Slow Thrills

A poor attempt at a year-end round-up! Live music first....
It's been a funny old year, I've been moving about so much. I spent the first half of the year in Belfast and the second half split between Belfast, Cambridge and London with not enough hours in the day to do everything. At least I still got to hear lots of good music thanks to my iPod and the wondrous Last.fm. I didn't get to many gigs this year - only about 20, the lowest total for years! - but I chose well and saw some great things.

HIGHLIGHTS: Joanna Newsom in the Olympia, Dublin in April. One of the greatest things ever really.
ATP vs the Fans - an amazing weekend which I wrote about at length here.
The Hold Steady in the Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin in February, just before they got 'big'.
Patti Smith and her band returning to form in Cambridge in October, after a bit of a lacklustre ATP she was fired up again.
Sonic Youth revisiting Daydream Nation in all its glory at the Roundhouse in August.
Low in the tent at the cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast, the best gig I have seen them play.
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 in Belfast in January, REM members and one of the finest English singer-songwriters gelling perfectly.
Mark E Smith getting it together with the Mouse on Mars guys for a fine Von Sudenfed gig at Heaven in London in October.
'Working' at Basement Jaxx in Portrush, meaning that I got to watch their entire performance from the stage!

LOWLIGHTS: Not many, but the crowd at the Fennesz/ Mike Patton show in Dublin win this by quite a bit. A simple bit of internet research should have let them know what they were letting themselves in for. I still managed to enjoy the show despite the audience.
The only other low I can remember was that I saw 65daysofstatic twice. What a mistake! They ain't no use.