Seems like I didn't have enough time or energy (or both) this year to write, luckily I was quite busy travelling and going to gigs, so there are a few things to look back at as we say goodbye to 2018.
U2, CHVRCHES, Florence + The Machine
The acts I chose not to see live this year.
I wasn't too impressed by the latest U2 album (Songs Of Experience), and I really despised the idea that - seemingly - just because they did an anniversary tour playing the entire Joshua Tree album, they wouldn't include any songs from it in the set this time around. I can understand that playing a song for the zillionth time might not be too much fun, but I couldn't get my head around how playing Red Hill Mining Town for the first time ever, or Exit for the first time since the 1980's would make Where The Streets Have No Name or Bullet The Blue Sky any less incredible. Also, the 2017 tour also included Beautiful Day, Elevation, Vertigo, One, Pride - not exactly rarely performed songs, which somehow still made it into the setlist this year. Also, Europe's been a secondary market for them since - at least - 1987, but it's really not nice to see them only visiting a few select cities on the entire continent.
High As Hope is my least favourite album from Florence + The Machine so far, but there are some great songs on it (Big God, 100 Years), and I like the fact that they/she tried not to repeat themselves/herself. I was sad to see pretty much all my early big favourites (Rabbit Heart, No Light, What The Water Gave Me) disappear from the live set, but maybe next year...
Love Is Dead by CHVRCHES was quite a disappointment for me, there was only one song on it (God's Plan) that I really enjoyed. Most of the others felt uninspired and very similar to each other, I could barely tell which one was which after repeated listens. The addition of a drummer to the live shows is an interesting move though, so I might check them out in 2019.
Kraftwerk, Massive Attack
These 2 shows almost felt like watching movies with live music, with Kraftwerk going for more of a timeless feel while Massive Attack couldn't have been any more current with their visuals. I enjoyed both, but seeing them once was enough for me.
Suzanne Vega
In stark contrast to the acts in the previous entry, this show was the most minimal I saw this year: only Ms Vega with her guitar, accompanied by her faithful bassist Mike Visceglia. No 3D, no flashing headlines, just a voice that sounds exactly the same even after 30+ years and those wonderful songs by an adorable artist. Small Blue Thing alone would have been enough to make me happy, luckily she did play it and 17 others, including most of my favourites.
The Cure / British Summer Time
Having an early entry ticket for this event and wanting to have a place close enough to the stage meant that I spent pretty much the whole day baking in the scorching heat (not exactly the stereotypical British weather) and saw all 6 acts on the main stage, I'll save one of them for a separate section.
Pale Waves were first, and they were surprisingly good for an "opening act". I haven't heard anything from them previously, but they sounded quite promising, with a lead singer with a good voice and good stage presence, which could be a deciding factor.
Slowdive and Goldfrapp pretty much fulfilled my expectations, with the former being more memorable for me.
Interpol turned out to be the least interesting act of the day. I really like some of their songs, but they sounded as if they were playing the same song again and again for an hour, and that's not very entertaining, even if it's a decent song. I also found it a bit weird that the vast majority of their set was songs from their first 2 albums, released 14 and 16 years ago. I understand that at a festival, they would concentrate on material the average visitor is more familiar with, but they didn't even play all the "hits", there were a lot of album tracks in their set.
The Cure once again proved that they're a great live act, with an incredible back catalogue. As expected, they played a very crowd-pleasing set. On paper, I should have been disappointed: this was advertised as their only live show in 2018 (but they ended up playing a much more interesting set 2 weeks earlier), it was meant to be a 40th anniversary gig, but they only played 1 song recorded with their currrent drummer who's been with them for 23 years (and it was the only song that wasn't... good), and the set was very much like the 2016 tour (only 2 songs not palyed on the tour) - but shorter. Fortunately, they're so great that I only thought of these things afterwards, and they even ended up winning some award for best live set of the year for this, which is funny knowing they weren't even the best act of the day, but the 2 acts who could have beaten them are usually ignored by the British media, so at least the award went to a worthy winner. Oh, and I almost forgot, congratulations to them for making it into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, only 15 years after they've become eligible.
Garbage, New Order
Garbage are doing a great service for fans like me, who didn't have the opportunity to see them in the 90's, and missed seeing those great tracks that got squeezed out of their live set as time went by. I'm still a bit sad for missing their anniversary tour for their first album 3 years ago, so I made sure it wouldn't happen this time with Version 2.0. Even their b-sides (some played live for the first time on this tour) are so great from that era, that Afterglow, 13 x Forever and Soldier Through This were definite highlights, and I never thought I would get to hear Sleep Together live, which turned out to be exactly as fantastic as I thought it would, but during the show I really felt like any of the album tracks could have been singles. I can't put my finger on why, but somehow I had the feeling after the 2 shows I saw them play that they could have been even better, so I'm looking forward to next year, with a new album hopefully.
New Order were the only band among my old favourites that I haven't seen live before, and it was quite a last-minute effort, but I did finally catch them at Alexandra Palace. Probably the longest set they've ever played, it wasn't flawless - one of the reasons I didn't see them earlier is because I think they're not as good live as my other favourites -, but they put on a good show, and I had fun.
Editors
They seem to have one thing in common with the only act even better than them: being ignored by the media. They released a wonderful album this year, and they've become an almost unbeatable live act. Even at 4pm under the brightest possible sunlight (not the perfect setting for their type of music), they were magnificent, and brave enough to play not just the hits, but the incredible Violence/No Harm pairing as well, not exactly the most festival-friendly material. Playing earlier than The Cure at British Summer Time makes sense, but what exactly put Interpol and especially Goldfrapp higher on the bill, I have no idea. Maybe they needed another highlight halfway through the day. I honestly don't know how or why they're not one of most celebrated and popular bands in the world.
I ended the year with catching them in Brussels, playing 2 shows closing the tour in the place they're most loved. Which leads us to:
Depeche Mode
Completing the longest tour of their career when the band members are in their late 50s without the slightest hiccup (I don't think they had to skip a single song during this tour, let alone a whole date) should be impressive in itself, but it's obviously not enough for them, so they still have the crown for the performances they give night after night. I have so many great memories from this tour, and the send off - 2 shows in the place they're most loved (Berlin) - wasn't just icing on a cake, it was an almost unsurpassable live experience. I should say almost, because you never know what they can come up with next time, if there's a next time. Here's hoping.
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