Probably my most important Resolution of 2018 was to see as much live bands as possible, prioritising money, time and effort over self improvement goals. Even if I had to go alone. Download didn’t have a particularly great lineup but I desperately needed a proper intoxicated weekend amongst my people, that had been denied me since 2010. I don’t remember much of it but the people were great and it proved I can do this shit alone, without having to drag along people who don’t care.
Rock Werchter was probably the highlight of the year. One of my best festival experiences. My first foreign festival, with a great lineup, friendly atmosphere, amazing performances. It lifted various curses that had been hanging over me and I wrote a long poetic piece about the whole experience that’s beautiful but too personal to share here.
I’ve been to Reading and Leeds festival in some capacity for 14 years, but never camped the weekend at Leeds as a punter. It was a bit of an ordeal to be honest. Kinda glad there was no proper main stage headliners because it’s just not the same as Reading. The smaller stages are still good though and they’ve got these dance areas in the forest til 5 am that are fun. But I don’t think I’ll be doing another Reading/Leeds unless they book some once in a lifetime bands and I can get a hotel or camper van or something.
Finsbury Park was an unorganised mess. Menzingers got way too drunk, and Morrissey well it’s one off the bucket list but really should of been with different people a decade ago.
In a vague order with the most memorable life changing performances first; all the bands I saw in 2018 that I can remember (if someone is at the bottom of the list they weren’t necessarily bad, I might of just missed part of their set or got too intoxicated to remember, except Post Malone. He is just awful.)
Queens Of The Stone Age (Rock Werchter)
The Gorillaz
Idles
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Wolf Alice (Leeds)
The Front Bottoms
Pearl Jam
Pendulum
Marmozets
Franz Ferdinand
Arctic Monkeys
Less Than Jake
Wolf Alice (Rock Werchter)
Wilkinson Live
Shame
Let’s Eat Grandma
Slaves
Jack White
Employed To Serve
PUP
Stone Sour
Chvrches
Curtis Harding
The White Buffalo
Milk Teeth (Download)
Creeper
Black Stone Cherry
Guns n’ Roses
The Menzingers
Milk Teeth (Leeds)
Alexisonfire
Alice In Chains
Deap Vally
Morrissey
Cancer Bats
Shinedown
Kendrick Lamar
The Bronx
The Joy Formidable
Baby Metal
Ozzy Osborne
Queens Of The Stone Age (Finsbury Park)
Run The Jewels
Iggy Pop
Brody Dalle
Panic At The Disco
The Hives
David Byrne
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Yonaka
Scarlxrd
Ded
Post Malone
Currently planning 2019 festivals. Need to sort travel to glastonbury. Wasn’t going to Download because it’s only 10 days between the two, but the lineups pretty good. I can’t miss Tool, and for some reason I’ve got really into Smashing Pumpkins lately, new and old stuff. I thought I was done with them years ago. Tempted to go to Slam Dunk just for the Punk in Drublic stage but even though Hatfield is pretty close to here there’s no direct travel options.
Sziget is the one I’m most conflicted about. It should have a great lineup, and I’ve never been to Hungary and it’s 7 days and I can do touristy shit that day ed sheeran is playing. But like I’d want pre - pitched tents with mattresses and locks in the posh field, so that doubles the price, then traveling there by train or plane triples the price. and carrying my essential extra-legal medications to eastern Europe. It’s all rather complicated. If I had someone to at least split the camping costs with. And I could spend a few days in France and Germany on the way there/back. But I’m not sure if I’m up to it. But I need some European festival in august.
I usually spend autumn/December obsessively going through all the albums I’ve neglected this year, going through all the critics and blogs end of year lists to see what gems I’ve missed out on but this year there’s been not much at all. I mean I’ve been concentrating on bands I was going to see live, while also sorting out the rating system and playlists in my music library so expected a huge backlog of albums to go through come November but there’s nothing. A few metal and droney stuff that might be good but yeah I could of probably done my AOTY list months ago.
LISTS
I also logged everything I did this year, every comic, TV series, Film, Book, videogame, notable experience. So I could do a top ten of all of those but to be fair most of it can be categorised as comfort food.
I watched 370 odd films in 2017. 2018 I watched like 2 dozen? So I’ll leave my film list til oscar time when all the award-bait films are available. I guess Hereditary is my favourite film of 2018 at the moment.
Completed around 13 videogames. Fallout 4 being the above all best, with Injustice, Mad Max, Far Cry Primal and Rise Of The Tomb Raider stand out as being more fun than frustrating.
Read 116 comics. Of course some of those are single issue specials while some are 50+ issue runs. Dissapointed to see how it’s mostly Marvel and DC. I had this constant feeling of “Ok I’ll just catch up with these X-Men/Batman/Flash/Green Lantern/Spider-Man/Daredevil etc comics and then I can get back to these proper creator owned independent graphic novel shit.”
Highlights: Savage Town, The Wicked And The Divine, Deadpool, Hostage, Sex Criminals, US Avengers, All New Wolverine, Elephantmen, Thanos, Action Comics and Superman before Bendis took over. Green Lantern Earth One, Doom Patrol, The Mighty Thor, The Flash, Batman, Mother Panic, Detective Comics by Tynion IV, Shipwreck, Southern Bastards, Barrier, Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns, Most of the X-Men comics out of X-Men Prime, Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man, Daredevil, Doctor Strange by Donny Coates, Descender, Multiple Man, Klaus and the Crying Snowman.
Also bought a shitload of comics, ignoring my rule to prioritise new creator owned work, to fill in essential gaps in my library. I’ll take a picture. A 2019 new years resolution will be to read all my physical comics before digital ones.
Started 13 books. Vermillion Sands, Junky, The Left Hand Of Darkness, The Shepherds Crown and Norse Mythology being the highlights.
Watched 78 TV shows, some given up after a few episodes, some binged multiple seasons.
Highlights: Doctor Who, Gintama, Farscape, Daredevil, Castlevania, The Haunting of Hill House, Bravest Warriors, Hilda, Tarantula, Big Mouth, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Venture Bros, Into The Badlands, F.L.C.L Progressive, Star Trek Discovery, Atlanta, Bob’s Burgers, Westworld, Adventure Time, The Good Place, The Walking Dead, Steven Universe, Black Lightning, Hunter X Hunter, Key & Peele, Happy!, Black Mirror, End Of The Fucking World.
My list of notable experiences is too personal, and so is talking about how I completed most of my new years Resolutions. Now I’ve got to do my Albums Of The Year List, my new years resolutions, rearrange my bedroom, try to learn yoga again, renew my passport, start lifting weights instead of going on the treadmill, cut my hair, sort out these festivals, plan my year, play some of these games I keep buying in the sales. So yeah AOTY next.
