Great Scot! Part 2: Athlete in Aberdeen
One of the reasons for my trip was a chance to see London-based britrockers Athlete on their Beyond the Neighbourhood tour. The only Scotland stop wasn’t Edinburgh or Glasgow but Aberdeen which was fortunately accessible by bus and train. Pretty much my only prior awareness of Aberdeen came courtesy of the Simpsons episode “Monty Can’t Buy Me Love.” In this episode, Mr. Burns decides to capture the Loch Ness monster so the citizens of Springfield will love him. They travel to Scotland and drain the lake finding “Loch Ness High’s discarded homecoming float” adorned with a “Stomp Aberdeen!” banner. In response Homer yells, “No way! Aberdeen rules!”
Of course, my best friend Zach and I were pretty big Simpsons geeks and I can remember him quoting this line as a complete non sequitur on random occasions. Hence, upon my arrival in the city, I began a hurried search for any sort of Aberdeen gift shop that might have a t-shirt or shotglass emblazoned with the immortal phrase. Alas, it was not to be. The “Granite City” must not be quite the tourist attraction that Edinburgh is because I couldn’t find souvenirs anywhere. I did, however, find some nice looking buildings and a pretty sweet statue of William Wallace (you know, from Braveheart).
Finally, once all the stores had closed and after I’d found a place to grab a quick bite, it was showtime. The concert was held in Aberdeen Music Hall which might normally hold anything from orchestras to choirs to popstars. Seeing a rock band in such a venue was really cool, especially since the last time I caught these guys was literally at a bar in Boston.
Their music is somewhere in the realm of Coldplay with a twinge of electronica with swelling melodies and sing-along choruses. Their most recent album (aside from having a great cover) has really grown on me and it was great to hear many of the new songs live, especially the encore opener “Second Hand Stores.” British bands really know how to do lights, as evidenced by these photos, and the whole evening was great.
On Monday morning I awoke way too early to get the first train back to Edinburgh where I caught my return flight. It was a nice little whirlwind trip and I really hope I am able to return to the country so I can visit the highlands and maybe some distilleries…
Of course, my best friend Zach and I were pretty big Simpsons geeks and I can remember him quoting this line as a complete non sequitur on random occasions. Hence, upon my arrival in the city, I began a hurried search for any sort of Aberdeen gift shop that might have a t-shirt or shotglass emblazoned with the immortal phrase. Alas, it was not to be. The “Granite City” must not be quite the tourist attraction that Edinburgh is because I couldn’t find souvenirs anywhere. I did, however, find some nice looking buildings and a pretty sweet statue of William Wallace (you know, from Braveheart).
Finally, once all the stores had closed and after I’d found a place to grab a quick bite, it was showtime. The concert was held in Aberdeen Music Hall which might normally hold anything from orchestras to choirs to popstars. Seeing a rock band in such a venue was really cool, especially since the last time I caught these guys was literally at a bar in Boston.
Their music is somewhere in the realm of Coldplay with a twinge of electronica with swelling melodies and sing-along choruses. Their most recent album (aside from having a great cover) has really grown on me and it was great to hear many of the new songs live, especially the encore opener “Second Hand Stores.” British bands really know how to do lights, as evidenced by these photos, and the whole evening was great.
On Monday morning I awoke way too early to get the first train back to Edinburgh where I caught my return flight. It was a nice little whirlwind trip and I really hope I am able to return to the country so I can visit the highlands and maybe some distilleries…
posted by Aaron at 9:35 AM
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