The Best Gigs of July as Told by Gigantic Gig Goers
Posted on Monday 29th July 2024 at 16:00
Written by
Jimi Arundell
Gigantic Tickets is thrilled to introduce our #GiganticGigGoer blog, showcasing five-star reviews of the best gigs in July! This month has seen an explosion of outdoor summer shows with revellers enjoying live music late into the hot nights, plus excited attendees flocking to festivals too.
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Keep scrolling to see your rave reviews of awesome gigs in July!
King King – The Tivoli, Buckley (11th July 2024)
Fun Saturday Night in Buckley
Great show at a great venue. Love King King and love they put everything into a good time and we certainly had that. The songs were the favourites we wanted and the banter between songs was right for the mood of the audience. The audience were in the main good fun and joining in where appropriate. And with a couple of drinks, it was good old Saturday night ‘knees up’.
Will be seeing them again later in the year, you know what to expect and I can’t wait.
Special mention for Laura the opening act, maybe not her usual audience and possibly not to the taste of some of the people there, but she put on a great show and I’m sure converted one or two to her music. Thanks for playing your part too.
Only my second time at the Tivoli, it’s a great venue.
Review by Paul D
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Kew The Music: Passenger – Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, London (11th July 2024)
Stunning, uplifting. Passenger was amazing, gives his all.
Passenger gives everything to entertain his audience. He must have been exhausted after this performance. I absolutely loved it. It was made extra special by the venue, the beautiful Kew Gardens were tranquil and immaculate. Very friendly stewards added to the relaxed and joyful atmosphere. We were not over-crowded and there was only a short wait to buy food/drinks, which I thought were very good and reasonably priced.
I went to this concert because Passenger is my favourite artist but I will definitely keep an eye on future events at this venue because I liked the experience so much. I liked being able to take something in to put on the wet grass and the relaxed rules allowing you to take your own picnic and drinks if you wanted to.
I was impressed by the excellent communication by Gigantic, especially the information sent a week before the concert about the venue and the rules that apply to what you can take into Kew Gardens allowing you to really plan for your visit.
Review by Linda CJ
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The Darkness - The Castle Sessions – Warwick Castle (4th July 2024)
Absolutely unreal!
What an utterly amazing night! Starting with the venue, it’s ridiculously cool to watch a gig at and the sound travels surprisingly well. Drinks selection was good and the prices weren’t bad compared to other venues.
The Southern River Band were such an excellent shout as a support band and I’m hoping this is the start of a lot more dates in the UK for them. I would definitely recommend checking these guys out.
The Darkness were just completely unreal. I saw their first signed gig back in the early 2000s and have seen them numerous times since. Whereas the classics always get played, they somehow always manage to keep the shows fresh and engaging. One thing is for sure though, the energy and musicianship is as high, if not better, than ever. My friends that I went with are already bugging me about finding tickets to watch them again! If this review finds its way to the band(s) - thank you for an amazing evening!
Review by Adam C
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Garbage – Usher Hall, Edinburgh (14th June 2024)
Hometown girl and band still excelling after all these years
The iconic Usher Hall in Edinburgh was once again the venue for hometown girl Shirley Manson and her band of seasoned American musicians – Duke Erikson – guitar, bass, keyboards, Steve Marker – guitar, bass, keyboards, Butch Vig – drums, percussion, keyboards and Ginger Pooley – bass.
Not a venue she is unfamiliar with, having been singing there since she was a very young schoolgirl. Poignancy wasn’t in short supply though as it was the first time her dad had missed her perform there.
It’s now almost thirty years since their debut album Garbage, with the follow-up, Garbage Version 2.0 following a few years later. Thirty years in the spotlight, with many of those fighting for the right to play and record the music they wanted to play. The lyrics are a testimony to just some of the turmoil that they have endured
The men who rule the world
Have made a fucking mess
The history of power
The worship of success
The king is in the counting house
He’s chairman of the board
The women who crowd the courtrooms
All accused of being whores
In a set full of nostalgic memories, Shirley Manson held the audience in the palm of her hand with the confidence of someone who has been there, seen that and worn the t-shirt.
The band are the ideal musical complement to the angst she demonstrates throughout the set. It’s the professionalism that years of touring, recording and rehearsals bring to the fore and it brings out the best in all the songs throughout the night.
As you would expect, the adoration reached fever pitch when then opening bars of the hit singles were blasted out of the speakers, “I Think I’m Paranoid”, “Stupid Girl” and “Only When It Rains” had the crowd singing along in tandem with the band, with the Siouxsie and the Banshees cover “Cities In The Dust” raising the sound levels up another notch.
There have been some doubts raised as to whether Garbage have many years left on the touring circuit, being of a rather mature age (Shirley’s comment!). However, drummer Butch Vig took time out from the drum seat to put those rumours firmly to bed with the announcement of a forthcoming album and promise to be back in Shirley’s city at some point in the not-too-distant future.
The fighting spirit remains strong across the band and Shirley in particular. More power to their elbow. Take a bow guys, you’ll be more than welcomed back.
Review by GlasgowJacky