The Exploited at The Cross Club in Prague, Czech Republic on 5 September 2024.
The last of The Exploited gigs for me on this current run, in Prague on 5th September 2024. Following the show in České Budějovice a couple of days before, at which I covered the merch stand, tonight is back to normal with me positioned at the barrier at the front of the stage. The venue is The Cross Club, which has both indoor and outdoor stages for this gig and several bars to choose from. A total of 6 bands are playing inside and outside, with the Exploited coming on stage about half way through. It is a sell-out gig, and the large outdoor space means that there is a pretty large crowd. The weather is perfect with temperatures remaining warm throughout the evening.
The sound is a bit ropey at the start of the set (to my ears), but gets better as the show goes on. I never understand why some lighting engineers light the stage from the rear with supplementary lighting in the centre of the stage, but fail to light up the front where the band spends most of its time. Wattie therefore spends much of this evening’s set in semi-darkness, and the backlighting (much of it the dreaded red) makes taking pix a nightmare. Maybe it’s just me, as I have an interest in taking photos, and perhaps no-one else in the audience really notices it. Just a small gripe from me.
“Anyway” (as Wattie often says), an enjoyable evening all the same. Rob is wearing his Down Yer Pint (my band) t-shirt as he promised me a couple of days earlier (cheers Rob), so he looks particularly cool this evening.
The crowd is at a bit of a distance from the stage due to the positioning of the barrier and the sizeable gap between the barrier and the stage. The gap is filled with official photographers at the beginning, who are later replaced by members of the support bands and their hangers-on. As a result, Wattie is too far away to get the audience to join in with the singing, although a member of the support band joins them on stage for one song. Many of us go up for the traditional “Sex and Violence” singalong towards the end of the set, however.
If I’m honest, it’s probably not my favourite show of the current run of gigs, but as it’s my last one for a couple of months, so it was good fun all the same. Thanks again to the band and crew (notably Wattie and Mani) for everything over the past month or so. The band are off to North America next week for 16 dates, so see you all again at the end of October.
