good pal. Paul later briefly played with his brother in the hardcore metal band Yashin- the total opposite to Sundown!!) I also went to some really alternative gigs courtesy of a past boyfriend who played in a band called Mr Sneaky. I had to collect tickets for their 13th Note gig and then listen to other bands playing on the same evening who can only be described as sounding like malfunctioning microwaves.

I’ve had some of the best social outings with pals during the numerous gigs above and so many great memories I could keep writing on and on so maybe that should be some kind of individual project in itself!

Writing this post is making me realise it has been far too long since I’ve been to a good live gig. So there’s a new goal added on for my 2024 list…

PS I loved the Barrowlands and King Tuts – also check out the price of the tickets – a FIVER for some!!