• Manic Street Preachers
  Liverpool University 8.10.10
  
• Kashmir, 59:1
  Munich, 15.5.10
  
• Adam Green
  Freiheiz, Munich
  23.2.10
• Eagles of Death Metal
  Munich, Muffathalle
  18.10.09
• Art Brut, Backstage
  Munich 18.5.09
• The Blood Arm, Atomic Cafe
  Munich, 13.5.09
• IAMX, Glasgow
  Stereo, 15.4.09
• IAMX, Munich Backstage,
  10.12.08
• Okkervil River, Die Registratur,
  Munich 18.11.08
• Infadels, 59:1
  Munich, 18.10.08
• Ash, London
  Roundhouse, 5.9.08
• Maximo Park,
  Munich Tonhalle, 24.10.07
• Dashboard Confessional,
  Munich Elserhalle, 18.6.07

ASH – 1977

Roundhouse, London, Sept. 5 2008

What a journey we made for these events, incredible! We had a busy day at work, hadn’t packed in time, we didn’t even have those bags for transporting our “liquids”, we didn’t eat much, and the smoking area at the airport was a joke. Our flight was late and we drank beer out of cans and flirtet with biker guys to waste the time. We talked about TV-shows, Star Wars and Space Balls not knowing that this would be the topic for the rest of the weekend. In London, the first thing we had to go through was finding the tiny little Easybus that no one at the airport seemed to know much about. The bus driver was an angry little guy talking Russian or Polish or whatever and a guy travelling with us on the bus who spoke the bus driver’s language told us that the driver was definitely drunk. I put my earplugs in and was praying to God that I would get to see the hotel without serious injuries. I’m not very experienced in praying, so you can imagine how desperate I was. In bed at about 3am, I was thankful and healthy, so the hardest part seemed to be over. I thought.

Next day (THE day!) after enjoying the so-called “continental breakfast” and wandering around through the whole of Westminster and Chelsea in the rain, not being able to find a single damn Egg&Cress-Sandwich (which is essential for a joyful stay in England!) within walking distance for an hour, we spent the whole rest of the afternoon sleeping. And if it wasn’t for another friend of ours who knocked us out of bed, we might even have missed the show, but let’s not even think about this horrible, horrible thought...

Refreshed and full of expectations we finally arrived at the Roundhouse – soon enough to hear the last bits of Ash’s soundcheck from the hall, which made some of us already hyperventilating. We sat down in the Cafe, and right when we left our place at the entrance and headed for the Cafe’s seats, who was to run out of the Roundhosue very close to the place we just left? Right. Two thirds of the band. Damn it. That’s so not the Force!

We totally have the right touch when it comes to take position in a crowd, because inside the Roundhouse, we ended up standing right in front of the stage! Yeehaa! We were ready for a time journey.

The Roundhouse seemed like a very posh place, very new and modern, and the hall itself is actually shaped round, so the name is programme here. We really liked it there, although it’s not the typical kind of rock venue. Our first look was towards the impressive 1977-poster on stage, who made some of us hyperventilating again. We got our nervous minds occupied with the fabulous merchandise. I’ve never (never!) seen a merch so magnetic to the fans!

The supporting band blew us away – literally! It was so loud because we were right in front of the biggest loudspeakers you can imagine. It was like, the bass was making your legs and hands shake themselves. Must have been a funny view for the band, seeing some spastic Ash fans down there ;) For us, it was the perfect warm up to prepare our muscles for the upcoming!

During the break, without further warning, Darth Vader himself and some of his stormtroopers appeared. Making impressive gestures with lightsabers and weapons, they were walking through the press pit, trying to scare the hardcore-frontrow-fans. As the scaring didn’t work, the Lord ended up taking pictures with the people, like HE was the ultimate rockstar of the night.

It felt like neverending minutes until Vader and the troopers left and the 20^th Century Fox-melody started (I’m still wondering what deal they made to be allowed to use this...I always thought this is one of those “extremely-hard-copyrights-you-don’t-get-to-easy-and-can’t-misuse-without-getting-arrested-for-years” piece of music).

Ash started the fire (woohoo...what a word play!) with “Lose Control”, and that is exactly what the audience did...it only took a second to get the fans excited and sweaty, pogoing and screaming at the top of their lungs. The whole area from the stage back to the bar was one big moshpit you couldn’t escape from – it was amazing and breathtaking too (no, really! Some people already gave up and broke down before the third song, “Girl from Mars”, even started!!) But Ash themselves did their best to even top the people’s pogo moves. For example: It was a thing of beauty watching Mark doing the splits again. How does he do this? How is it possible to straddle those long legs into such a position without falling and breaking his back and not even losing grip on his bass?? Can anyone tell me please?

“Darkside Lightside” was the last song of the regular set. As Ash left the stage, the crowd got even more excited – the applause was heavy and longlasting. Ash earned every single second of clapping hands for these about 45 minutes of a perfect night!

It didn’t take long until they came back on stage after the break: holding their hands up high being forced to move forward by three storm troopers. This was looking really funny and I bet, the troopers felt fabulous in their position!

The bonus round started off with “Sneaker” and lasted until “A.L.L.O.”. At this time, the Roundhouse was more like a pot of boiling hot chili...I’ve never seen so many sweaty crowd surfers in one hour (there was one guy the security picked out of the crowd for at least seven times, honestly! This guy’s persistence is enviable!!) The air was steaming and smelly, but did anyone give a damn about it? Hell no. 

After another 25 minutes and another wave of effusive applause Team Ash left the stage again, but the audience stayed – waiting in desbelief that this wonderful gig could already be over. As time went by, some of the people got nervous it WAS already over, but Ash did not disappoint: they came back with the very moody, catching melody of “Twilight Of The Innocents”. I guess, this was the first song that cooled the Ashfansoup down a bit. “Burn Baby Burn” was the last respect they paid us. Ash seemed happy, the audience was satisfied, everyone was exhausted. Wow, what a gig!

Before we walked upstairs to the Aftershow Party, we were in need of a cigarette. Our nicotine level was unhealthily low and the smoker’s terrace was already closed, so we asked someone in charge where we would be allowed to smoulder. They sent us downstairs and outside the Roundhouse, but the Security there just said: “If you leave the building, you will never get back in, that’s life!”. We were so short before freaking out, honestly! My head must have been blood-red…So we were running upstairs to the Aftershow area, asking another person for help, but this person just didn’t give a shit about our smoking emergency. Luckily, some other guy heard us talking and was so kind to take us out to this “secret garden” called smoking area…what is this all about? If we want to freeze our asses off for a smoke, why don’t you let us, huh?

Thank you guys, for this wonderful night! We really enjoyed going back in time with you!

Ash - Lost In You

 

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