EXACTLY HOW OLD ARE PEOPLE WHO WRITE FOR TIME OUT

Time Out, or "Well, if City Limits doesn't publish any more, it'll have to do" as it's known to people outside London, has polled its team of writers to decide what would have been the best gig in London, ever. This is what they came up with:

1. The Clash at The Rainbow Theatre, May 9, 1977

2. Brian Wilson plays Smile at Royal Festival Hall, February 20, 2004

3. Stevie Wonder at The Rainbow Theatre, February 24, 1974

4. Rolling Stones at The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond, April 28, 1963

5. Duke Ellington at London Palladium, June 12, 1933

6. N*E*R*D with Justin Timberlake at Brixton Academy, November 9, 2003

7. Bob Marley at Lyceum Ballroom, July 17, 1975

8. The Smiths at Jubilee Gardens, June 10, 1984

9. White Stripes at Camden Dingwalls, July 30, 2001

10.The Beatles at The Pigalle, Piccadilly, April 21, 1963

Now, I'm dubious about how many of their writers can claim to have authoratative first hand knowledge about many of these gigs - perhaps The Clash at the Rainbow isn't stretching it too much, but Duke Ellington in 1933? Even the Spectator would be finding it tricky to scare up some staff who saw that. We're reminded of the comment Spike made about how busy the crucifixion would have been if all the vampires who claimed to be in Golgotha that day had been. Unless, of course, Time Out is preferring to go on what they've been told rather than what they know, which surely means all this survey would do is to shore up further an "accepted" list of what "the greatest ever gigs" were...

music gigs london the clash