Thought I’d do a few little live numbers today. First off, Cause=Time (top name, that) posted some great Pavement live mp3’s the other day. Here’s the link to the Live section but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get to the post directly. Anyhow, it’s from Pavement’s last show in 1999, at the Brixton Academy.

Now, Pavement were never the most musically meticulous band in the world, but their live shows always had a great shambolic energy. Some great numbers here, including a marvellously lethargic “Rattled By The Rush” and a jaunty “Stereo”. No Gold Soundz though. *sniff*

One band I loved seeing live was The Hold Steady. Craig Finn’s sheer energy, mixed with Tad Kubler’s great riffs and Franz Kublay’s superb mustache, make for a great live show. I saw them a few months ago playing the Rough Trade shop in London; since I’d come straight from work I was still wearing my suit. When Craig saw me, at the front, he started laughing. Ah, bless him. You can just tell how much this lot love playing live; they’ve usually got huge grins on their faces between songs. I guess they just realise they’ve struck lucky, that they are doing the thing they love the most and are getting thousands of people watching them every night. Lucky sods.

Anyway, they’ve got a live DVD out. Trailer here:

That’s all folks!

Stereo (Live) by Pavement