This is inspiration from someone who posted in a radio thread who went to a The Killers concert where a number of people only knew 'Mr Brightside' but not their other songs or album tracks.

Which acts do you think this applies to?

Dolly Parton - people call themselves fans because of 'Jolene' and '9-5' when she has a very extensive back catalogue.
Kings of Leon - 'Use Somebody' and 'Sex on Fire'

I know people who claim to be big lady gaga fans, yet do not own or have ever heard a whole album by her, only listen to the singles she releases and even then, they are not purchased legally. Then i hear feedback moaning that when they saw her live they didn't like like 80 per cent of setlist as they had never heard it before.

This has happened to me before when someone has told me they are a big fan of an artist I like, I'll ask what their favourite song was on the latest album and they won't have a clue what I'm talking about.
They'll ask if it had this and that single on and say something like "oh yeah that ones my favourite!"

I think most bands have a fair share these days.

One of the most obvious I can think of is Elbow, there is always a reasonably large percentage who only know one song, One Day like This, and will quite happily talk all the way trhrough the gig until they play that one song!

People who wear t-shirts of heavy rock bands as a 'fashion item'.

Kings of Leon "fans" as mentioned are hugely guilty of this. I've seen mentions of them being the perfect festival headliner, all simply because of one line in one song ("YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHOOHHHH, MY SEX IS ON FIRE") and that being the only reason anyone wants to see them.

Many people's knowledge of the Pet Shop Boys finishes at Go West, and it can be awkward at their shows to see everyone go nuts at the late 80s/early 90s classics only to stand still in complete confusion (or, worse, leave en-masse to the toilet) when anything released in the last 20 years plays.

I remember encountering this problem when I went to see Paolo Nutini at The Hydro in Glasgow in January.

There were two rows in front of me on the second level of teenage girls with phones. They didn't appreciate all the songs that Paolo did, I seem to remember seeing them texting on their phones to obviously tell their pals that they were here and soaking up the experience, I'm sure

I think there's a difference between fans and obsessives.
The latter often seem to know naff-all about other artists or those of different eras or genres. That ain't anything of which anyone should be proud.



As far as I'm concerned, you can call yourself a fan of whomever you choose, even if you only know a few of their songs, does it really matter?

It shouldn't exclude you from, "the club."

I think the argument is that it can matter when it spoils the enjoyment of a gig for other fans - for example, when people around you are talking loudly or getting you to move so they can go and get beer! I think its a bit rude to the performers and the audience to be honest.

It's always been like that.
For most "being there" is what it's all about.
It's not as if that many can see or hear much, is it?

For some, even "being there," isn't that important, as you can buy the T-shirt on line.

But that's the music business for you, it's different things to different people.

I saw Muse a few years ago and they played a few songs from their first couple of albums, which a huge amount of the audience - including what seemed like the entire section that I was in - didn't know. Leading to this extremely embarrassing moment:

Matt Bellamy: "This one's called Sunburn!"
Me: "WOOOOO YEAH"
*complete silence and people staring at me*

Any possibility of dancing to it basically immediately finished as I spent the next three minutes trying to remain as still as possible, not wanting to stand out in the middle of a bored crowd waiting for them to play Knights of Cydonia or something. I could have danced but it would have been too awkward, and I'd embarrassed myself enough already.

It's like people who download the whole discography of say Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC. Then go on about having them on their i-pod as some sort of status symbol of coolness. Then it usually goes...

'Ah didn't know you liked Fleetwood Mac! what's your favourite song by them?'

'Ohhhh ummm, not got round to listening to them yet but they're on my to-play list'

Ugh! This is a massive musical annoyance of mine.

Not a fan of the commercial hit cling ons then?

and how, pray tell, are people supposed to get to know music without listening to it first? I suppose you got to know all the songs you know instantly, did you? Through osmosis, was it?
I would have thought a perfectly reasonable way of discovering a band was by downloading all their stuff and gradually working your way through it.

I spend a lot of time on the Music Games Room forum with a lot of people who have vast musical knowledge. I only know chart stuff. ( old chart stuff ) They all know loads of obscure bands I've never heard of.
But they never sneer or make me feel inferior.
There are a lot of music snobs on this music discussion forum, that's why I don't venture in too often.

My whole point was they download then DON'T listen to it. They just have it there so they can say they're got some iconic artists in their collection.

Right, ok. Apologies.

But still, has it occured to you that the reason people might do this is because of the very snobbery I'm talking about?
Peer pressure. These are the cool bands and you must be seen to be listening to them or you won't be cool.
Just a thought.

I know of people who say they like Britney Spears and I ask them to name a few songs. They can only name Toxic or Baby One More Time and don't seem to know any of her more recent stuff. One guy claimed to be a fan and he started singing I Wanna Go, then I started singing Slave 4 U and he asked me if that was her new song Has he been living under a rock all these years?

You know that thread about music snobbery that turns up from time to time.....will here it is again.

Maybe they just wear it as a piece of clothing?

I actually like the fact that you are suggesting a t- shirt can have multiple meanings.
When I suggest the same about other pop music artifacts, people just scoff.

Peer pressure, I wouldn't rule out. Even in your adult years its common hence people being bullied into downloading the Fleetwood Mac Discogs.

I think some of the issue can be, a lot of radio stations and music channels latch on to one or a couple of songs and people think that's it of them without knowing their exstenive back-catalogue. What gets me is, if you don't know any of the acts other songs - why attend the concert?

That's rude talking through the Elbow gig - that song of theirs isn't their best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVSTr7rb1_Y

I'm a big fan of The Proclaimers and when I bring it up in conversation, people usually say they like them as well, can only name two songs and even then get one song title completely wrong!

You always get that at gigs though. The main one I recall is Pulp at Brixton Academy in 2011, you could tell a few were there just for Common People and Disco 2000. I went crazy when he announced Wickerman and there were numerous blank faces around.

Another common one is people at Pete Doherty/Babyshambles gigs who clearly don't know any songs and have just turned up in the hope that he's out of it and does something crazy or screws up.


Yeah, a lot of Kings of Leon fans liked them when they turned crap and are completely oblivious to their first three albums that are actually quite good.


I go to a lot of gigs and can't say I've ever been to one where in can't see or hear much. Have you been wearing ear defenders and standing the wrong way round?


But why on earth would you wear a band T-Shirt if you didn't like the band? I find that really weird. I knew someone at work who wore a Bowie T-Shirt because someone off TOWIE or some similar crap wore one, he'd no interest in Bowie at all. It makes no sense to me at all, it's bizarre.

I know weird isn't it...I don't like fish but I do wear weird fish t-shirts