From
|
Best gig
|
| Pete, UK |
For me there two, both brilliant and leaving you with that rarely felt dizzying and wonderful moment of musical transcendence.
The first was walking past Flanagan’s just after midnight amidst the usual Matthew Street mayhem on a Friday night in the early 90’s and hearing a band blasting out Van Morrison’s ‘ Sweet Thing’ with all the power and passion you could hope to hear…I I was hooked !!…… so I instantly dragged my workmates upstairs and couldn’t believe how good they were over the next hour or so !
The second time was at the old T.U. centre on Hardman Street where they played the upstairs stage on a warm and humid night,the place was packed and sometime in the set Ian was asked to warn the crowd not to get too wild as there were worries about the floor caving in !……to which he then shouted ‘fook that !!!’ and launched the band into another fiddle – inspired fervour-filled jamboree with the whole audience bouncing up and down !!…and the ceiling stayed up !! |
| Lance, Preston, UK |
Can’t narrow it down to one! Chester gateway was brilliant . Freshers Ball at Preston Uni; laughed till we cried at Lee Evans. Got wrecked on cheap Stella still managed to mosh! The extremely intimate atmosphere of the Hull Adelphi, kinda like gigging in someone’s front room. The Lomax, the Royal Court, a proper xmas party! And the Heineken festivals, all that fun for free. If I`m bangin on a bit, it`s cos there great memories and they’re sadly missed. Regards and respect to all. |
| Paul, Staffs, UK |
The free gig a Loughborough when A-live-A-live-O was recorded. Two hours of great fun and great music – I don’t know who enjoyed it more the crowd or the band! |
| Owen, Southport, UK |
Never saw them live but have been to the two Amsterdam gigs at the Lomax – superb!! |
| Martin, Wigan, UK |
Birmingham, Edwards no 8 about 1993ish, the gig was just amazing and I met a girl there who I went out with for about 2 years after! |
| Lee, Durham, UK |
Middlesbrough – I got completely pissed and danced around all night! |
| Jules, London, UK |
Kent University – I think it was October 1993…party back at my house afterwards with Dally, Wayne and Ian…and hundreds of potential gatecrashers banging at my front door while Ian poked his head out of the window ‘inviting’ them all in ….ta Ian…. |
| Mark, Croydon, UK |
When they supported Del Amitri and it reminded me of thier single Meglomania I had heard the previous summer. I was so delighted to hear Policemen as it was sung with such venom I now believe all policemen to be thieves. Good on you pete. |
| Russell, Portsmouth, UK |
Kingston Uni, just TOP! Also, most of the Wedgewood Rooms gigs in Pompey were great too. |
| Steve, Bournmouth, UK |
Warwick University July 1992. I saw Pele about 3 times during my studies at Warwick but no gig seemed to match the energy of this one. I particularly remember singing along to “Fair Blows The Wind For France” with a load of my friends. |
| Peter, North Yorkshire |
Hull Adelphi because I met Ian and Nico and had photos taken with them (sad I know!) |
| Beardy, Barnstaple, UK |
Notts. Rock City years ago. Top gig and I managed to blag a free T-shirt from Ian. Thanks matey. |
| Phil, Bournmouth, UK |
Chester Gateway, can’t remember when. Absolute madness. |
| Russell, Bexleyheath, UK |
Marquee Club, summer 1993. Don’t really know why – it was just a great gig. |
| Ivan, Santiago de Chile |
I like his folk sound, a simple band, the lyrics, the honesty. |
| Ian, Colchester, UK |
University of Central Lancs Freshers Ball. Myself and a few friends got to go back stage afterwards. I got Ian to sign my copy of Raid the Palace, which he didn’t believe I had because it was on cassette. |
| Andy, Wirral, UK |
St. Paddies night at the Uni of Glamorgan, 1996. It was a return visit to my old uni, reunion with old friends and I was really looking forward to seeing them, and Pele live again. I was on the guest list thanks to their then manager Duncan Lewis (who I used to serve in the Orange Grove in Hoylake), and when I arranved, half of my mates couldn’t get tickets. I bumped into Ian, and he sorted me out, and put 8 of my mates on the list too!! Nice one!! |
| Martyn, Preston, UK |
Has to be the Gateway Theater gig at Chester. The place was too full, people were sat on the stairs and Ian got the fans dancing on stage at the end to the fury of the security staff…unreal!!! |
| Graham, Stevenage, UK |
At the Heineken Beer Festival, Stanmer Park. It was free, which is always a plus point. Also had a great time winding up the security as they didn’t want anyone dancing!!! Ian told me that the chilli was really hot a the Mexican Food Van. He’s never tried one of my mum’s curries… |
| Amanda, Hale, UK |
The Adelphi in May 93 – it was in a massive ballroom and was far too posh for Ian’s swearing and the crowd throwing themselves around like we used to! |
| Andrew, London, UK |
Supporting the Barenaked Ladies at the Shepherds Bush Empire, or Exeter Cavern prior to the release of Sport of Kings. Both fantastic. Great live band, and one of the best bands ever never to have had a hit. |
| Scott, Coventry, UK |
I saw them at the Borderline, off Charing Cross Road in London, just when they lost their record deal – I couldn’t believe it – devastated. Top night though! |
| Julie, Warrington, UK |
Exeter, Cavern – fantastic music of course – the kind of electricity they always generated. |
| Scott, Coventry, UK |
Loughboro Uni (or was it Poly then) for the A-Live-A-Live-O recording – amazing gig (as always) |
| Maclad, Essen, Germany |
Chester – on the stage with the rest of the crowd making music for the people – nobody could ever stop you or do it better |
| Richard, Southend-on-Sea, UK |
Can’t remember the venue. It was near Tottenham Court Road. It was a fantastic gig, got talking to some really ineresting people & got drunk. |
| Paul, Staffordshire, UK |
The Old Post Office, Lichfield, Staffs. A very small venue with only a few dozen peoiple there. Felt like they were in my living room. The gig was so full of energy and the band played as if they were in a stadium with 100,000 people. |
| Tim, Portsmouth, UK |
All were memorable, one in the Big Top in Gosport Prowsey threw me a much needed bevvie. It was summer I was on holiday and I was with a pal who is now in an almost catatonic state, bless him, (nothing to do with Pele). Wedgewood Rooms gigs just as good though, I do not remember a bad one to be honest. |
| Dave, Edgware, UK |
Mean Fiddler, December 1992. Went on myown, just before my 16th birthday, band came on late and finished about 1am. Had to walk home didn’t know the way, took me three hours! Escellent gig though! |
| Joynto, Liverpool, UK |
One in the Lomax it was mental. |
| Ian, Hayes, UK |
Supporting the Bare Naked Ladies at the Shepherds Bush Empire. The atmosphere was great, the song set was great and Ian dedicated a song to us, “the mad dancing fools on the balcony”. |
| Helen, Glasgow, UK |
King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – can’t remember the year. I was going back upstairs before the set and a man was staring fixedly at my boobs. I gave him a real scowl! It wasn’t until after that I realised it was Ian and that he was actually staring and smiling at my PELE t-shirt… |
| Kevin, Essex, UK |
Each and every gig was superb in it`s own right but probably the best was the Borederline 1995/1996. |
| Martin, London, UK |
The most memorable has to be the Caberet night at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms. The audience was a real cross section of society. Everyone was seated to watch all the comedy & novelty acts. Then, at around 11:00pm Ian came on and played “Down in the Tubestation” he was then joined by the rest of the band. They’d prepared to do a quiet acoustic set, but there were so many Pele fans in the place that it turned into a proper Pele gig. The night over-ran somewhat, but even the old fogies got into it & enjoyed it. |
| Pete, Stoke, UK |
@ the smellie ellie in ellesmere port, you were supported by an ex-girlfriend and brother band “The rope tricks” Tex up to is usual wha wha solo’s |
| Jamie, Liverpool, UK |
Colne Civic Hall or whatever that godforsaken place was titled. The reason, because the locals had blocked the roads when they parked their tractors up. |
| James, Cambridge, UK |
Loughborough Uni have no idea what the date; 7-0. |
| Kurt, Norwich, UK |
I was at a gig in Southport at a place called the Citadel ?? or something, a chair was thrown into the audience and I believe someone was arrested. |
| Peter Quartley, Salisbury, UK |
First gig I went to – fantastic. Had a beer and a good chat with Ian after. |
| Ian McTaggart, Liverpool, UK |
The gig at the Irish Centre because it’s a cool place to have a concert and the atmosphere was more elctric than usual. |
| Nigel Upton, Luton, UK |
There were fookin` loads!……I never I saw a bad one… There were a few that stick in my mind, Wolverhampton uni …… that got very messy for me after the gig and ended up with me getting into several kinds of mischief! Kingston-on-thames……where the band were chucking stuff stolen from the bar out of the upstairs windows, then I got puked on by a student…..but by then I was too pissed to care! |
| Victoria Holdsworth, Lancashire, UK |
The Duchess in Leeds and when they supported del amitri in Birmingham 13th july 92… coz i met em! I wish they got the recognition they deserved… fucking best band ever! |
| Mike Stewart, St Andrews, UK |
Because it was the first time i had seen them. But not the last time! |
| Steve Barton, Blairgowrie, UK |
Lomax 4/11/95. The band played a good tight set just like the one before 27/4. Never saw them do a bad gig. |
| Steven Ward, Derby, UK |
I saw them at Nottingham Rock City in (?)1994 the night before an A-Level English Literature exam, great gig, failed the exam, are the two related?? |
| John van Uden, Grantham, UK |
The first gig… went with a girl who ended up as my wife… great gig. |
| Adam, UK |
I took my then girlfriend of about a month, consequently she is now our lass/live in lover/partner of 7 years every place we go by car a pele tape goes |
| Louise, Loughboro, UK |
Loughborough University everytime. Excellent vibes and band were kickin’. |
| David, UK |
That one time when you were on tour with intergalactica, I saw you in transcontinent, and it was wicked! |
| Nick, Zurich, Switzerland |
Loughborough uni November 5th can’t remember what year…. Fireworks night literally |
| Ruth, Brighton, UK |
Loughborough university, great gig! with good company, plus a friend and me saw the band in a petrol station after. A bit sad I know but it made our night. |
| Nigel, Luton, UK |
Wolverhampton Student Union… It’s a long story about trying to sleep on the train station and then walking home fuckin` miles in temperatures of -4… it seemed like a good idea after the show… But then there was Kingston Poly when the band were raiding the bar and chucking beer and crisps out of the first floor window to us as we cued to get in… oh I dont know, it was all fucking brilliant! |
| Miken, Stirling, UK (ex-Sunderland) |
Sunderland Uni – Dec 1992. The Xmas ball and we were all pissed, think we gave Prowse the inspiration for ‘The Sport of Kings’ after accusing him of burning down Windsor palace! Magic Night… |
| Adoir, Barnsley, UK |
Sheffield leadmill can’t remember date. Top gig. Lads sat at bar after gig got talkin bout football (well Tranmere) and how we stuffed 3-0 around the time, asked for an autograph stuffed it in me pocket kept on drinking. Day after reached in pocket to find this ‘autograph’ which read ‘To a Barnsley fan you twat’! Suppose thats what you call scouse wit?! |
| Mark, Braintree, UK |
Loughborough Students’ Union Thursday night free band in late 1991 or early 1992. After weeks of listening to shit this band come jumping onto the stage shouting “forget that dance music shit, this is real dance music!” They then managed to get the very critical and hardened Lufbra crowd though the tapping foot, swaying side to side and full on dancing to the music barriers within one song. A feat never achieved by a Thursday night band in my 4 years there. Thank God a band at last who could write, play songs with energy and passion. Kept you faith that despite all the crap around at that time there was something worth listening to if you looked for it. Thanks! |
| Paul, West Sussex, UK |
The After Dark Rooms (I think) in Reading. Front row, right in front of Nico and the nutter in the crowd getting a good beating for his “opinions” on the band. |
| Phil, Birmingham, UK |
Supporting Del Amitri – what a combination. |
| Mark, Barnsley, UK |
Adelphi Ballroom, must have been about 1992/3, maybe a little earlier. Ian said he there’d been some complaints from residents about the noise, then said ‘F*** em!’ and they carried on about twice as loud. |
| Graham, Guildford, UK |
Rummaging through my old cassettes, found Fireworks. Great album which i played excessively while at Staffs Uni. Prompted me to search on the internet and found the site. I remember a fairly “cosy” gig at a place in Newcastle Under Lyme which i think was called “The Frog”? – must have been Spring 1992? Still love the whirling Hammond keyboard !! |
Ian Prowse and Amsterdam 