Spike Island

[DUKE]

Went to a free showing of the new film about the Stone Roses famous Spike Island gig yesterday. It was a bit clichéd in places (main character's dad is battling cancer, another lad's dad wants him to join the army, boy gets his girl etc) but overall pretty good. There are a few familiar faces in it you will recognise including a lad from This Is England (Michael Rocha I think his name is) and even Philip Jackson who played Inspector Jap in Poirot amongst others. Obviously the music is great. I went to see the reformed Roses at Finsbury Park recently. Did anyone on this forum actually go to the gig on which the film is based?

[5times]

Yes, I was there. I remember Ian Brown coming on and saying "this is the time, this is time". I was stood at the back and it looked brilliant when I wanna be adored kicked in with practically everybody bouncing.

I recall that I left a bit early to get a lift home from a mate who I saw leaving because I didn't fancy walking home from Widnes. My mate was not at all impressed, he thought they were rubbish.

Looking back it was something special but I must admit at the time I didn't feel like I was attending one of the defining moments of the era. It was probably my age at the time, I was only 20, but I wasn't that bothered about it all, although I had the ticket on my bedroom wall for years.

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[5times]

Which day did you go to Finbury, Duke? I was there on the Saturday.
Third time for the Roses, also saw them at Liverpool Royal Court in '95. I enjoyed that more then Spike Island, to be honest.

[DUKE]

Went to the Friday show. Tried unsuccessfully to change the tickets to Saturday after hearing who the support acts were. Spent nearly an hour queueing up for the toilet while Dizzee Rascal was playing. Why was he on the bill? I don't dig his music, it all sounds the same. My mate thought the sound was dodgy for the Roses' set but I thought it was okay. The beer was shite (they only had Fosters and Strongbow cider) and it pissed me off seeing people standing in front of me talking amongst themselves during the set. Why bother going to a gig if you're not gonna watch the band? It's pathetic, it really is. Missed the last bloody train home and spent the night walking around freezing to death in London with nowhere open except a pub that was a fiver just to get in.

[5times]

Johnny Marr was very good and it was sound when he did 'how soon is now'. PIL were good but I don't think they suited the occasion.

I was thinking of getting the first train back on Sunday morning and sort of hanging round London for 9 hours after the concert. I'd have done it a few years ago but we have young kids to get back to now so I ended up driving. We parked up at Cockfosters and got the tube in to Finsbury Park which worked out ok.
It was a bit heartbreaking watching everybody sitting in the park drinking. I remember when my mate and I went to Knebworth and we got a coach from Liverpool- we had 2 bin bags full of ale and started the festivities about 9.00 a.m. Those were the days.

I hope the roses do an arena tour now, although it would be hard to get tickets. I don't fancy one of these parks again.