This year has the potential to be an incredible one for live music. There is of course, the return of the greatest wibbling rivalry in pop. But even discounting for the Super Monobrow Bros, the next 12 months will be bursting with performance, from sugary-sweet pop to the most brutal black metal, played everywhere from gigantic stadiums, to the tiniest of toilet venues. Hearteningly, it seems that live music attendances have recovered after cratering during Covid – though of course smaller gig venues remain in peril (if you can visit one this weekend, please do – it’s Independent Venue Week).
Yet while our capacity for gig-enjoying has never been higher, it does have its limits. In last week’s newsletter we asked you to share your biggest gig gripes and the response was massive: the Guide inbox was bursting with annoyances, ranging from the significant (accessibility at venues) to the minor but still irritating (that bloke in the moshpit with the backpack pressing into your chest). Your responses were so great that we thought we’d run a bumper collection of them. We’ve also asked some of the Guardian’s music critics – who have to attend a LOT of gigs, and as such have had a LOT of pints spilled on them over the years – to share their gripes too …
