Blog: Validation Over Time

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Today we're going to have a look at the twists and turns of Validator action over the years, starting with the graph below which shows the number of Validators in attendance each year since the very first Validators gig what we did.

Validators At Gig By Year


The first thing to note is that, for the first two years shown, there were NO 100% Validators gigs, entirely due to the fact that Emma did not actually JOIN the band, in a live setting at least, until 2001, after which we have over TWO DECADES during which The Validators were in full effect at least ONCE a year. This was NOT the case last year, when we had precisely ONE gig anyway, and which Frankie was unable to attend due to an EXTREMELY valid sick note.

Amazingly, during the intervening period of CONSTANT VALIDATION, there is only one year - 2011 - when we dip below 50% of Validators gigs with full attendance, and there are NINE where All gigs feature the full line-up. People who do not understand How ROCK Actually Works may say "Hang on though, surely ALL gigs should be like that? I went to see e.g. The Coldplay a couple of years ago and THEY were all on stage, so why can't you do that?" The answer is twofold: firstly, we are of course MUCH COOLER than Coldplay or any of them bands that lots of people like, and so play by different rules, MAN. Secondly, and more importantly, unlike most (though by no means all) bands that lots of people like, we have JOBS and also RESPONSIBILITIES outside of The Krazy World Of ROCK that sometimes need to be prioritised. In some ways it is our very FLEXIBILITY in this regard which has allowed us to keep going as a ROCKING UNIT for nigh on 24 years - if we'd insisted on 100% for all gigs then we would have LONG AGO packed it in!

The graph above shows the percentage of gigs per line-up, but we might get a clearer idea of exactly what's going on by looking at how MANY Validators gigs happened each year.

Validators Gigs Per Year


As you can see, after some initial fluctuations during our formative years we gradually built to a PEAK of TWENTY ONE (21) Validators gigs in the year 2006! Twenty one - that's LOADS of gigs! This was very much the year of our ROCK POMP when we not only went on TOUR (properly, with a van and EVERYTHING) but also did a live Radio One session from Maida Vale. This was all around the time when WE VALIDATE! came out, which Steve Lamacq played quite a lot and (I think) as a result more promoters asked us to do gigs. It was a DELIGHTFUL time of ROCK SHENANIGANS which lasted a good few years, up to and including the release of Regardez, Ecoutez et Repetez.

After that the ROCKING quietened somewhat, for many and various reasons. Part of this was the fact that 40% of The Validators went to live on the other side of THE EARTH for a bit, and while that was happening we dedicated ourselves MUCH more to the Recording Studio for the EPIC sessions that led to Dinosaur Planet. There's also the small matter of the SHOWS that me and Steve really got going with around this time, but most of all there are Global Factors, Putin's Illegal War In Ukraine and ... no, sorry, that's somebody else's excuse for not doing much isn't it?

Aside from BITING POLITICAL SATIRE, we will look much MORE into these aspects next week, when we'll be casting an eye over the gigs that me and Steve did, before launching into a look at SETLISTS and also GIG SALES. There is PLENTY more FACT to come, but before that I'll take a short break in order to prepare for GIG ONE THOUSAND - TOMORROW!!

posted 1/2/2023 by MJ Hibbett

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