my first chemical show was only 3 years ago in august 2004 :(

My first time seeing the Chems was at the first Coachella in 1999. I went to Coachella on account of the Chems being there. That show sealed the deal. I wrote up a little review about 4 years ago and it is in the Memory Bank on this site. I wish I had thought of writing a proper review of that gig back when it was still fresh in my mind, but I didn't have an outlet and I wasn't subscribed to the Chems mailing list. I do hope I've made up for lack of content from my 1999 show with other reviews!

My first time listening (when I was paying attention) is actually on a fansite planet-dust.net. There's a section called My First Time. I also have reviews of other gigs in there too. ;)

I missed out on seeing the Chems in 1996 at this rave called Organic up on Big Bear Mountain - I was there, but had to leave before they came on damn altitude sickness. That's more or less a quarter of a point, and doesn't really count. I'm not old skool. :((

here's the gigs i can remeber, i'm sure ther are a few i forgotten on the way..

1996

October - Brixton Academy

1997

April - Brixton Academy

May - Brighton Essential Music Festival

December - Brixton Academy All-Nighter

1998

May - Creamfields, Winchester

December - Heavenly Jukebox, Turnmills, London

1999

May - Brighton Event

May - Homelands, Winchester

December - Brixton Academy

2000

October - Matrix, Reading

November - Fabric, London

December NYE - Together @ The Chainstore, London

2001

June - Gatecrasher Summer Sound System

August - Creamfields, Liverpool

December - Boutique Xmas Knees Up, Brighton

December NYE - Together @ Turnmills, London

2002

March - Birmingham Academy

March - Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall

2003

May - Homelands, Winchester

August - Creamfields, Liverpool

September - Glint Turnmills, London

2004

May - Glint Turnmills, London

June - Wolverhampton Civic Hall

August - Creamfields, Liverpool

November - Bugged Out! Sankey Soaps, Manchester

December NYE - Together @ Turnmills, London

2005

March - Brixton Academy

March - Brixton Academy

May - Brighton Centre

May - Brixton Academy

December - Brixton Academy

2006

June - Fabric, London

2007

May - Fabric, London

Puts everyone else to shame.

/eats sneakers brain to steal his experiences of the chems

ok...with the aid of the live chronicles and a quick sift through my fier/rave memory box.

mine and my mates introduction to clubbing was the heavenly social at the point where it had just moved to turnmills. I remember going there and possibly once to a heavenly party in smithfields but I can't remember if the chems played at that? I've still got the the heavenly fliers and setlists on the wall in the studio. we were totally blown away by how mental that room at turnmills was. 4 lads from a small village in hampshire belting up to london in a blue nova on the basis of reviews we'd read of the sunday social in select magazine or similar.

some brilliant memories of that time. forming amazing friendships. seeing the same girl leaning against the wall at turnmills every time we went. feeling like a hedghog, the queue for trade as we left. the atmosphere in that room. brilliant. an acid house epiphany.

some other stuff:

bugged out at cream with the withington crew. that room at cream was pretty amazing, even if the door search was a bit rigorous.

live at the ritz with the springy floors!

the bugged out weekender in wales. brilliant.

the charity night at the scala - when was that mips???......on a thursday night. very loud. howie b on the decks after the chems, trying to the cut their last track short. loosing my job because I didn't turn up for work the next day!!!.....

sankeys. new friends from bristol. amazing mud. terrible photos. lots of acid and 138 trek

every new years eve!!. esp ally pally with new order. the dave clarke remix of chemical beats!....various nye at turnmills. hearing prince/the duke for the first time. singalongs to sound and vision..

every single glastonbury. emmanual top. 'muddy innit visuals'. main stage 2000?...

gatecrasher summer sound system. being stuck at that bloody train station. loosing mips.

the glint parties at heaven!...blagging our mate in on the door. come with us!!. seeing sara cox 'a bit battered'..neil from the pet shop boys outside. nathan detroit playing alphabet street after the chems...

reading festival. last min day ticket to see the chems.....green pellets. sunshine underground....

right I have to go to bed.

I'll try and update this tomorrow - typed in a bit of a rush, there's some bits missing. might be able to fill in the gaps from fliers etc

1996

????

1997

????

28/06/97 glastonbury

1998

25/04/98 cream liverpool

26/06/98 glasters

25/09/98 bugged out @ cream

31/12/98 ally pally

1999

11/05/99 ritz manchester

28/05/99 homelands festival, winchester

25/06/99 glastonbury

27/08/99 reading festival

2000

23/06/00 glastonbury

18/11/00 bugged out weekender prestatyn

2001

03/03/01 bugged out @ cream

06/04/01 fabric

25/08/01 creamfields liverpool

07/12/01 glint@heaven

31/12/01 turnmills nye

2002

01/02/02 glint@heaven

19/03/02 portsmouth guildhall

2003

24/05/03 homelands

26/07/03 glastonbury

06/09/03 glint@turnmills

2004

25/06/04 glasters

31/12/04 turnmills nye

2005

24/06/05 glastonbury

2006

??? brixton mips?

31/12/06 turnmills, NYE

AHHHHH hahahaha!

mchebne and sneakerbeater!!! You guys are legends.

*bows to sneaker and chebbers*

:o dayamn...

I've only been once.... to be fair they've not come anywhere close since 2002!

Everytime i see threads like this I just get depressed.

:|

Ahh jealously takes over!

I really wish I was there for one of their old school shows back in maybe 96-97 but it would have been impossible since the first time they were here was in 2000.

Yeah I've only been once and it was in Jan 2005 and I really wish it wasn't at a festival.

My first time was ten years ago at Glasto. Going three times this year makes up for getting so wasted last year that I ended up in the wrong tent watching some hard house (it rocked) but realising my mistake I made my way to the chemical set only to find myself upside down in a time machine in the middle of a mud bath. The dam thing didn't work however and I missed fatboy and the chems. My intention was to watch both as they were on at the same time. You just can't find a reliable time machine when you need one.

:lol:

Ten years ago I was six.

Damn.

stash - ya, thats the one! Ohhh.....good times! :)

been having a dig through my flyers and guff. will try and get some bits scanned at some point.

also found some pics from alexandra palace (messy) and some of the little photocopied flyers I made myself on the work photocopier in an effort to get my mates together to head up to london. I'd shove them in peoples hands while we were in the pub..

there's a nice one featuring a pic of simon & garfunkal which I did for a headstart party the chems played.

mx is right, this is very depressing for all those people that have barely gone. I am very jealous since I haven't been once.

@Jeanie- Hey, I think we started listening around the same time! Or maybe I started in '04, hmmmm :?

10 years ago.....sorry....still didn't know who they were...for about another 2 years (then Surrender came out, they played Let Forever Be too much on Much, I heard, and fell in love with, Elektrobank...)

First gig though wasn't till July 04, Fuji Rock (JAPAN BABY!) Mon U MENTAL!!! Biggest night of my life! Got to see them, got to see a drunk tim burgess play with them, made a FOOL of my self on japanese TV (even if it was just for Got Glint?).

Then April 05 in Oakland w/ New order. Another great show.....though it was all NO fans (hey I'm one too). 2nd time seeing them, could actually hear Tom doing his normal screaming bit over the few of us losing it and the rest of the surprisingly polite NO fans, And hooked up with a chick during the NO part which is pretty big for me since I've never had much of a active love life. Thanks Chems (and NO).

I dont care if I've been to a small amount of gigs.....they were still historic for me.

That's the spirit, Rynostar! I've seen them a handful of times and feel blessed for having had the moments... You're a hero for attending the legendary Fuji Rock. You've clocked some serious mileage for the Chems. I can respect that!

Too see them I have to put on the mileage. They ain't coming to Edmonton any time soon, But hey Dreams Can come true.

Side note, If anyone ever goes to Fuji rock and their playing, look backwards at one point. I know it almost seems like a sin but it's worth it. 50,000 Japanese out of there minds and lasers streaming up the side of a mountain is permenatly eched in my brain.