UKC

Not counting festivals or "specials" like Hyde Park concerts...just normal gigs, say up to 10k capacity

I saw The Killers opening for British Sea Power, and Oasis not quite supporting but on a shared headline tour with Whiteout; Whiteout headlined the night I saw them

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Thin Lizzy support for Status Quo
Genesis (Peter Gabriel era) for Lindisfarne
Judas Priest for Curved Air

and Chas-n-Dave for 10cc

all back in the early 70's

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Motorhead and Joan Jett were supporting Alice cooper last year. Motorhead were crap but Joan jett was superb. Alice (as you'd expect) was brilliant.

Years ago when Lindisfarne were in their prime and playing newcastle city hall for their annual Christmas season, they had a relatively unknown Chris Rea playing support.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

The Cramps for the Police, around 1978. A real treat.

In reply to Blue Straggler: I saw Coldplay supporting Muse in about 1999 (in the L2 in Liverpool). They were positively mediocre.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Lindisfarne supporting Santana, who were supporting Bob Dylan...not really within your limits though.

In reply to Blue Straggler: Kasabian supporting the Von Bondies at the Leeds Blank Canvas. It was a few months before Kasabian released their first album and were relatively unknown. They were amazing.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Crazy World of Arthur Brown supporting Robert Plant. That was good.

In reply to Blue Straggler: saxon supporting the who. Now that was an interestingchoice of suport...

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I saw The Police supporting Alberto y los Trios Paranoias some time in the early 80s. Round about the same time, I also saw The Pretenders supporting UB40 (or the other way round), and in 1978, I saw Talking Heads supporting The Ramones at Leeds Poly. This was possibly the best gig I've been to.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Foo Fighters supporting Oasis. The former were much better.

In reply to Blue Straggler: Probably Pulp, as support band for the Sugar Cubes/Bjork, they wiped the floor up with them.

In reply to Blue Straggler: Saw Stereophonics supporting Skunk Anansie in around 96/97, thought they were crap then and still do.

In reply to tony: I was going to mention Talking Heads & Ramones at Leeds...
Happy days!

In reply to tony:

Nice!

For me, Lou Reed supporting U2, Belfast '85ish

In reply to Blue Straggler:
catatonia supporting manson (shocking chester wannabes), liverpool lomax (the real one on cumberland st) in 1996
muse supporting live (apparently some massive american rock behemoth but who knew?) leeds town and country in 1999

In reply to Dom Whillans:
A haa haa ha, Live. Good Lord. Still possibly my favourite "audience hates band" Glastonbury moment - 1998, everyone bored, bloke from Live being accustomed to huge adoring American audiences is confused at the lack of response...Glasto 98 being a particularly grim year for wet mud, bored audience members start chucking mud at the stage, Live blokey say "if one more f*cker throws mud at us, we're outta here" (or some such). Within seconds he was transformed into an unrecognisable mud-monster

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Saw Franz Ferdinand opening for Belle & Sebastian a few years ago at Liverpool (Royal Court I think).

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Blur opening for the Jesus and Mary Chain in a half-full souless Sheffield Arena - neither were very good.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
The Cure supporting Siouxsie and the Banshees
Joy Division supporting the Undertones
Both at DeMontfort Hall, Leics, possibly 1978 or 79, (depending on Ian Curtis' demise.....)

In reply to Blue Straggler: joe coker and zz top for eric clapton

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I saw Travis third on the bill to Ash's first. I think Space may have been second!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Whitesnake before Def Lepard,

Jay-z before coldplay,

In reply to Jimmy D:

Now you're bringing back memories - I saw that tour too! Bristol Locarno, (next to the ice rink).

In reply to Blue Straggler: My friend saw James Brown support the Chilli Peppers.
I know who I'd have rather seen...

In reply to JohnnyW:


Wow those are awesome. Mine was Public Image Ltd supporting James, first ever gig in 1992, didn't know who John Lydon was at the time.

In reply to JohnnyW: Not only saw The Cure supporting Siouxsie & the Banshees, but also saw them acting as Siouxsie's backing band for a 10-min version of The Lord's Prayer when it was discovered just before showtime that two of the Banshees had left. That was in Aberdeen - '79?
Also saw Van Halen supporting Black Sabbath around the same time.

In reply to Liam M:


You mean you caught them on a good night?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

The Cult for Metallica at Red Rocks in Denver 1997.
Bunnymen for New Order same venue and era (actually 1987).
Lizzy for Deep Purple a couple of years ago in Newcastle.
Peter Frampton for Purple in Sheffield about 2004.

WTF are Whiteout?

In reply to Liam M:

And have got more average since.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Elton John at the Albert Hall supporting The Band (I think; might have been Procul Harum)

In reply to JohnnyW:


you sure that wasn't Joy division supporting the Buzzcocks?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

The Frantic elevators (Mick Hucknell) supporting The Skids

In reply to Blue Straggler: I saw Oasis back in ... 19herumpha'rumph support Pele (liverpool band thet made it ...er nowhere really)...

They were ok ...

and I'm not a fan.


saw Neil Young in 95 ...his backing bad was Pearl Jam , minus Eddie

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Queen supporting Mott the Hoople twice!

Lynyrd Skynyrd supporting Golden Earing
Randy Crawford supporting the Crusaders

Also saw Catherine Zeta Jones as an understudy in 42nd Street once - thought she was good!

In reply to Tom Hutton: Metallica supporting AC-DC at Monsters of Rock...

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Also Queen supporting MtH. The crowd didn't want Queen off at the end of their set.

Bowie turning up on keyboards for Iggy Pop; but not really 'support' I suppose.

In reply to agibb: in about 93/94 maybe I saw Ash supporting The Sultans Of Ping at the Garage in Islington. Ash went on to be somewhat more successful.

In reply to Blue Straggler: The Undertones supporting Peter Gabriel at Selhurst Park - the Undertones last mainland gig before they split.

The Thompson Twins were also on the bill which meant you had time to go for a piss and some more beer and a kip!!

In reply to mux:

I remember Pele! I have a limited edition signed 10" of "Fireworks". I bet the one that Ian didn't sign, are much rarer
They were OK. They made in South Africa, one of their singles hit number 1 I think! I was thinking about them last night as there was a cover of Van Morrison's "moondance" on the radio, and Pele covered it too.

In reply to The Purple Pimpernel:

No-hoper nondescript Scots band from 1993-4, tagging on tenuously to the NWONW thing.

In reply to The Pylon King:

indeed - 1979, leeds uni

saw human league there supporting siouxie round then. All a bit of a blur (supported by super furry aninmals a good few years later)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Biggest band....?

Couldn't possibly say, apart from maybe Bjork and Kylie they all look the same size from a distance

In reply to Danzig:

I'll see your metallica supporting AC-DC and raise you Metallica supporting Bon-Jovi MOR 1987. In fact (even though it's outside the remit of the OP), Cinderella, WASP, DIO and Anthrax also supporting bon-jovi - strangest headline act for that sort of line-up I've ever seen.

In reply to graeme jackson:

Deliberate and cheeky quasi-Freudian-slip? (wot wiv BJ being a bit middle-of-the-road and all that)

In reply to Blue Straggler:
The Pogues supporting Elvis Costello at the Apollo Manchester (82 or 83), I think Elvis had his eye on the young lassy.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

The Beatles supporting Roy Orbison.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I'd love to say 'Yes I was being clever'. In reality I couldn't be arsed to type Monsters of rock again

In reply to Blue Straggler:
The legendary Muddy Waters supporting Eric Clapton! Billed as such but I reckon it was more of a joint headliner

In reply to Blue Straggler: Van Halen supporting Black Sabbath, and The Stranglers supporting The Damned. Both Birmingham 1977-1978. Both outstanding gigs.

In reply to tonyw: I saw the Pogues supporting Girlschool in an eclectic bill 84ish.

Muse supporting Feeder

In reply to ebygomm: Kilburn and the High Roads supporting Hatfield and the North. The Hatfields where a shite pompy synthy type band. The frontman of the Kilburns was one I Dury, he was a revelation, I'd never heard of him before. I'm sure the Kilburns just had that name for the duration of the college circuit tour to take the piss out of the Hatfields.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Funeral for friend supporting Lost Prophets 2002 or Kaiser Chiefs back in the "New Band Tent" at Leeds Festival 2004.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
The Wurzels, supporting Jethro (the Cornish comic, not Tull) at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham.......

In reply to graeme jackson:

Certainly was!!! We buggered off as Jovi kicked up, Dio being the highlight of the day for me! Still listen to it in the car - ahh, the old Friday Rock Show...

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Is this inspired by the news that Elbow are going to support U2? That could be worth going to, as long as U2 stick to their earlier stuff.

In reply to Dave Garnett: Possibly Black Uhuru supporting the Stones in some Godawful football stadium.

In reply to Mike Mead: That was the first gig I ever went to. Saw all of the Cramps and only 2 songs from the Police before hurtling off to get the train back to Bath. Couldn't believe the amount of spittle flying!

In reply to Richard Baynes:

I saw Kilburn and the High Roads supporting The Who at Belle Vue, when the Who did the third ever performance of Quadrophenia. It was the third date of the Quadrophenia Tour in 1973, but the first with the Highroads in support.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Big Country supporting the Jam. Yeah, well ok...not really a big band! Killers supporting U2 was good. I saw Bowie at Wembly on the Glass Spider tour. There may have been a big band supporting but I was too stoned to notice

In reply to John2:


Bristol City - Ashton Gate IIRC.



Pretenders supporting Talking Heads on the Stop Making Sense tour. Both great.

In reply to Richard Baynes:

An ingenious idea, but they were formed two years before Hatfield and the North.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

No!

I should have worded my OP better, sorry everyone for not being clearer. I was more after "bands that were small but later became huge, supporting bands that never became all that big". Stadium shows count as "specials" by my "rules", I mean I saw Blur support REM in Milton Keynes in 1995 but Blur were huge in their own right by then. Anyway, some nice stories nonetheless. The late 1970s seems to have been a fertile time in British music!
(btw - wasn't Robert Smith on rhythm guitar for the Banshees for that entire Banshees tour where The Cure supported, and not just after those two Banshees quit?)

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Growing up in London in the 60's and going to "Implosion" at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm - I was really spoilt I suppose.

Some unknown "folkie" called David Bowie, Parliament/Funkadelic, Stones, Floyd, Hawkwind and many many others - cannot remember who were the supports as I was ver...ver... stoned at the time

Famous support acts I can remember would be Siouxie and Banshees (1`st gig) and The Clash supporting The Sex Pistols at The 100 Club.(The Clash blew the others offstage)

Somew unknown band called Roxy Music supporting Bowie(Ziggy Stardust) at The Rainbow.

Too many more to mention, but then I suppose music and mountains have been the two big passions in my life.

My recollection was that he played with Siouxsie and Steve Severin for the rest of the tour only AFTER the two guys split. I could be wrong, but I don't think so: after The Cure had left the stage there was a long delay and then the announcement that the two guys had left without warning, then Siouxsie and Steve Severin said the gig would be free and played for about 10 minutes with The Cure backing - pretty clearly unrehearsed to be honest. Just remember being ushered in to interview her afterwards (I was a reporter for a local newspaper at the time) and feeling really sorry for her cos she was so gutted.

In reply to Blue Straggler: Oh, also remember seeing a band called The Coventry Specials supporting The Clash. They later dropped the 'Coventry' part and became quite famous. Late '70s again. Great time.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Killers supporting Stellastarr*

King Tut's, Glasgow

Must've been one of their first gigs in the UK. Didn't (don't) rate them at all.

mmw

In reply to Blue Straggler:
How about Bowie doing a mime -supporting Tyrannosaurus Rex when they were still an acoustic duo...late 60's..at the Free Trade Hall Manchester...

In reply to OMR:

I kowtow your rather better knowledge!
I was just misremembering some guff that some obsessive Cure fan spouted at me, in a "Robert Smith is a God" style, many years ago!
I did read more recently that Siouxsie gave free rein to anyone to beat up the quitters. I guess her attitude on random street assaults changed in the 90s when Burnsy jumped Budgie (allegedly)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

The Minutemen supporting Black Flag at the 100 Club - '82.

The Throwing Muses supporting The Pixies in Utrecht - '85 or '86.

In reply to EarlyBird:

You have a different - and I guess far far cooler! - definition of "biggest band" than most

I should check out some Minutemen I guess. Throwing Muses I've checked out too many times possibly!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I saw Sigur Ros supporting Godspeed You Black Emperor back in 2000. Got mugged on the way home walking through a dodgy bit of Bristol.

In reply to DNS:

Was that at Hammersmith?

Saw Bon Jovi supporting Kiss at the Queens Hall in Leeds.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

manic street preachers supporting the foo fighters.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

THE BEATLES!
My uncle who grew up in wallasey (across the mersey from liverpool) tells me that when he was a teenager he saw a then completely unknown band called 'the beatles' supporting jerry & the pacemakers!

In reply to trek:

I remember my Dad saying he went to see the beatles in one of their first ever Cavern gigs, he's in a photo in the beatles museum queing up for it

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Jethro Tull, supporting Fleetwood Mac.

Christ on a bike, writing that makes me feel old....

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Blondie supporting television at Sheffield city hall, walked out midway through Television's set, absolutely dire.

Blondie wiped the floor with them.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Yes. At the gig I went to, he even had some sheet music to follow. I can't remember the date, but I also think that it was very soon after they quit.

In reply to Ridge:
No, Bristol Colston Hall. Have to say I really loved Queen then although they were a tad like Uriah Heep to see live. I still listen to those first two albums regularly though can't stand the stuff they went on to produce!

Also loved Mott and would have loved to have seen them on this comeback tour but London's a long way from Mid Wales!

In reply to Tim Sparrow:

Wow, you were at the same gig! That spitting thing was pretty unpleasant...

To the OP: Squeeze supporting the Tubes. They were rubbish and Holland was surly when asked for an autograph. Unlike Re Styles, who was every inch a lady, even when drunk as a skunk after the show.

In reply to Blue Straggler: i went to see Rise Against in march. dispite seeing posters for the flobots it just didnt click. i actually liked the flobots more as a band but rise against anyday whoooo

In reply to Blue Straggler:


Political Song for Michael Jackson is a good start (and almost topical) - and if you don't like it it only lasts 46 seconds

I've never actually seen a "big" band, or a band that became big - closest would probably be The Pixies or Dinosaur Jr.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Radiohead supporting James circa '95, GMEX ('Creep' had just been released). The miserable southerners didn't go down too well with the local crowd and the set was a short one interspersed with booing...

At the other extreme, walked into a gig at the Leadmill (forget who the headline act we'd gone for was) and there, third on the bill and already on stage at 7:45, was Sonic Boom just winding into 'Transparent radiation'. Amazing.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Did'nt see them but Ray Duval the drummer for Emile Ford and the Checkmates told me that they were supported in the sixties by someone called............The Beatles

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Alice Cooper, supported by Motorhead and Joan Jett?

In reply to Blue Straggler: Oh forgot to say that in 1972/3 I saw Suzi Quatro and Thin Lizzy support Slade at the Top Rank (I think) in Brighton.

In reply to ericoides: Shit !someone who actually knows when Hatfield and th North were formed. I have been trying to eradicate them from memory ever since hearin g them. I was persuaded by a mate to go, it was just another band at the Student union at Warwick... looking back, seeing Dury - would be about 74/75 - was the first sign that there could be something morel than pomp rock, glam rock and all that 70s schtick.