Author: Ali April 17, 2020

Off to a gig tonight.

It's pretty relaxed. No checks at the door, I've got a back stage pass.

No queues at the bar, I just head for a top-up when I need to. I can always ask the band to wait a minute if I'm not ready.

I didn't even bother with a posh top or make-up. I'm wearing black tracksuit trousers, slightly faded sweat top. And reading glasses.

I'm listening to the band's dressing room warm-up music whilst chewing a piece of pizza and texting a couple of mates. And then - real casual like - I'm sauntering down to the mosh pit. I'm a couple of minutes late, but not to worry, I'll just fast forward to catch up.

I've known the band for a while. Leeds boys. You can tell that cos most bands don't feature Boston Spa and High Royds in their songs. And also when you have occasionally seen the lead singer in or occasionally prone outside The Angel. (For years, actually, I didn't think The Angel existed and just appeared like Brigadoon when I'd had five pints).

Anyway tonight it's the Kaiser Chiefs gig - or more accurately their 'gig replacement service'. I'm not sure how big the crowd is tonight. I'm running up and down the Tweetdeck panels to make sure I'm up front for each track.

First up is Na Na Na Na Na, of course. I missed a bit of this cos my 85 year old mum was chatting on the phone but it's still a classic.

Oh, here we are with Every Day I Love You Less and Less. The audience are curiously Portuguese-speaking but it's rousing stuff.

After Hole in my Soul at V Festival, we pass through Amsterdam and listen to the poignant Coming Home temporarily time-travelling to 2014.

I'm not sure how everyone else is doing this gig, but I'm checking Twitter now and then to see if I'm keeping up, checking the comments from fellow gig-goers, sharing the odd track on Facebook.

There's some classics from the early days, fuzzy phone films with wavering camerawork; banging classics where Ricky is clearly towards the end of a tour or coming round after a night at The Angel.

After an amazing mash-up of Ruby and a Hogmanay We Are the Angry Mob with the Scots Guards, we get Pinball Wizard from the 2012 Olympics with Ricky balancing atop a mod-bike.

We finish, of course, with their recent 'Oh My God (I've never spent this much time at home)' version.

It's not quite the real thing, but a damn good try. Proud of our boys.

And on a day when we lost Norman 'Bites Yer Legs' Hunter to coronavirus, a tribute to our city, our team, our people.

I think you can follow the gig again using this Playlist.

"Pukkelpop 2007" by priscillajp is licensed under CC BY 2.0