Sonic Youth/Nirvana Fans - Check this out!

JC 2K3

Just found this flyer from a Sonic Youth show in Cork in 1991, I thought it was pretty cool but what's interesting about it is that Nirvana were special guests, I for one never thought Nirvana played in Ireland(excluding Belfast), here is proof that they did(if only as special guests). They also played the same show in Dublin.

Scratch Acid

Seen this a while ago.....what a show.....and for 7 pounds? zing

pyure

the video of negative creep from "live, tonight, sold out!" is taken from this show

ferdi

nirvana also played very near my house in monkstown co. dublin in a small venue called The Top Hat, which then became The Fun Factory and which is now a block of apartments. sad.

JC 2K3

Nirvana played in Monkstown? I remember the Fun Factory well! When was this?

I just found out there's a bootleg of this gig called "Put the Money Down" I must search for it!

Redleslie2

ferdi wrote:

nirvana also played very near my house in monkstown co. dublin in a small venue called The Top Hat, which then became The Fun Factory and which is now a block of apartments. sad.

I was at that show. Still have the ticket stub somewhere converted into a beermat

JC 2K3

Redleslie2 wrote:

I was at that show. Still have the ticket stub somewhere converted into a beermat

Really!? You lucky bastard! You don't happen to have a recording of it? It's one of the many Nirvana shows without any available recording.

dregin

I have every nirvana show in ireland apart form the Tophat gig on Tape(cork on CD, sounboard recording) and the point on DVD. RAWK I was actually at the fun factory years back. Didnt realise that's where the top hat was. Apparently their show their was professionaly shot.

dregin

pyure wrote:

the video of negative creep from "live, tonight, sold out!" is taken from this show

Negatve creep on "live tonight..." is from Hawaii. The video from Cork is actually on "The Year Punk Broke".

I am MAN

Dregin how would I go about getting those off of you? (thats if your willing to upload them or point to some download location)

dregin

I dont have the tapes transferred to CD....I dont think. And they are widely available for trade(check http://www.livenirvana.com/begin/index.html for how to trade properly) btw, trading is legal as long as it is not for profit........I think.

[edit]
I dont trade MP3 as it's poor quality and I've never ripped to lossless format and am not sure how to do it, so i dont think I'll be uploading them.
[/edit]

Redleslie2

JC 2K3 wrote:

Really!? You lucky bastard! You don't happen to have a recording of it? It's one of the many Nirvana shows without any available recording.

Yeah I remember a few things about it, like the bands just sitting up in the balcony and chatting to fans before the show instead of being backstage somewhere and Kurt breaking his guitar (or strings) during the 2nd song (floyd the barber I think) and the others just carrying on jamming until he got a replacement sorted and continued. Haven't got a recording. Can't remember if there were any bootlegs available afterwards from the guys who used to sell them on O'Connell Bridge. I'm sure there were though.

For the Nirvanaraks, here's the stub.

I am MAN

Very envious I must say

radiospan

Photos from the Cork, Dublin shows.

dregin

Redleslie2 wrote:

Yeah I remember a few things about it, like the bands just sitting up in the balcony and chatting to fans before the show instead of being backstage somewhere and Kurt breaking his guitar (or strings) during the 2nd song (floyd the barber I think) and the others just carrying on jamming until he got a replacement sorted and continued. Haven't got a recording. Can't remember if there were any bootlegs available afterwards from the guys who used to sell them on O'Connell Bridge. I'm sure there were though.

For the Nirvanaraks, here's the stub.

Any chance you know someone who might have it? Or even a source for the people who used to record around Dublin? Wouldn't mind surfacing this show, haven't traded anything in years

Redleslie2

dregin wrote:

Any chance you know someone who might have it? Or even a source for the people who used to record around Dublin? Wouldn't mind surfacing this show, haven't traded anything in years

My brother used to collect bootlegs a lot more than I did but I doubt he has that one since he wasn't a fan of either bands. I'll check with him next time I see him anyway. No idea where the bootleg sellers would be now. Probably on gold plated yachts somewhere. Bastards the lot of them when I think of them now and some of the no-quality crap they used to get away with selling.

magpie

I too was at the gig at the Top Hat. I even still had the ticket stub until about a month ago when I gave it to a mate's 10 year old kid who is Nirvana kerrrrazzzeee. Maybe I should've kept it?

Main things I remember about the gig are:

1) Not knowing who Nirvana where before this. I'd seen a few people in the t-shirts in Bruxelles (those were the daze). You know, the fudgepackin', mother****in, blah blah blah Nirvana T-Shirts.
2) All 8 of the people who had showed up to see Nirvana (all wearing the aforementioned t-shirts) dancing in that krusty tribal stomping kind of way. And all us cool Sonic Youth fans looking on in disdain.
3) Cobain breaking his guitar by whacking it off the mic stand accidentally (lol at the time) and then taking ages to fix it. I remember looking at the Sonic Youth gear in the back which featured what looked like 100 guitars in racks, and here's old kurt trying to fix his single guitar.
4) Nirvana coming into the audience to watch Sonic Youth. Kris Novoselic was standing beside me, and I can tell you he smelt bad. Nirvana had an aroma coming off them that suggested not having washed for about 2 weeks.
5) Sonic Youth were amazing. This was the period of Goo and Dirty Boots.

Any other memories RedLeslie. I'm thinking about putting together a 'Classic Irish gigs' page for Headstock. I might run this as the first one. Waddya reckon?

Doctor J

Man you should've been at Ozzy's two gigs in McGonagles... REAL classic gigs.

magpie

Man you should've been at Ozzy's two gigs in McGonagles... REAL classic gigs.

Fancy writing a piece on them?

Doctor J

Yeah, I'll give it a go if ye want... twas along time ago, mind.

Redleslie2

magpie wrote:

Main things I remember about the gig are:

1) Not knowing who Nirvana where before this. I'd seen a few people in the t-shirts in Bruxelles (those were the daze). You know, the fudgepackin', mother****in, blah blah blah Nirvana T-Shirts.

I had the Bleach album and I used to read all the UK music papers so I knew who they were handily enough. I wasn't a huge fan, I preferred Therapy at the time. I remember them doing 'Something in the way' as their last song (I think, wouldn't mind seeing the set list) and not being very impressed with what I foolishly thought was an unrocking song about a fridge and possibly other kitchen appliances. Sonic Youth played in Mcgonagles in 1990 or 1989 but I couldn't get in. There was mayhem outside with people trying to rush the bouncers and sometimes succeeding. (Bono came along late and got in the fecker). I wondered did all that have something to do with the next show being way out of town. No bands ever played the Top Hat.

2) All 8 of the people who had showed up to see Nirvana (all wearing the aforementioned t-shirts) dancing in that krusty tribal stomping kind of way. And all us cool Sonic Youth fans looking on in disdain.

Heh, I bet they knew ALL the words to the songs too.

3) Cobain breaking his guitar by whacking it off the mic stand accidentally (lol at the time) and then taking ages to fix it. I remember looking at the Sonic Youth gear in the back which featured what looked like 100 guitars in racks, and here's old kurt trying to fix his single guitar.

Ah so he did break it, I couldn't see too well from where I was. I remember looking at the racks of guitars and wondering how they got them all on the tiny stage in McGonagles.

4) Nirvana coming into the audience to watch Sonic Youth. Kris Novoselic was standing beside me, and I can tell you he smelt bad. Nirvana had an aroma coming off them that suggested not having washed for about 2 weeks.

I'm pretty sure Sonic Youth were in the crowd for Nirvana's set. I think I remember seeing Lee Renaldo walking by me and thinking 'he's one old bastard' anyway.

5) Sonic Youth were amazing. This was the period of Goo and Dirty Boots.

Yeah but I'm still sorry I missed them in McGonagles. My favourite Sonic Youth stuff is still Bad Moon Rising -> Daydeam Nation. I did laugh at the end of the show when Lee Renaldo was holding two guitars up and clanging them together. It was a real Spinal Tap 'my solos are my trademark' moment.

Any other memories RedLeslie. I'm thinking about putting together a 'Classic Irish gigs' page for Headstock. I might run this as the first one. Waddya reckon?

Fire away. I remember going for a drink with my mates before the show and talking to the local rock gods (sleeveless t-shirts, big hair, tight tight trousers etc) and they asked us who was playing and what they sounded like. So we were trying to explain Sonic Youth's sound and weird tunings and so on. They looked at us like we were idiots and smirked at each other.
I also remember seeing some guy passed out inside the venue for ages and thinking 'twat'.

What was the capacity of the Top Hat do you know?

Doctor J

The Top Hat could hold just over a thousand, I think, maybe fifteen hundred? Saw so many fantastic gigs there.

Ph3n0m

Doctor J wrote:

The Top Hat could hold just over a thousand, I think, maybe fifteen hundred? Saw so many fantastic gigs there.

hehehe you are old

DJPJ

When Nirvana played Sir Henry's, they were so broke and penniless that they had nowhere to stay and slept on someone's stairs. The promotor even had to bring them some sandwiches to keep them from starving so it's not surprising that they smelt bad at the Dublin gigs.
And although every second person in Cork will claim to have seen them at Sir Henry's just like in Dublin, the reality is that only a handful of fans (probably the same ones as in Dublin!) bothered to leave the bars early and make it in for the support act!

magpie

Ah so he did break it, I couldn't see too well from where I was. I remember looking at the racks of guitars and wondering how they got them all on the tiny stage in McGonagles.

Yep. I remember thinking 'lend him one of your guitars you stingy bastards'. But then again, they were probably all tuned to Z flat minor.