My first gig - Manic Street Preachers (Gig)

As a band who shaped my musical upbringing more than any other have so far, it's quite fitting that my first gig happened to be Manic Street Preachers in December 1998. It's probably not a tour that will go down as a classic chapter in Manics history. They were touring This is My Truth, which as much as I like it, isn't their most thrilling of records, and it also saw Nicky's brief, inexplicable, and ill-fated experiment with a skipping rope. As well as that, it was in Newcastle's cavernous, echoey Metro Radio Arena (or Telewest Arena as it was then). But, in spite of the odds against it, the gig was an electrifying experience. Even now, some ten and a half years, and three stones later, I still get goosebumps whenever I hear live recordings of You Love Us or A Design For Life, and it's because of that night. It cemented my love for the Manics, and made sure that for better or worse, I'll always be a hopeless fanboy.