Dream gigs and favourite albums: the readers' verdict

For two weeks, Ticketreaders have been offering their musical highlights of 2009 on our On The Record blog. Here's a selection

Favourite albums of 09: Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport, The Flaming Lips - Embryonic, Animal Collective - MPP,  Dino Jr. - Farm, Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer, The Antlers - Hospice. Gigs: Flaming Lips, Florence, Jape and Four Tet DJ @ EP, Mogwai residency, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Pixies. Sadly I missed Jay Reatard in favour of study, the first, and indeed last, time I miss a gig for such a reason.

- Rory

Grizzly Bear Veckatimest IS the album of the year. Others I liked were: St Vincents, Mos Defs, Anthony and the Johnsons, The XXs, Yachts, Wavves. Best gigs: The Tallest Man on Earth and Grizzly Bear.

– Mar

Faith No More at the Olympia was the highlight of 2009 for me.

- JC

Was strugglin to think of a gig that blew me away until i saw it mentioned above, David Byrne at NCH, stunning show, how did it slip my mind. - Donal

Gigs of the year: AC/DC in the O2, Grizzly Bear in Vicar St. John Vanderslice in Whelan's. I like lists far too much. - John Hennessy

I found 2009 to be a real year of musical contradictions. I couldn’t honestly tell you one new release this year that has stayed with me. On the flip side, I think gigswise this was really been something special(s). In my mind it was all about reunions and how to do it properly.

Blur, Faith No More (especially) The Specials delivered performances that were born out of respect for the music and the fans. These are what dream gigs are made of. - James D

Is the era of standing in a field to watch a band over? I don’t think so. Attending a good festival with a nice crowd, good weather and a strong line-up will always appeal to the music-fan. Look at Glastonbury..177,000 tickets sold out already before the line-up is even announced for next year’s festival.

Unfortunately, in Ireland, apart from Oxegen, festival line-ups are not that strong and ticket prices are too high. Sunny weather is also a rarity so that’s why so many are going to festivals in Europe like Primavera. The wind and black sheets of rain at Oxegen this year made it a miserable experience even though it had a good line-up.

Electric Picnic 2009 was probably the least enjoyable and least memorable out of all the Picnics I've been to so far. There is a lot of goodwill shown towards to EP every year but I think they really have to pull it out of the bag next year with a great line-up. - Quint

Albums: fever ray, grizzly bear, moderat, mumford and sons, vitalic, pet shop boys, yeah yeah yeahs.

Gigs: david byrne at nch, specials at oxegen and olympia, leonard cohen at 02, bad lieutenant at heaven, london. - Mark Kavanagh

Gigwise, Jay Reatard played a blisterer in Whelans just th'other week and I loved Neil Young in the O2. - Darragh

There was really only a handful of albums that I got all excited about this year: DM Stith - Heavy Ghost, The Antlers - Hospice, Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health, Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

I’m expecting next year to be better, I think. Irish music was in rather good form, though: Villagers, the new Cathy Davey material, O Emperor, HRA, Sleep Thieves.

Best gig: DM Stith (in Berlin, but I assume his Irish dates were just as good). One of the most intimate concerts I've ever experienced, despite being sold out. Bring on 2010! - shane

AND THERE’S MORE

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