2017 Gigs Project: a round-up
In the year 2017 I have been to a total of 168 separate concerts. First things first, this tiny year-long project I embarked on is inspired by similar lists compiled annually by my friend Francesco. Every year I go through his list and marvel at the discipline required to note down so many events during one entire year. At the end of last year I decided to attempt a similar feat, despite Francesco always saying in his own lists that anyone who tries to do this will probably end up becoming a deranged borderline obsessive-compulsive. People keep telling me I should stop taking these warnings as invitations.
But most of all, I have a famously terrible short-term memory (probably as a consequence of coming from a culture of hunters-gatherers, my long-term memory is instead one of the few things in my noggin that actually works). I have often completely forgotten seeing extremely talked-about bands mere weeks after the fact. To be completely honest, there are a couple of concerts in this list for which I bear no memory whatsoever. Case in point, if I hadn't seen Sampha on this list just a couple of days after seeing him live I would have no idea that I had been there. Which doesn't speak well of my memory but probably also doesn't speak too well of how interesting that concert may have been.
To succeed in the endeavour of compiling a full list of gigs, I would regularly take at least one picture every time I was at a concert and do my best to upload it to a hidden personal site as soon as possible after the fact, always indicating the date and location, and occasionally taking down some notes. This worked until about 100 concerts in, when I eventually ended up at a festival which famously has no internet reception whatsoever, thus thwarting my plans. From that point onwards, I would save all pictures and notes on my cellphone and pray to the stars that I wouldn't then misplace it or have it robbed before I managed to upload the pictures and data from a safe connection. This inevitably caused there to be some backlog, but as you can see from the #gigs2017 hashtag I eventually caught up. Also, I surprisingly managed to only forget to take pictures a total of five times, mainly because I was also doing other concert-related work at the same time. This for me is quite the feat. I therefore have at least one image for almost every concert I've been to in 2017, sometimes taken surreptitiously because a) certain venues or artist didn't allow it, or b) because I dislike people who take pictures at concerts while you're just trying to enjoy the whole thing. I hate it when posterity distracts from the present, it's degrading.
Some numbers
168 concerts in a year essentially means almost one in every two days. The month with most concerts was June, with a total of 38 concerts in 30 days: basically 1.267 concerts per day. The month with less concerts was February, with barely 4 concerts. I have no idea how this may have happened, it probably has to do with falling ill with a strong fever for the first time in over twenty years. I'll make up for it. The longest I've gone without concerts is a whopping 21 days in April. The day I saw most concerts was a total of 10 concerts on June 2nd. These include the aforementioned Sampha concert I remember nothing about, but also one of the best shows I've seen all year, later that same evening, of which I remember and cherish every second. Considering that the following day I saw a total of 8 concerts and remember each one pretty well, I'd say my memory threshold for concerts stops at 9. The most times I've seen one same band perform is 3, which mainly applies to artists from our label, Trovarobato. Accordingly, the musicians I've seen on stage the most were Miles Cooper Seaton (6 times) and Tobjah (7 times!), in their various projects and identities.
Best new bands
Throughout all this, I would also keep note of live sets from new bands which will be deserving more attention in coming months. These are mostly local bands, of course, but that'll hopefully just help me keep an eye on them. You should try to check them out, in a live environment if possible. In chronological order, they are Waiting for Godzilla, Dasia, Skrap, Let's Eat Grandma, č˝ĺˇŽčĺ WWWW / Prairie WWWW, Indianizer, Emma Grace, Oholo!, Maistah Aphrica, Berg, and Faetal-B. Liniker e os Caramelows would also be in this list if it wasn't for them already almost being superstars in their homeland. I hope their stardom quickly spreads to the rest of the globe (and beyond, obviously). Also, I wish Oholo! had an online presence. They're a noise-jazz big band from Ljubljana, they're great. My favourite concerts of the year are indicated in bold. This sometimes means concerts that weren't necessarily great but left me thinking about what I saw and about music in general for many of the following hours if not days.
The List
So, without further ado, here's the full list. Two or three of these concerts were not great. Many were excellent:
1. Huun Huur Tu - Teatro San Leonardo Bologna - Jan 16th 2017 2. Trees Of Mint - Nero Factory Bologna, 20.01.2017 3. Path Switch - 9mq (Poverarte preview) Bologna, 21.01.2017 4. Waiting For Godzilla - house concert Bologna, 25.01.2017 5. C+C=Maxigross & Miles Cooper Seaton - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 26.01.20176.
6. Dasia - Dobialab Staranzano, 11.02.2017 7. Matteo Peloi - Dobialab Staranzano (Dobbia), 11.02.2017 8. Alessandro Fiori - Poverarte Preview Night #2 - Ateliersi Bologna, 17.02.2017
9. Julieâs Haircut - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 03.03.2017 10. Paolo BenvegnĂš - Palazzo Pepoli Bologna, 08.03.2017 11. Fast Animals And Slow Kids, Palazzo Pepoli Bologna, 15.03.2017 12. Los Pollos Hermanos, Le Fucine Vulcaniche Bologna, 16.03.2017 13. Leva - Poverarte Preview Night #3 - Ateliersi Bologna, 17.03.2017 14. Mr. Everett - Poverarte Preview Night #3 - Ateliersi Bologna, 17.03.2017 15. Angela Baraldi - Palazzo Pepoli Bologna, 22.03.2017 16. Supermarket - EnolibrĂŹ 2017 TPO, Bologna, 24.03.2017 17. Cesare Basile & i Caminanti - EnolibrĂŹ 2017 TPO Bologna, 25.03.2017
18. Bremo - Poverarte 2017 - ArterÏa Bologna, 05.04.2017 19. Dagger Moth - Poverarte 2017 ArterÏa, 05.04.2017 20. Be A Bear - Poverarte 2017 ArterÏa, Bologna, 06.04.2017 21. PureH - Poverarte 2017 Ateliersi, Bologna, 06.04.2017 22. Goodmorning Mama - Poverarte 2017 ArterÏa, Bologna, 07.04.2017 23. Fricat - Poverarte 2017 Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 08.04.2017 24. Godblesscomputers dj set - Poverarte 2017 Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 08.04.2017 25. Mr. Everett - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 29.04.2017 26. Tersø - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 29.04.2017 27. Osc2x - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 29.04.2017
28. Alterations (Steve Beresford, Peter Cusack, Terry Day, David Toop) - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 05.05.2017 29. GhĂŠdalia Tazartès - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 06.05.2017 30. Tenores di Bitti - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 06.05.2017 31. Ofeliadorme - Palazzo Pepoli Bologna, 10.05.2017 32. Skrap - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 11.05.2017 33. Natasha Barrett - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 11.05.2017 34. Audrey Chen + Phil Minton - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 12.05.2017 35. BeĂąat Achiary + Erwan Keravec - Angelica 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 12.05.2017 36. Mammane Sani - Nero factory Bologna, 17.05.2017 37. Phil Minton & Veryan Weston + Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 19.05.2017 38. Sysex - Loft Kinodromo Bologna, 20.05.2017 39. Veryan Weston - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 21.05.2017 40. Bob Ostertag - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 21.05.2017 41. Annette Peacock in performance with Roger Turner & Roberto Dani - AngelicA 27 Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti, Modena, 23.05.2017 42. Robin Holcombe and Wayne Horvitz - AngelicA 27 Teatro San Leonardo, Bologna, 26.05.2017 43. Ottodix - Freak Out Club Bologna, 26.05.2017 44. Letâs Eat Grandma - Primavera Sound 2017 Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 30.05.2017 45. Cigarettes After Sex - Primavera Sound Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 30.05.2017 46. Entropia - Primavera Sound La (2) de Apolo, Barcelona, 30.05.2017 47. PAVVLA - Primavera Sound CCCB Daypro Stage - Barcelona, 31.05.2017
48. Escorpio - Primavera Sound CCCB Daypro Stage - Barcelona, 01.06.2017 49. Joel Sarakula - Primavera Sound CCCB Daypro Stage - Barcelona, 01.06.2017 50. ELZA SOARES - Primavera Sound Auditori - Barcelona, 01.06.2017 51. Persian Pelican - Primavera Sound Night pro stage, Parc del forum - Barcelona, 01.06.2017 52. Solange - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum - Barcelona, 01.06.2017 53. Kate Tempest - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum - Barcelona, 01.06.2017 54. Prairie WWWW - Primavera Pro CCCB - Barcelona, 02.06.2017 55. Persian Pelican - Primavera Pro CCCB - Barcelona, 02.06.2017 56. De Mónaco - Primavera Pro CCCB - Barcelona, 02.06.2017 57. Miss Garrison - Primavera Pro CCCB - Barcelona, 02.06.2017 58. IOSONOUNCANE - Primavera Sound Parc del fórum, 02.06.2017. 59. Mitski - Primavera Sound Parc del fórum, 02.06.2017 60. Sampha - Primavera Sound Parc del Fórum, Barcelona, 02.06.2017 61. The Make-up - primavera sound Parc del forum - 02.06.2017 62. Liniker e os Caramelows - Primavera Sound Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, 2-3.06.2017 63. Flying Lotus - Primavera Sound Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, 02-03.06.2017 64. Van Morrison - Primavera Sound Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, 03.06.2017 65. Metronomy - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum - Barcelona, 03.06.2017 66. Grace Jones - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum, Barcelona, 03.06.2017 67. King Krule - Primavera Sound Parc del fórum, Barcelona, 03.06.2017 68. G-C - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum, Barcelona, 03.06.2017 69. Haim - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum, Barcelona, 03.06.2017 70. !!! - Primavera Sound Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, 03(04).06.2017 71. DJ COCO - Primavera Sound Parc del fòrum, Barcelona, 03(04).06.2017 72. Me & the plant - Primavera Sound CCCB, Barcelona, 04.06.2017 73. Liniker e os Caramelows - Primavera Sound CCCB, Barcelona, 04.06.2017 74. The Make-Up - Primavera Sound CCCB, Barcelona, 04.06.2017 75. Chk Chk Chk - Primavera Sound CCCB, Barcelona, 04.02.2017 76. Sleaford Mods - Primavera Sound Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 04.06.2017 77. Adriano Viterbini - Biografilm Park Bologna, 07.06.2017 78. The Groovement Project - One Night Festival La Vita è Bella, Staranzano, 10.06.2017 79. The Conceptuals - One Night Festival La Vita è Bella, Staranzano, 10.06.2017 80. The Hatecleans - One Night Festival La Vita è Bella, Staranzano, 10.06.2017 81. Dasia - One Night Festival La Vita è Bella, Staranzano, 10.06.2017 82. Motta - Biografilm Park Bologna, 15.06.2017 83. Bello Figo - Link Associated Bologna, 17.06.2017 84. Waiting For Godzilla (ft. Matteo Di Genova) - Centro Sociale Labas Bologna, 21.06.2017 85. Angela Baraldi - XM24 Bologna, 30.06.2017 86. Inoki - XM24 Bologna, 30.06.2017 87. Mara Redighieri & Coro Anarchico XM24 - XM24 Bologna, 30.06.2017
88. Rosa Brunello y los Fermentos - Strofe dipinte di jazz 2017 Romans d'Isonzo(GO), 13.07.2017 89. The Mechanical Tales - Strofe dipinte di jazz Romans d'Isonzo, 13.07.2017 90. Michele, Luciano, Stich, Emilio - 20th Reunion Somewhere outside Trieste, 14.07.2017 91. Persian Pelican (solo) - Crossover Live Vicolo Bolognetti, Bologna, 21.07.2017 92. C+C=Maxigross & Alioune Slysajah ft. Miles Cooper Seaton - Crossover Live Vicolo Bolognetti, Bologna, 21.07.2017 93. Peter Erskine and the Dr. Um band - Cubo Unipol Bologna, 25.07.2017 94. Opening rite - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 28.07.2017 95. Squid To Squeeze - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 28.07.2017 96. Maniaxxx - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 28.07.2017 97. Indianizer - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 28.07.2017 98. Angel Deradoorian - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 28.07.2017 99. C+C=Maxigross & Alioune Slysajah ft. Miles Cooper Seaton, with special guests Fabio Vidali and Krano - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 28.07.2017 100. Above The Tree - Hrdaya Yoga session - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 29.07.2017 101. Laura Agnusdei, Sebastiano Martinelli, Luigi Monteanni - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 29.07.2017 102. Babau & Kuru - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 29.07.2017 103. Alfio Antico - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 29.07.2017 104. Miles Cooper Seaton - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 29.07.2017 105. Julieâs Haircut - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 29.07.2017 106. Emma Grace - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017 107. Alessandro Cau solo set, "Erchitu" - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017 108. di Oach - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017 109. Hardcobaleno ft. Mago Magilla  - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017 110. Cru & Tobjah ft. Alessandro Cau, Miles Cooper Seaton  - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017 111. Orange Car Crash - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017 112. Stregoni - Lessinia Psych Fest Camposilvano (VR), 30.07.2017
113. Marongiu & i Sporcaccioni - Vol SavĂš Staranzano (GO), 08.08.2017 114. Oholo - Dobiarteventi Dobialab, Dobbia(GO), 10.08.2017 115. Los Residentes (Warrior Charge Soundsystem meets Dobialab & Hybrida) - Dobiarteventi Dobialab, Dobbia(GO), 12.08.2017 116. Extraliscio - Cubo Unipol Bologna, 29.08.2017
117. Alek Hidell - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Arena Puccini, Bologna, 15.09.2017 118. IOSONOUNCANE - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Arena Puccini, Bologna, 15.09.2017 119. Junkfood 4tet - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Locomotiv Club, Bologna, 15.09.2017 120. Halfalib - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Locomotiv Club, Bologna, 16.09.2017 121. Sex Pizzul - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Locomotiv Club, Bologna, 16.09.2017 122. Giorgio Poi - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Arena Puccini, Bologna, 15.09.2017 123. Tobjah - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Locomotiv Club, Bologna, 17.09.2017 124. Coez - Tutto Molto Bello 2017 Arena Puccini, Bologna, 17.09.2017 125. Slavi Bravissime Persone - TPO Bologna, 22.09.2017 126. Aisha Orazbayeva - Villa Romana Florence, 24.09.2017 127. Dino Fumaretto & Mapuche - Altro Spazio Bologna, 27.09.2017
128. Maistah Aphrica - Osteria Al Poeta San Martino del Carso, 01.10.2017 129. Kollavinilika - E_Pop Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 13.10.2017 130. Overlogic - E_Pop Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 13.10.2017 131. Exit Spoons - E_Pop Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 13.10.2017 132. Godblesscomputers - TPO Bologna, 14.10.2017 133. Laura Agnusdei - Serre dei Giardini Margherita Bologna, 19.10.2017 134. I Camillas - Cortile CafĂŠ Bologna, 19.10.2017 135. The Junkologist - Dobialab Dobbia (GO), 21.10.2017 136. Fra Zedde - Eruziâni Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 28.10.2017 137. LOMAX Il Complesso Musicale - Â Eruziâni Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 28.10.2017
138. Francesco Serra - Serre dei Giardini Margherita Bologna, 2.11.2017 139. Nilza Costa - Telling Stories Bologna, 5.11.2017 140. Kalio Gayo - Telling Stories Bologna, 5.11.2017 141. Universal Sex Arena - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 10.11.2017 142. !!! - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 10.11.2017 143. Gabriela Eva & Base Mosquito - Binario 69 Bologna, 11.11.2017 144. Cinema Misterioso Soundtracks (Nicola Manzan, Corrado Nuccini, Stefano Pilia, Massimo Pupillo) - Mercato Sonato Bologna, 12.11.2017 145. Stefano Ricci & Pasquale Mirra - Teatro San Leonardo Bologna, 13.11.2017 146. Arto Lindsay Trio - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 16.11.2017 147. Miles Cooper Seaton ft. Tobjah with special guest Gianluca Giusti - Efesto Bologna, 17.11.2017 148. Berg - Eruziâni Ateliersi, Bologna, 17.11.2017 149. Cadori - Porto15 Bologna, 25.11.2017 150. La Metralli - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 28.11.2017 151. Cesare Basile & I Caminanti - Locomotiv Club Bologna, 28.11.2017 152. Hofame - LâOrtica Bologna, 30.11.2017
153. Oh mun - Eruziâni Ateliersi, Bologna, 01.12.2017 154. Jacopo Bacci live soundtrack - Eruziâni Ateliersi, Bologna, 01.12.2017 155. Davide Bartolomei - Spectrorama Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 02.12.2017 156. Razgraad - Spectrorama Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 02.12.2017 157. Stromboli - Spectrorama Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 02.12.2017 158. Valerio Maiolo ft. Bianca Peruzzi - Spectrorama Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 02.12.2017 159. Caterina Barbieri Ecstatic Computational Ambience - Sonorama Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 02.12.2017 160. Vertex - Spectrorama Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 02.12.2017 161. Ambra Drius & The Easy Recipes - Eruziâni Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 08.12.2017 162. Faetal-B - Eruziâni Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 08.12.2017 163. Marta - Eruziâni Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 08.12.2017 164. Mumble Rumble - Eruziâni Mercato Sonato, Bologna, 08.12.2017 165. Tullia Benedicta - XM24 Bologna, 14.12.2017 166. Trioromales - FishânâRoll Bologna, 22.12.2017 167. Glory Owl - Tetris Trieste, 29.12.2017 168. Grime - Tetris Trieste, 29.12.2017 It's fitting that this project would unexpectedly end at Tetris, in Trieste, on its final closing night. If it wasn't for my experiences as a regular audience member back when it opened, all those years ago, I don't know if I'd be living and working this deep within independent music today. It made me understand that you can actually make things happen, and not just attend events passively. Cheers to them, glad I was around for the almost-Viking funeral. Final thought: a year where you managed to see !!! perform live a total of three separate times can't possibly have been that bad, all things considered
