When it came to the bands from the heyday of Britpop, Supergrass were the band I enjoyed the most. Between 1995 (when I first became aware of them) and 2010, (when they split before finishing their “Release The Drones’ album) I would soak up each and every release. Each vinyl single was released with different colours and the albums were geared to the playing time of the LP. Each record was different in style but always kept the Supergrass sound.
I was therefore very excited to hear in late 2019 that there were rumours of the band getting back together. When this turned out to be true, I was hoping for three things. Some live gigs, the release of new material and finishing off of the unfinished ‘Realise The Drones’ LP. Only the first has so far come true, and I was lucky enough to catch them at Alexandra Palace before lockdown kicked in.
What we did get (on 27th November 2020) was a live album taken from their 2020 shows, with all of the profits going to #saveourvenues. In honour of that release, I thought it was time to go into the Supergrass back catalogue to compile a live album of tracks from before the 2010 split. I was amazed that the band had not released a live album before. The nearest we got was a promo from 2002, which had been released to promote the ‘Seen The Light’ single and tour in 2003. There was also a number of live tracks released on the B-Side of their singles as well a number of gigs released on the ‘Strange Ones’ Box Set from 2020.
With all this material at hand, I decided to proceed my own mix of Supergrass songs for a live album. This involved editing a number of these live tracks together so that it sounds like one continuous gig, even though you can see from the track list below, they come from a number of different source. The only time there was a fade out was when the sides finished, as this mix was based on the fantasy release being a double vinyl record. I must admit that some edits were work better than others, but this is down to my not exactly perfect skills as down as an editor. I also decided to not only include the more well known songs, but some deep cuts as well.
Side A
- Shane O’Donoghue Introduction (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
- Lenny (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
- Caught By The Fuzz (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
- Funniest Thing (Reading Festival, 25th August 2001)
- Richard III (Reading Festival, 25th August 2001)
- Melanie Davis (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
- We’re Not Supposed To (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
- She’s So Loose (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
Side B
- Seen The Light
- Rush Hour Soul
- Ghost Of A Friend (Shepard’s Bush Empire, 10th December 2008)
- Outside (Shepard’s Bush Empire, 10th December 2008)
- Late In The Day
- Grace
- Bullet (Pyramid Centre Portsmouth, 29th May 2005)
Side C
- Out Of The Blue (Reading Festival, 29th August 1998)
- Alright (Reading Festival, 29th August 1998)
- In It For The Money (Reading Festival, 29th August 1998(
- Jesus Came From Outer Space (T In The Park, 9th July 2000)
- Sick (T In The Park, 9th July 2000)
- Pumping on Your Stereo (Reading Festival, 25th August 2001)
Side D
- Mary (T In The Park, 9th July 2000)
- Cheapskate (Glastonbury Festival, 26th June 1997)
- Time (Glastonbury Festival, 26th June 1997)
- Odd (Glastonbury Festival, 26th June 1997)
- Going Out (RDS Arena Dublin, 22nd June 1996)
All of the songs that do not have dates are from the ‘Live 2002’ album. I have not been able to find the dates that those recordings were made.
The cover is based upon that aforementioned promo live album from 2002, but with some slight editing so that the date is no longer viable.