5, West North Street, Aberdeen, Scotland

The Lemon Tree is a fantastic place. We have never been to a bad gig there. It also does really splendid lunches and used to have really cool T-shirts with Jack Lemon on them. Often there is no barrier between the crowd and the low stage and the size of the venue means you get to see your favourite bands in a very intimate setting. There follows a summary of some of the gigs we have seen there that have not been mentioned elsewhere in the site......

SUPERSTAR: Wednesday 11th February, 1998

We took along another flatmate to this gig. To be fair it only cost 1 pound so it's not like she felt she wasted her money, though we did scare her a little....

First up were the Hybirds...oh dear. Bless 'em but they were dire. First song: 'I'm 22, 22, 22'. Caroline: 'so he's 22 then'. Second song 'I'm coming out, coming out coming out'. Sharon '22 and gay' (lyrics not accurate but you get the jist). They were Britpop by numbers, each song taking influence from a different Britpop band in an A-Z type way. The only redeeming feature was that a large pillar blocked the view and so it seemed like the guitarist was a pillar with a guitar, which would explain the talent problems.

Superstar, under-rated Bellshill popsters prompt the first ever Aberdeen semi-circle effect, where the girls stand at the front and no-one wants to brave standing in front of them so the crowd forms a semi-circle in front of the stage. They only play 11 songs, most of them new, but Joe McAlinden has the type of voice that means it doesn't matter what the song is. Another band we like that has constant record label struggles- do we jinx bands? Our friend seems mortified by any display of enthusiasm from us. It's really not wise to take unseasoned gig goers to see our little favourites!

BIG COUNTRY: Monday 25th May, 1998

We only went for a laugh. A flashback to the 80s, a bit of a singalong, we thought we'd be the only people there...WRONG!! The place was mobbed. The support band were ok (don't remember their name, sorry). But the response to Big Country was something else. We would have been terribly disappointed if they had not at some point played guitars that sound like bagpipes, or if Stuart had not at any point said 'Hup!'. Fortunately the first song featured both.

Stuart has improved considerably with age. The band still jump around stage and do split kicks and dancing in the way only Big Country can. It was a bit of a humbling experience realising that their incredibly solid fan base knew all the words to all the songs whilst we were only knowledgeable of the 80s ones. In fact we must have seen how we look to everyone else when we are at a gig of a band we obsess about. And yes, it is odd to watch!

At the end of the gig Stuart shakes hands with all of us at the front of the stage, and stands on Caroline's jacket. At least he didn't try and hit her with a guitar like everyone else. The next day Sharon has to give a lab talk whilst half deaf with very little voice left. Probably the best talk she ever gave.

GENE: Sunday 14th March 1999

Gene were for a while on the top 5 of must see live bands. Yet another band who have had record company struggles (really getting paranoid about us now). Can't remember a thing about the support band, think we missed them altogether? Anyway, the Lemon Tree is packed out, we are slightly worried about being at the front, you wouldn't think Gene would get such an energetic reception. Fortuntaely we are surrounded by tough looking men with Smiths T-shirts and we know they will look out for us in the way people in the mosh pit do.

Shaven headed Martin Rossiter gives as good as it gets and the place is rocking (with a w??). It's good to hear the songs with so much energy behind them. It's also amusing and slightly worrying to see him almost strangle himself on loose cable from the low ceiling!

They finish with an encore of Sleep Well Tonight, a song they would not leave alive without playing and Martin manages to sweat on Caroline's hand. We can safely assume she DID wash it ever again....

BILL WELLS, STEVIE JACKSON, ROBERT HENDERSON: Sunday 10th October 1999

This was over a lunch time so the girl enjoyed some yummy food whilst listening to the 2 guys jam along to some jazz type stuff. They spilt a glass of water on the floor, which was fortunate as they sat on the part of the the floor they cleaned with the water later that day. A very Terminally Starstruck moment happened when the girls had to leave walking right past Stevie Jackson when he was eating his lunch. It was touch and go but they managed to get past without uttering a word. Phew.

GENEVA: Sunday 10th October, 1999

A few hours break and the girls find themselves back in the Lemon Tree, sitting on their previously cleaned bit of floor watching 2 support bands. One was really really god (can't remember the name at the moment, aargghh). One would have been ok of it hadn't always been the same song. The overwhelming urge to tell the first band that they were rather splendid was fighting against inate Terminally Starstruckness. Terminally Starstruck won the day.

Sharon had seen Geneva previously at the Music Hall in Aberdeen and knew what to expect - that first moment of holding your breath waiting to see if Andrew Montgomery really CAN sing like that. And he can. In fact he can sing better than the production on the records allows. It's really quite amazing. A more unassuming band you could not watch. The drummer was in his own little world and every time Andrew tried to introduce a song he would already have started it. Andrew seemed to be in apology mode throughout. They will always get a good reaction from Aberdeen crowds being one of the few decent bands to ever make it out of the granite city. They will always get a  good reaction from the girls as Caroline was living in her nuclear bunker at the time their second album 'Weather Underground' was released. Could there be a better album title for someone living in a bunker? Probably not. 'Have you seen the horizon lately?' 'Not me mate, I live in a nuclear bunker'.

Of course Andrew is stood near the exit after the gig. For yet another Terminally Starstruck moment of the day the girls take a deep breath and manage to edge past him without too much panic. You never know, one day we may actually be able to talk to our heroes...maybe not.

Check out the authentic duct tape...

THE BATHERS: Thursday 4th November, 1999

Going into the venue the girls do a quick double-take. It's all seated! Thinking about it, this makes sense, the Bathers are very mellow, but what a shock!! We'd have been there earlier if we'd realised. All the good tables have been taken. We loiter for a while and discuss some emergency plan B's. Eventually we pick a table right at the front with 2 empty seats and ask very politely if we can sit down because Caroline has a bad leg, then sit and feel very guilty throughout the rest of the gig!

Was there a support band? Probably not. The roadies are having tremendous fun taping everything that stands still long enough to the stage. When they run out of things to tape, they start taping up the leed on Chris' guitar. So of course when Chris comes on his guitar doesn't work and he has a small duct tape trauma during the first song. Bless. The trumpet player is Robert Henderson, who we saw here less than a month previously. He seems to spend a lot of time laughing at us along with the saxophonist. We really weren't that funny. Their songs are all mellow and very very yummy. Sharon had previously alikened them to the Tindersticks but their songs are far less depressing than that.

When we leave it's throwing it down with rain. Not unusual in Aberdeen and it certainly fits in well with the music. Is it lazy sunny afternoon or late night rain that it reminds you of? It works for both.