In a year that's pretty much wiped out live music events it's been nice to be reminded of better times thanks to a slew of bands releasing special 'live' albums. Artist's like Mogwai and The War On Drugs have offered up amazing recordings that definitely throw the listener into the mix and reveal nuances of their live performances that often get lost in the studio. My favourite offering has to be from The Twilight Sad and their 'It Won't Be Like This All The Time Live' album. Available as a free download, the album is more than just a token gesture but continues their tradition of giving back to their fans.
My own history of discovering the band's debut album is interlinked with discovering 'The Midnight Organ Fight' by Frightened Rabbit and my friend Moose. We'd gone out into town to check out some records at One Up (Aberdeens best indie record shop now long gone) when Moose came across these new albums and decided to check them out. A few months later and I'd be sitting in his bedroom in bits listening to 'Good Arms vs Bad Arms' while he consoled me after a heavy break up. The Frabbits album really hit a nerve with me and seemed to resonate hard. A few months later we'd take our last road trip up to Elgin to see a friend, sound tracked by 'Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters'. A long drive through the Scottish landscape with light dustings of snow on the ground, open fires in the pub and a hilarious pub quiz made for a memorable adventure. Sadly in April the year after we lost Moose and the memories and adventures of the previous 6 months took on a whole new meaning along with the music that sound tracked it.
A few months into that summer I saw The Twilight Sad live for the first time at Moshulu. My memories of the night are hazy but I know they blew me away with their live sound and raw emotion. Maybe on the same night or certainly within a few weeks I was setting up cameras in Snafu for the Dirty Hearts Club night of which Scott from Frightened Rabbit would be playing. Although I didn't have much time to chat with him he was incredibly humble, quietly exciting to be playing in Aberdeen and after telling him about Moose he kindly dedicated 'Good Arms' to him. He seemed genuinely touched by my stories and connection to his songs. The club was rammed and I think everyone had a great night. Through these events I've formed a special connection to both bands and their music.
Since 2009 I've lost track of how many times I've seen them both live and I've had tickets for most of the Sads gigs at The Barrowlands, all of which I've missed for various reasons and have ended up giving away my tickets for free to strangers. It's nice to be able to give something back to other fans and to know that others have gotten to see them for free. But really I've been incredibly lucky seeing both bands when I did. My last time seeing the Sads was in London as they played at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, a venue that's played host to many a big name band over the years. It seemed like a big jump from Moshulu & The Tunnels in Aberdeen but as soon as the band took the stage you could feel there'd been a shift as they played a powerful set to a packed out room. Even though we'd stood right up the back and could only see blurry shapes on stage, the bands live sound and power came across with every note and they really left it all on the stage.
With the cancellation of most live events in 2020 many of us have missed the buzz. I know that pales in comparison to the entire live music business being wiped out and the thousands of jobs that have been put at risk through the lack of support from government. I've definitely been counting my blessings and have been reminded that I have a lot to be thankful for in 2020. The sads live album has been one of those things, a special album that not only captures the bands live sound but also a special moment where the band pay tribute to Scott from Frightened Rabbit who sadly passed in 2018. I've not heard many live albums that can put the listener right at the front of the stage but in this case I find myself crossing that barrier and instead share in the heartache but also the joy of the gig and find myself willing the band on, sharing in that collective spirit you can only find when listening to your favourite band with thousands of strangers.
As with so much in life where emotion plays a big part, it can be hard to find the right words to describe what we mean or even how to process those feelings. Music allows us another avenue to share these emotions, to make some sense of them, to know others have shared these experiences and to share in the experiences of others. It can serve as a reminder of great heartache but it can also trigger fond memories of those we miss. For myself, I think these experiences are a gift, to have know amazing friends is a gift and the music of The Twilight Sad is a gift. Thanks for all the memories.
