Sunday 11 November 2001

Arrived in Dundee late afternoon. Checked into the hotel that Nick King was staying at and bizarrely as we walked out, 808 were checking into the same hotel. Joined them for the sound check at the gig venue. The sound check was rather impressive, nice and loud. Even though this was the second sound check of the day and it seemed quite lengthy, Graham said he would have liked some more time.

Then Nick and I met up with JD (with girlfriend and mate), Neil (808state's Tartan Army) and Pete (who sorted us all out with t-shirts) at a pub. All very nice people indeed.

Off to the gig. The club, well very nice for the trendier people of Dundee, but who on earth thought of booking 808 into this place? According to the club promoter, almost all tickets had been sold. If that was true, then a lot of people must have stayed at home as the place was pretty empty. I suppose the fact that it was Sunday evening didn't exactly help either. File under 808 did it for the money?

Around midnight we were 'treated' to play-back 'support act' Robbie Craig. Although obviously he was awful, you almost had to feel sorry for him, so empty was the dance floor…

Then, shortly after 01:00 finally it was time for 808. The lads were supported by Paddy Steer on bass and Mikey on drums. It was the same set as at last year's gigs, with Relay as the encore. The PA broke down about half way through the set but was quickly fixed. Everyone seemed to be giving their best and I was particularly impressed by Mikey who drummed very enthusiastically. Again, just a shame that the club was half empty. Even when 808 where on, a lot of people just stayed sitted sipping on their champagne… Obviously not the globalState posse who swapped our beer glasses for the dance floor.

There was the usual video projection on the background of the set, which seemed a bit dated (Don Solaris era). The legendary 808 laser show wasn't used.

Setlist: Doctors & Nurses, Bombadin, SW1 (Invader), In Yer Face, Bonded, Banacheq, Pacific, Villains & Nerds, Quincy, Cubik, Relay

Before and after the gig, Graham took the time to greet all the globalState regulars personally. Very nice gesture. Shame that all the others stayed locked in the dressing room, including Livewire and Eric (man with the fan).

Although tracks from the new album were missing, personally I was glad to have seen this set, as the last time I saw them live was in 1996.

A big personal shout goes out to all who made the trip to Dundee, but especially Nick King, who in true sense went way out of his way to get to both the gigs. I may have been the only one from abroad, but my journey was a piece of cake compared to his! Special thanks also goes out to Hiroshi Ogawa who kindly lent me his digital camera for the event.

Other: During the weekend a February Glasgow gig rumor surfaced, however this was rubbished by Graham when I asked him about it.

I hope 808 State will be able to do some dance / rock crossover festivals next year. Festivals usually guarantee a big and enthusiastic audience.