One of Chris Billam-Smith’s first significant ventures to the Bournemouth International Centre came when he should have been at school. At 16 years old, the hometown teen was drawn to the arena by Arctic Monkeys, as Britain’s most captivating guitar band since Oasis enthralled fans while touring their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. It’s therefore fair to say that the venue carries a certain romance for Billam-Smith.
“I skipped school to queue early,” he tells The Independent, reminiscing on that evening from April 2006. “I fell in love with going to gigs and I’ve been to many there since – Stereophonics, Oasis, Dave. Oasis were there two nights, I bought my first guitar the day we queued for tickets, and I went both nights.”
