Top 50 Gigs of 2004 by The Gigwise Team

1. Kasabian @ Academy 1, Liverpool ? December

This band has come so far this year, from obscurity to the brink of world class. Sexy boys Kasabian are this year's success story and this gig, at the start of their final tour of the year, saw them play to a sell out audience. The atmosphere was electric as the crowd enjoyed instant classics: ?Processed Beats', ?Cutt Off', ?LSF' and ?Reason is Treason' from Leicester's finest, er what else has Leicester ever given us?

 

2. The Pixies @ Brixton Academy, London ? April

Oh how we wept with joy when we heard the Pixies were back together for 2004. At Manchester's Move Festival the Stereophonics were supported by the Pixies, many rightly thought it should have been the other way around.

 

3. Bloc Party @ Club Ifor Bach, Cardiff ? October

Kele Okereke fronts the refreshingly wonderful Bloc Party, an amazing live band who have filled the UK's dingiest clubs with ease as well as releasing one of the best singles of the year with ?Helicopter'.

 

4. Velvet Revolver @ The Apollo, Manchester ? April

To call Velvet Revolver a bleeding brilliant rock band would be a severe understatement.  To dismiss them as hoary old LA rock revivalists would be tantamount to heresy.  They are mind bendingly, eye poppingly awesome.

 

5. The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster @ The Wedgewood, Portsmouth ? June

Normally support from My Red Cell and The Martini Henry Rifles would mean a fucking ace time being had by all, but when the headliners are so remarkably ace on their own you might be forgiven for exploding with joy all over your gig going compatriots. Yum!

 

6. The Futureheads @ Academy 2, Liverpool ? December

They hate us cos we're stupid and shallow, but we love them for being completely the opposite. Supported by the almost equally fine Maximo Park made this one of those gigs that floats our collective boats.

 

7. The Prodigy @ Apollo, Manchester ? December

Keith Flint completely off his head as rave hits Manchester yet again.

 

8. The Departure @ Metro, London ? September

We don't want to be their enemies, the Departure's hit anthem dragged hundreds from the comfort of their own homes to check out if this band are as good live as they are on record and they weren't disappointed.

 

9. The White Stripes @ Royal Court, Liverpool ? January

Jack and Meg make the barest, stripped down rock and roll that can possibly exist but they do it so sexily. Not too sure about Jack's tight jester pants though!

 

10. The Bravery @ The Metro, London ? November

If the Bravery were all about quality haircuts we'd be happy as they sport some of the worlds finest, but it's not. How do we know? Cos they were forced to pull a Manchester gig to record a Jools Holland show and he only likes that clever shit don't he?