All Live Reviews
Paul Van Dyk
O2 Academy Brixton
London
United Kingdom
2010-05-30
Paul Van Dyk’s 10th anniversary tour of his Vandit label rocked into London’s O2 Academy Brixton for a night of trance supported by rising star Guiseppe Ottaviani and ready to show why he’s been a regular in the top five of DJ Magazine’s annual Top 100 DJs poll as a leading purveyor of the genre. It was a night for fans to pay homage to the music they love, and PvD was happy to deliver the goods ably assisted by the Academy’s bass cranked up to full power.
Oneohtrix Point Never / Tomutonttu / Blue Ducks
Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2010-05-27
Much acclaim has been heaped upon headline act Oneohtrix Point Never, the recording name of Brooklyn resident Danuel Lopatin, including that of topping The Wire’s 2009 album chart with Rifts, which brought together the three EPs Lopatin had issued previously. His style, as displayed here in Brighton, builds layers of droning vintage synth lines into soundscapes recalling soothing new age washes and sparkling kosmische swirls — though run through a more modern filter
Chrome Hoof / Bo Ningen
Audio
Brighton
United Kingdom
2010-05-22
it was no surprise to hear the set open with “Crystalline” and deliver a wealth of material from the new record — full of the group’s trademark polyphonic multi-instrumentation, powering rhythym section, diva affront and general genre mash
Wolves in the Throne Room / Alexander Tucker
Engine Rooms
Brighton
United Kingdom
2010-05-21
Their style, blasted through the tiny Engine Rooms, is built around two distinct sounds, the first being classic shredded, treble-heavy guitars over frantic double-kick and snare work, under vicious screaming vokills. The band tear through these sections with a powerful intensity and the required sense of disquiet.
Ancestors & Night Horse
South of the Border
London
United Kingdom
2010-04-16
The penultimate night of Tee Pee records double-header European tour brought California’s Ancestors and Night Horse to the UK and to the basement den that is South of the Border, underneath Shoreditch’s Old El Paso bar.
Katherine Jenkins
N.I.A.
Birmingham
United Kingdom
2010-03-03
You may have seen her playing the role of the judge on ITV’s ‘Popstar To Operastar’, but it seems like Katherine Jenkins is trying the reverse. Having scored six number one Classical albums in the past decade, it appears Miss Jenkins is enjoying centre stage and wants to prove she can do it all. Having wowed the critics with her dancing skills alongside Darcey Bussell in ‘Viva La Diva’, Jenkins has pulled out all the stops for her debut UK Arena tour. Accompanied by a competent crew of dancers, Katherine Jenkins invites you into her own world of wonder.
UB40
o2
London
United Kingdom
2009-12-12
A clever marketing strategy hit you as soon as you entered London’s o2 to see Birmingham’s ‘finest’ UB40 — Ali Campbell, without whom the group are touring, is launching his own tour. Entitled “The True Voice Of UB40”, his tour promises all the hits. The attack seemed scathing, especially given that Campbell left of his own choice only to be replaced by older brother Duncan. With fans undettered by the line-up change, the o2 was brimming.
Vitalic
matter
London
United Kingdom
2009-11-28
Vitalic’s energetic electro was given a hiatus last year when Pascal Arbez-Nicolas chose to adopt a more minimal sound interspersed with barnstorming hits “The Bells”, “My Friend Dario” and signature tune “La Rock 01” when performing live. It was a step away from his V Live show and album which went hell-for-leather from start to finish. With new album Flashmob he’s returned to the full throttle sonic assault he became synonymous for and for this showcase of his latest material he brought a lavish new live set to London’s premier nightclub matter.
Ingrid Michaelson
Scala
London
United Kingdom
2009-11-23
New Yorker Ingrid Michaelson may have only just released her UK album debut, but with four hit albums Stateside, Michaelson is one of the best selling independent artists to date. With her reputation proceeding her, London’s Scala was full to the brim with anticipatory music lovers. With a senstational warm-up set from Ingrid’s reported boyfriend, Greg Laswell, the mood was right for Michaelson to take centre stage. Equipped with just one bandmate (Allie Moss), a keyboard, a guitar and ukulele, Michaelson jovially launched into “Die Alone”. With an immediate singalong response, the pro-performer launched straight into audience participation. Immediately apparent was Michaelson’s addictive presence, appealing good humour and masterful stage craft. From the outset, it was clear that Michaelson was bound to impress.
12 Stone Toddler / Syd Arthur / Restlesslist
Komedia
Brighton
United Kingdom
2009-11-19
Opening act at the Komedia is Restlesslist, with their heady experimental carnival of moody instrumental electronica and prog/post-rock with exotic calypso and fairground parades. Where the project started as the lo-fi bedroom escapades of a duo over several years the group has morphed and grown into a six-piece maximalist adventure and when it all comes together its a glorious and captivating affair.
Espers / Woods / The Cave Singers
The Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2009-11-18
This year’s Shred Yr Face tour follows the previously two successful editions in presenting three of the more exiting bands from recent alternative American folk scenes, with this time The Cave Singers, Woods and Espers rolling around the UK and in to Brighton’s Freebutt towards the end of the run.
Seasick Steve
o2 Academy
Birmingham
United Kingdom
2009-11-10
It was early on a Tuesday night in Birmingham, stuck in a queue outside the new O2, traffic whizzing past, and the wrong side of a cold breeze. You would think I would mind but I was waiting to see the “song and dance man” himself, Seasick Steve.
Cosmo Jarvis
Hoxton Underbelly
London
United Kingdom
2009-11-03
“I’ve got a really bad throat” declared a rather gruff voiced Cosmo Jarvis as he started his set with the crowd pleasing “You Got Your Head”. The seemingly shy Jarvis then launched into action, the crowd swelled and many shoulders were shuffling and heads were bopping. The clearly effected spoken voice appeared to be the only victim of the dreaded lurgy, allowing Cosmo to impress with his crisp clean serenade. Briefly clarifying that he was no longer the naive 18 year old he was when he wrote it, “Clean My Room” bumped along and kept the crowd interesting.
Charlie Winston
o2 Academy Islington
London
United Kingdom
2009-10-30
Performing and recording are two very different art forms, therefore I attended the Charlie Winston gig full of optimism. Having seen him as a support act several years ago, I was aware of his warm and captivating presence — for years a friend and I pondered who the man that sung about being a “Hobo from a broken home” was. Then, when Charlie Winston’s debut album Hobo landed on my desk, I was excited to have found out who the mystery man was. However, upon listening I remained undecided about my rediscovery. Hobo was a real mixed bag of killer tunes and overblown ballads. So what was to be expected of the live show?
Little Comets
o2 Academy
Birmingham
United Kingdom
2009-10-23
Birmingham’s o2 Academy may still be shiny and new on the outside, but inside after a month’s worth of gigs and club nights, the spacious venue already has sticky carpets. They would prove to be a hindrance as Newcastle’s indie quartet Little Comets took to the large but not overpowering stage. With drummer Mark Harle secluded at the back, bassist Matt Hall, guitarist Michael Coles and vocalist/guitarist Robert Coles spanned the front of stage with only a strings worth of percussion between them and the audience. An interesting setup, especially given Michael’s interesting percussion instrument of choice — a saucepan!
Katie Meehan
Monkey Chews
London
United Kingdom
2009-10-21
Former Blame Jack singer Katie Meehan took her first baby steps towards a solo career with a set at Chalk Farm’s eminent Monkey Chews. The popular musical hangout boasts a relaxed atmosphere which perfectly reflected Meehan’s simplistic set. Joined on stage by a sole guitarist, Jason Newton, who still plays with Blame Jack, Meehan relaxed into her set which revolved around new material and interesting cover versions.
Amadou and Mariam
Roundhouse
London
United Kingdom
2009-07-28
Amadou Bagayako met Mariam Doubmia when they went to blind school together in Mali. At the time, he also played guitar for the Bamako hotel band Les Ambassadeurs. By 1980 they were married and they jointly chased for the unreachable goal. He adored John Lee Hooker and Jimi Hendrix, whilst she idolised Pink Floyd and James Brown. Together, they infused traditional Malian music with their western influences. The development was slow but sure, it wasn’t until 2003 that international attention beckoned. International superstar Manu Chao heard their early recordings and noted unassuming potential. He contacted the blind couple and set to work with them, resulting in their 2004 effort Dimanche a Bamako. This was swiftly followed by an unusual collaboration with German superstar Herbert Groenemeyer. Support slots for the Scissor Sisters followed suit and finally Amadou and Mariam met Blur’s Damon Albarn and released their critically acclaimed crossover album Welcome To Mali. The album took the relatively unknown pair and made them coffee shop music for the designer crowd to talk about. Mariam has even got to play with her idol Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour. They even had to fly in from an American support slot for Coldplay to play their headlining gig at Camden’s Roundhouse.
Imelda May
Roundhouse
London
United Kingdom
2009-07-26
“When I first moved from Dublin, I lived in a little bedsit up the road and it’s so bloody brilliant to be playing here (Camden’s Roundhouse) at last.” From the moment that Imelda May slinked on stage with her 50s-inspired quiff, wearing a sexily skin-tight little green dress and killer heels the entire audience were put under her spell. It was obvious she belonged on the Roundhouse’s very special stage and wanted to be there so very much. Teasingly tapping the tambourine, she opened her mouth and revealed a voice more killer than her heels. Enticing the audience to “Feel Me”, May instantly won applause with her subtle sex appeal and Irish charm.
Calvin Harris
The Roundhouse
London
United Kingdom
2009-07-18
Having made it “Acceptable In The 80s”, Calvin Harris ensured his place at the forefront of the British music scene. A notable producer, with Kylie Minogue’s X amongst his credits — and almost more noteworthy, the rejection of current pop darling Lady Gaga. Harris is all set to release his second album, but first he must prove that he “created Disco”.
Grafton Primary
Cargo
London
United Kingdom
2009-06-15
A frontman sporting a mullet haircut and wearing black leather trousers held up by red dungarees and a rhythem-maker powering out the hooks on a keytar make for a entertaining pair just to look at performing on stage; backed by an impressively tight drummer they sound just as good. Australians Grafton Primary follow up successful attempts by countrymen Pendulum and the Sneaky Sound System to break into the UK and judging by their debut performance at London’s Cargo, they have the spirit, the energy and the music to follow in their footsteps.
Nathan Fake, James Holden, Operator
Corsica Studios
London
United Kingdom
2009-05-15
Nathan Fake’s early promise has been fulfilled in production form thanks to his relentless new style heard on Hard Islands, and he’s going to be in demand on the live circuit if this album launch party is anything to go by. His headline set at London’s Corsica Studios proved he will be whipping up a storm on dancefloors having evolved from was a more considered approach to electronica until now.
Miss Kittin and The Hacker
matter
London
United Kingdom
2009-05-02
Cyber pop in a cyber club: matter’s concrete walls and grey stylings aren’t the most welcoming for clubbers, though you could say it’s a fitting venue for Miss Kittin and The Hacker to perform their integalactic techno. These cold surroundings match the android-like pale complexions of Miss Kitten and The Hacker on stage, dressed in chic black attire as the intergalactic theme for their second album Two is given the perfect setting.
Racebannon / Trencher / PW Long
The Lexington
London
United Kingdom
2008-11-27
It was only a small crowd made it out to The Lexington, formerly Clockwork, on London’s Pentonville road for this date, late in Racebannon’s UK Tour and with great support slots from casio-grind merchants Trencher and PW Long. Those who did though were treated to a show fit for a full house.
Nina Nastasia and O’Death
The Roundhouse
London
United Kingdom
2008-08-13
For several weeks under the ‘Colour Your Summer’ banner The Roundhouse draped huge curtains down to enclose a smaller space within the pillars and used cabaret-style tables in front of the stage with small tiers of seating circled behind, creating a more intimate club-style venue — more fitting perhaps for a one woman show. Though the evenings proceedings were set off by the rather louder O’death.
Earth / Mothlite
Scala
London
United Kingdom
2008-07-17
As several articles ran in film publications like Sight and Sound commemorating many a great double-bill at the Scala in its days as a repertory film house (on the 15th anniversary of its demise), the music venue that the King’s Cross building now stands as hosted another exiting twin header: first up, the first live airing of Daniel O’Sullivan and Antti Uusimaki’s new project Mothlite, and then Dylan Carlson’s Earth, who are always a mind-lockingly captivating experience.
Felix Da Housecat / The Whip / SebastiAn / Busy P / Damian Lazarus
Warehouse Project
Manchester
United Kingdom
2008-03-21
Manchester got a treat over Easter with the return of The Warehouse Project for the first of three ‘Lost Weekend’ series of nights. Making the most of the four-day weekend, Thursday night’s Ape party brought together a diverse range of DJs including the Scratch Perverts, Coldcut, Goldie and Kode9 while Saturday hosted the Swedish House Mafia including Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. Easter Sunday closed the weekend with a classic Hacienda night featuring 808 State but zap! bang! was in attendance on Good Friday when a selection of bands and DJs came together for an electro house showdown courtesy of Ed Banger, Kitsune and Modular.
Miracle Fortress/It Hugs Back
Metro
London
United Kingdom
2007-12-12
The Canada Music Fund offers grants to fledgling bands, allowing them to live modestly, tour and make music with less industry pressure to create a mass-marketable product. BSS, Patrick Watson and Miracle Fortress have all benefited from this scheme and created distinct, interesting LPs; the latter’s Five Roses being the focal point of this short promo tour.
Vitalic / Digitalism / The Whip / Simian Mobile Disco
The Warehouse Project
Manchester
United Kingdom
2007-11-17
Harking back to the days when raves were held in warehouses, Manchester’s premier series of major dance parties celebrated 20 years since acid house with an impressive mix of live acts and djs who are hitting the peak of their form. It wasn’t a night of rehashing old favourites from decades ago, The Warehouse Project chose artists pushing acid sounds further as electro and techno with plenty of fist-clenched air punching along the way.
ATP Release The Bats
The Forum
London
United Kingdom
2007-10-29
A large amount of the crowd came gamely dressed-up in bloodpaint and/or costume for ATP’s Halloween gig at The Forum in Kentish Town which featured a bill rammed way into the night including the Cervidae-likes of Deerhoof and Deerhunter among others. The aforementioned costumes and a venue bedecked with copious amounts of large 2D skulls and the like indeed gave an air of the witching season, however, and strangely, as the two bands already mentioned suggest, the choice of music on offer didn’t do much to continue this mood. Black Lips are by no means evil and The Liars aren’t too dark either, in fact the only band with any real attempt to befit the name and time of year were Fuck Buttons.
The New Pornographers
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2007-10-04
Canadian inidie rockers The New Pornographers waltzed into the grand designs of London’s Koko to blast out their power pop to waiting fans. The Vancouver band, who have now released four albums - the latest being Challengers (Matador, 2007) — are much celebrated in Canada and tonight was the chance for me to not only see the band for the first time, but also hear their sound.
Menomena/Velofax
Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
London
United Kingdom
2007-09-24
The crowd for the headline act were a mix of US ex-pats singing along to all the words and interested newcomers. Menomena opened up their first ever show in 2001 with a cover of The Flaming Lips’ “The Abandoned Hospital Ship”, and though far from similar (far less spectacular for one, but then this venue only holds a few hundred), this seems be pretty apt place to start as this low-key show displayed both bands’ shared core of sonic experimentation, a fierce rhythm section and technological savy.
Kosheen
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2007-09-18
Four years between albums and slipping out of public consciousness, Kosheen burst back into the UK live music scene with a show including their classic drum and bass infused hits with material from new release Damage. It was a case of gone but never forgotten as the old songs were greeted with the same vigour which made them dancefloor favourites while the fresh tracks exposed a dark, brooding and atmospheric direction for the band.
Various artists at TDK Cross Central
Kings Cross Freight Depot
London
United Kingdom
2007-08-26
TDK Cross Central bowed out of its Kings Cross venue with a packed-to-the-rafters finale. Famed for its trend-setting mentality, the Sunday was predominently for the techno, electro and house fans looking for their fill of beats, bleeps and uplifting melodies. It made for a highly-charged atmosphere of anticipation that became strained under the mass of bodies everywhere despite being spread across three clubs and 11 stages. Even so, it was a fitting send off that will ensure the event remains one to watch when it returns to a new venue in 2008.
Bedouin Soundclash
Concorde 2
Brighton
United Kingdom
2007-08-14
It was literally a case of welcome to the sauna as Bedouin Soundclash treated Brighton reggae fans to a blisteringly hot night of meaty tunes to cap off a rare sunny day in the UK this summer. The heat cooked up inside Concorde 2 came courtesy of the Canadian trio’s ability to get their fans singing, dancing and clapping to produce an carnival atmosphere of good time vibes.
Om
The Underworld
London
United Kingdom
2007-07-13
The word Om appears simple and straightforward, yet in reality, or spirituality, offers a profound resonance (pun intended). Similarly, Om the band appear so simple and straightforward — just two people, and two people who play ten or twenty minute pieces essentially formed of just one riff — however, living up to the power of the word taken as their name, Al Cisneros and Chris Haikus (formerly of Sleep and previously the recently reclaimed Asbestosdeath) have perfected the art of the musical mantra, taking the spiritual power of repetition to the noise-loving masses.
Lair of the Minoatur / Capricorns
The Underworld
London
United Kingdom
2007-07-10
Although the smoking ban has unfortunately revealed Camden’s hallowed rock/metal pit The Underworld to be smelling as foul as the mood of the music often gracing its atmosphere, it remains one of the capital’s most choice venues within which to descend and embrace all things dark and heavy. It also seems formally most fitting for a band who have a penchant for delving forth into Hellenic mythology as do Chicago’s Southern Lord artists Lair of the Minotaur.
Sunn O))) & Earth
El Rey
Los Angeles
United States
2007-07-03
Once again Southern Lord have bestowed us with a astonishing line-up for The highly awaited 777 West Coast Tour. Headlining the spectacle were legendary drone metal bands Sunn o))) and Earth, accompanied by Weedeater (ex Buzzov-en) and Wolves In The Throne Room. Both Opening bands having received a remarkable response from metal enthusiasts, and of course the headliners being the phenomenon that they are, this was a show not to be missed, and definitely one that should be attended with the appropriate mind set. That mind set being quite high in the clouds.
Neurosis / Final / Guapo
Shepherd’s Bush Empire
London
United Kingdom
2007-06-30
Back again for a surprising second appearance in London in just over six months, Neurosis came out to a full cheering crowd, all ready for the barrage and return to noise that is Given To The Rising, alive in the flesh. Without the desire to disappoint, in burst its opening manoeuvre the title track, with a typically huge, deep riff, swirling around with keyboard atmosphere in amongst the distortion and meaty vocal attacks.
Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) / Bus Driver
The Henry Fonda Theatre
Los Angeles
United States
2007-06-10
The air grew dense while the floor got packed when headliners, Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) took the stage. The army of sixteen year olds girls and gay men went ape shit when lead voice tress LoveFoxxx danced onto the stage in a sequined figure skating suit, tossing handfuls of confetti to her adoring crowd.
Band of Horses/The Hellsayers
Scala
London
United Kingdom
2007-05-22
This first show in London followed Band Of Horses’ live UK debut in the previous weekend’s ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties vs The Fans’ festival in Minehead, Somerset. These shows, part of a short tour, were a break from Band Of Horses’ recording of a new album.
Espers / Sharron Kraus / Voice of the Seven Woods
Camden Dingwalls
London
United Kingdom
2007-04-26
The band’s spacey, ethereal take on folk music fits with late sixties/early seventies acid/psychedelic trends and also stands suitably near to the work of major British groups like Pentangle and Fairport Convention. The groups very impressive second studio album II provided almost all of the material performed here, the band promising to provide some newer material next time that they’re over. It is perhaps understandable that their is a lack of new material in the time since that record’s release last year due firstly to touring time as well as the fact that members are involved in other projects (main vocalist Meg Baird for one as well as the work with Sharron Kraus discussed above has a solo album coming out next month) but there was no complaints from any crowd members at hearing the II tracks.
Pelican / These Arms Are Snakes / An Emergency
Islington Academy
London
United Kingdom
2007-04-19
Pelican have made a trajectory which is appealing to some but not quite so for others. Starting out as a deep, brooding, sludge-strewn instro-metal band the first EP and debut full-length Australasia delivered a fascinating and exiting array of progressive doom riffs and booming post-metal breakdowns. The follow-up The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw took the same recent move as fellows and influences Neurosis and Isis and developed the dynamic aspect more without disregarding the heavy but focusing more than previously on the post-rock-esque soundscapes and builds.
Feist / Mayor McCa
Shepherd’s Bush Empire
London
United Kingdom
2007-04-17
The glamourous indie-queen Feist was obviously the major draw here though — the fact that the gig was actually a seated affair seemingly much more down to her wide appeal than to that of the comic opener. Touring to promote the recently released solo The Reminder Leslie Feist is famous as much for her early punk outings but even more so for the recent stint in Broken Social Scene, though her solo efforts have produced two studio albums in 1999’s Monarch and 2004’s acclaimed Let It Die. The singer/songwriter was on impeccable form both vocally, instrumentally (on her guitar) and also as an entertainer — leading the band and the crowd with jokes, banter and bringing out audience-wide singalong harmonies too.
CocoRosie / Bunny Rabbit
Shepherd’s Bush Empire
London
United Kingdom
2007-04-15
Press sheets for CocoRosie’s new album The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn tell a tale — “From her humble beginnings in the South of France, the saga sailed the Seven Seas all the way to Reykjavik. Upon return to her Parisian homeland, she shared a mystical rendezvous with mystical sailors…” — offering example of the sister’s Casady spinning a magical yarn around themselves and delving out from normal existence into strange realms, where an evening at Shepherd’s Bush Empire doesn’t quite seem to fit. Luckily the music is the perfect musical embodiment of this and captures the listener off into it’s spirit…
Acid Mother’s Temple / Mammatus
Troubador
Los Angeles
United States
2007-04-13
The Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Tour is an apt name for two psychedelic bands on tour in the United States. Mammatus, a recent addition to the revival of psychedelic, progressive loudness are from Santa Cruz, California. Their first record, featuring artwork from Arik Roper, is a stumbling cohesion of early Dead Meadow and Sleep. Pure fantasy is summoned in four long, down-tempo psychedelic allegories; swords, dragons and the epic all notably included.
Restlesslist
Pressure Point
Brighton
United Kingdom
2007-02-09
Restlesslist’s development has seen them expanding from roots in bedroom lo-fi as a two-piece (Matt Twaites and Ben Elliot) creating collages from calculator keyboards, guitars, found sound samples and broken beats, into a full band (adding Tom White and Crispin Cairns) to build soundtrack-style instrumentals, skewed carnival themes and walls of atmosphere. The groups first EP as a four piece, Eyes Are On Your Hands, found a point at what could easily be termed ‘mid-fi’, the original lo-fi ideas being brought out into more rounded songs with a much higher quality sound production, though not quite hi-fi. Last year’s Butlin Breaks 7” continued a trend upwards in catchiness, at least in the upbeat title-track A-side which opened with theatrical jazz-hands and moved through western guitar twangs and rousing Bond-esque cornet. The flip side, “The Cowboy Song”, fittingly showed a different side to the band in an atmospheric, almost post-rock number.
Bang on a Can All-Stars
Symphony Hall
Birmingham
United Kingdom
2007-02-04
Straddling that limbo land between classical and popular music, New York collective Bang on a Can All-Stars brought with them a real treat with a live performance of Brian Eno’s seminal ambient work Music For Airports this February. Particularly lavish was its execution in the best concert hall in the country: Birmingham’s Symphony Hall — one of only two dates in the UK.
Mojo Fins / The Race / My Device
Pressure Point
Brighton
United Kingdom
2007-01-25
This was the first Mojo Fins performance for a while, the band having taken a little time off coming up with some new material and importantly, a record deal. Picked up by Brighton’s Amazon Records the band have a single out in April and album plans for later in the year, and having also played a live radio session on Brighton’s Juice FM it seems it’s actually been all go despite the live lull.
Shona Foster / The Gypsy Squat Pop Project
Sussex Arts Club
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-12-21
Bedecked all Christmaslike, the festive season adding an extra tint to the glam aspirations the venue, Brighton’s Sussex Arts Club played a welcome host to the Brighton’s Finest Songbirds Christmas Special. Due to the unavailability of billed support act Jane Bartholomew the night kicked off with the middle act songbird Cordelia Fellowes, who was quick to point out that her set was not in fact her set but a performance of a band of which she is just one part. She is undoubtedly the frontwoman of her group though, the Gypsy Squat Pop Project, as her stong voice and presence powerfully leads the songs forward.
Boduf Songs / Stereo Entertainer
The Albert
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-12-17
Some good conversation led to Colin from TST colluding with The Albert to come up with a fantastic idea which might just work — afternoon gigs. Sunday afternoons, from about 2pm til 5pm playing light, Sunday afternoon-accessible music. Well that worked well enough and so they’ve even started Saturdays as well, but those ones are loud. But this one was a Sunday, with perhaps the quietest vocalist of them all, Southampton’s Mat Sweet, appearing here under his Boduf Songs moniker, which has been built up into a three-piece band for live performances, though keeping true to the aching simplicity which is at the heart of the project.
12 Stone Toddler / Beardyman / Los Albertos
Concorde 2
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-12-14
Both last year’s 12 Stone Toddler EP and the recent Rabbit single have been met with great reviews and the band’s fan-base continues to strengthen and find new inductees. Live performances over the years have been preciously rare and therefore always anticipated and consistently packed out, as with the night in question.
Clark
Luminaire
London
United Kingdom
2006-12-07
Clark’s reputation has been steadily building from an Aphex Twin wannabe following his debut Clarence Park (Warp, 2001) to being hailed as an electronica innovator after the release of Body Riddle (Warp) this year. Tonight he brought his new live show to London, with live drummer Alvin Ryan to beef up his trademark hard-hitting big beats. It was a powerful and confident performance that showcased his talents for haunting melodies and driving bass.
William Elliot Whitmore
Bowery Ballroom
New York
United States
2006-11-12
William Elliot Whitmore opened for Lucero on a rainy Sunday at the Bowery Ballroom. In a very un-New York fashion, people came out early, packed the room, and shut up while Whitmore sat on a stool on a stage full of other people’s equipment while playing either his guitar or banjo.
Bedouin Soundclash
Brixton Academy
London
United Kingdom
2006-11-04
The rising popularity of Canadian reggae outfit Bedouin Soundclash was laid bare at Brixton Academy where the trio received a rapturous reception. Well, I say reggae, but at times you could be forgiven for thinking you were caught up in the middle of a stadium rock act’s homecoming such was the unbridled joy many members of the crowd were experiencing. With their tender vocals backed up by rumbling bass lines and tight drumming this was a performance to be proud of for the Soundclash boys.
Denison Whitmer / Califone / J Tillman
The Social
London
United Kingdom
2006-10-23
From the respective receptions given, most people were here for Thrill Jockey’s psyche-blues peddlars, Califone (particularly as they do not often grace this intimate a venue), but for me there was also another draw — Denison Witmer — an acolyte bandmember of Sufjan Stevens. This was the second in a short (4 date) London-only jaunt as rotating headliners to support their new LP releases — Califones Roots and Crowns and Whitmer’s Are You A Dreamer?.
Rx Bandits / Nurses / Ninja Academy
The Roxy
Hollywood, CA
United States
2006-10-20
This was the second of a two night stint at the Roxy in lieu of the release of the Rx Bandit’s fifth album, …And the Battle Begun, which I recently received the pleasure of reviewing, and to celebrate the band played the new album in it’s entirety. The musicianship was mind-boggling and the crowd was electric, but the predictability of the set list hampered my enjoyment a bit. The Bandits seem to be much more in their element when they’re councing back and forth between their much varied ouevre, which we received a little taste of with an encore of “Overcome” and “Decrescendo” from 2003’s The Resignation. The audience didn’t seem to share my gripes though, going off the wall with energy throughout the entire set, and even beginning the lyrics to the encore before the band returned the stage.
Charged Plugged
Platform Tavern
Southampton
United Kingdom
2006-10-19
Sitting down in a pub to enjoy a varied range of music from lives acts would usually be interrupted by glib comments to friends, trips to the bar and a general distraction from other noises around you. The third installment of Southampton’s Charged night invited guests to become immersed in its performer’s sounds by only allowing you to listen to the music through headphones: a gimmick which nevertheless proved to be the perfect way to indulge in the many talents of the five acts at the Platform Tavern. Sitting cosily around tables with our headphones plugged into adaptors on tables with our own individual volume controls, it was an intimate yet extremely personal way of listening as a group.
Abominable Iron Sloth / Charger / Ghost of a Thousand
Barfly @ The Monarch
London
United Kingdom
2006-10-14
When AIS came on, I was expecting a 5-piece to appear; only three people walked onto the stage, but if I’d had my eyes closed, I’d have been forgiven for thinking it was ten. Again, the sound quality was impeccable: the bass drum and toms were as well-defined as most bands’ snare drums; their snare cracked like a bull-whipped ping-pong ball. No matter how deep the bass sank, or how dirty the riff, it was always possible to distinguish every last semitone.
Stones Throw Records Ten Year Anniversary
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2006-10-05
Stones Throw Records are probably best known for holding two of the biggest jewels of the hip-hop crown in Madlib, aka Otis Jackson, and MF Doom, aka Daniel Dumile. These guys are responsible for dismantling years of suppression by swaying many an indie kid from his tight trousers into some baggies and the rest. High on jazz and the personal touch, and less of an eye on the money shot Stones Throw Records has built up a large cross-over fan base since Peanut Butter Wolf first decided to set up the label following the death of fellow producer Charizma in 1996.
Architects
Camden Underworld
London
United Kingdom
2006-09-11
Architects’ two guitarists were never to be caught just knocking out the same riff as each other to fill in gaps — every segment and moment of each of their songs had been painstakingly arranged. Nor was there any suggestion of a ‘lead/rhythm’ division — as they yo-yoed up and down the fret-board counterbalancing each other, the freely moving parts worked together like a Brazilian goal.
Alton Ellis
Camden Jazz Cafe
London
United Kingdom
2006-09-10
Alton Ellis is known as the Godfather of rocksteady and reggae and it quickly became clear at his performance at Camden’s Jazz Cafe that the reason for this may well be no simpler than that he actually fathered god — he is that good. In his early seventies now, almost old enough to have made the previous statement believable, Alton Ellis has been recording and singing live for six decades.
Grizzly Bear / Tom Brosseau
Audio
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-09-08
New York’s Grizzly Bear struck a few chords which continued the mood from Brosseau’s set, both often giving off a beautiful sense of peacefulness and calm, but the headline act were in many ways a different concept all together. For a start they are a four-piece band, and accordingly the scale of the pieces and the instrumentation involved in their performance is increased, but even more than usual, Grizzly Bear take a decidedly experimental approach. Only one of the group’s members stuck to one instrument, but he also sang, the group all taking on various vocal duties at different points. The floor and other surfaces were littered with a variety of effects pedals, electronic equipment and acoustic instruments — the usual range of guitars plus a clarinet, flute and even an auto-harp.
Trencher / The Phil Collins 3 / I’m Being Good / End The Agony
Engine Rooms
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-08-07
To celebrate the release of the Trencher/Phil Collins 3 split 7” the sweaty pit that is the Engine Rooms was duly filled with people and bands for a couple of hours of extreme heat and extreme noise. Brighton’s seen a load of great line-ups, and I always go on about them in reviews so i’ll try and supress that statment again here. But…
Tortoise
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2006-07-23
The present Tortoise line-up is not quite the one that recorded the album ten years ago but remains as it has been since Dave Pajo left just after the recording of TNT in 1998: John Herndon, Doug McCombs, John McEntire, Dan Bitney and Jeff Parker. Pajo had been in the group for the recording of Millions Now Living but Parker only joined the group in 1997.
Crowley at the Crossroads - John Zorn
The Barbican
London
United Kingdom
2006-06-18
Following Saturday night’s tribute to legendary jazz guitarist Derek Bailey, avant-garde composer and musician John Zorn continued his weekend residency at London’s Barbican and also his acknowledgement of his major influences with a programme influenced by Aleister Crowley. The evening consisted of the performance of two compositions based on the work of the British occult master, and also a screening of the film The Man We Want To Hang, directed by another follower of Crowley’s, Keneth Anger, shown with accompanying sounds played by Zorn.
The Dodge Brothers
The Platform Tavern
Southampton
United Kingdom
2006-06-08
This gig was a rare appearance of The Dodge Brothers in Southampton, one of few outside Lymington, away from their residency and core fanbase at the Thomas Tripp. And the intimate Platform Tavern on Southampton’s Quayside rose to the occasion, filled by an incredibly receptive audience, who at points even flowed onto the pavement outside.
Venetian Snares / Mu-ziq / Tim Exile / Chevron
Concorde 2
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-06-06
The marketing-dream prophecy that the world would end on 06/06/06, or at least serve up some spawn of Satan for mankind to battle, provided the perfect excuse for Planet Mu heavyweights to unleash an unrelenting barrage of gabba on Brighton, providing its sinners with a fiendish night of hellish fun. This was not for the feint-hearted as the robe-wearing electronic music artists did their best to bosh dancers into submission.
Zappa Plays Zappa
Royal Albert Hall
London
United Kingdom
2006-06-02
This was much more than a gig, or a concert it was an event. For a start we’re talking the Royal Albert Hall, not just any old venue. We’ve got a huge crowd and you’d expect nothing more — this is Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil leading a band playing some of the most powerfully complex compositions of his father, one of the defining figures of twentieth century music. This was not any old band either but included legendary Zappa collaborators Napoleon Murphy Brock and Steve Vai!
TV On The Radio/Celebration
ULU
London
United Kingdom
2006-05-15
These two NYC bands have toured together consistently, share a label (in the UK), guest on each other’s records and they seem quite close emotionally and sonically. TV on the Radio were the headliners in this case, but both complemented each other and members of each band cross pollinated with percussion and vocals throughout.
Stereolab / Field Music
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2006-05-11
Their recent limited 7” single collection Fab Four Suture gave forth three tracks, the perfectly crafted introspection of “Whisper Pitch”, “Eye Of The Beholder” with it’s urgent thrash of a chorus and “Excursions into Oh A Oh”. On record “Excursions…” is a neat slice of sixties psychedelia but live it becomes a sort of cosmic disko, bringing an addictive bassline and twin horn attack of trumpet and trombone (it was preceded by Laetitia asking “Are you ready to dance?” We were very soon).
The Go! Team / Kid Carpet / The Sticks
University of Southampton
Southampton
United Kingdom
2006-05-11
It was a great showcase for the band’s varied style that got some people jumping in delirious fashion. Mimicking Ninja’s call backs earlier in the show, the crowd demanded an encore with a chant of “G-O-T-E-A-M”. Ninja duly continued when the band returned to stage, asking “Can we use that on the new album?”. I think the Southmapton fans will be the first at the shop door if they do. Finisher “Ladyflash” enabled an emphatic rock out for all in the room as arms once again raised to the roof. Go The Go! Team!
Cult of Luna
Joiners
Southampton
United Kingdom
2006-04-24
Cult of Luna have taken their music through various explorative journeys throughout their career and new album Somewhere Along The Highway, their fourth full-length — out on Earache, holds true to their reputation for powerful and punishing epics which embrace the most ultimate of both beauty and brutality — in a similar way to fellow luminaries Neurosis and Isis.
Boris / Twin Zero
Engine Rooms
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-04-15
Throughout Twin Zero’s set, almost half of The Engine Rooms’ standing area seemed taken up by the band and this was for two reasons, firstly, as mentioned before, there’s more than your average number playing in the band and, secondly, because Boris’ huge drum kit (in size of drum, not amount of drums), and mulitple stacks of amplification took up the entire small stage meaning that only the Twin Zero keyboardist could fit on it and the rest of the band played on the floor. Boris could only just fit on the stage themselves but did, and the floor slowly filled up in front of them. The support band’s line-up and sound is big and in comparison Boris’ line-up is small — but their sound was (as one of their own song title suggests) Huge — the venue felt near bursting to contain it, with those crowd members who’d situated right at the front only about a metre or two away from the speaker cabs bearing an almight brunt — and probably listening to the Japanese band’s drones for at least the whole of the night and next day because of it.
The Organ / Dios(Malos) / The Immediate
The Garage
London
United Kingdom
2006-04-12
The Organ were one of the so-called ‘buzz’ bands of the recent indie-industry backslap SXSW festival in Texas. This buzz must have stowed away in their guitar cases or somethig as they’ve only just released their debut (Grab That Gun) on a minor indie label but the Garage was sold out. This was possibly due to the relative hype built up around SXSW, but despite the album not been out too long here even the non-single/non-myspace tracks were afforded recognition and grand responses. So they must be doing something right.
The Concretes / Euros Childs
ULU
London
United Kingdom
2006-04-11
The Concretes can be described by using many similar words to Euros Child’s: folk, indie, pop, quirky, nice… but though the acts share some sensibilities and compliment each other perfectly on the bill, the Swedish headline group are quite different. They sparkle with their special mix of traditional folk sounds, waltzes and ballads and have a great presence with their eight members. The Concrete’s sound drifts, rolls, drives and shuffles through various moods, often very emotive and rousing, sometimes haunting yet always quite comforting, the group even make a disco beat sound like it’s not really a disco beat, catching it up within their beautiful, orchestrated pop.
Mogwai
University
Southampton
United Kingdom
2006-03-30
Anticipation seemed to be fairly high for this one — Mogwai touring Mr Beast — the album that was meant to be truer to the volume and intensity that the band’s gigs offered but album’s didn’t anymore, so what did they do? They stepped up, in green Team Mogwai tracksuits, and ploughed through most of said new album — as loud, heavy and emotive as needed, when needed — and backed that up with some classics, like the true pros their reputation suggests.
Nightmares on Wax Soundsystem / Iration Steppas
Concorde 2
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-03-29
Stepping into the Concorde 2 on a rainy, wind-swept night it was not the dry and warmth that hit me, but the bone-shaking power of the dub vibes being laid down by warm-up an Iration Steppas dj set. With foundation shaking basslines rippling through my body it was useless to resist swaying to the laid back tunes the formidable soundsystem was launching out at full blast. This was to be a gig that summoned the rhythm from inside you and got everyone dancing to the same beat.
Enablers / Cove
Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-03-24
Following Cove, were Enablers, who call San Francisco and Neurot Records home and are over this way as part of a big tour off the back of their recent Output Negative Space album. Enablers are a kind of jazzy, post-rock performance poetry with vocalist Pete Simonelli regailing beat yarns over correspondingly emotive musical arrangements by Joe Goldring, Kevin Thompson and Joe Byrnes. Goldring and Thompson both play guitars but fill out a whole tonal spectrum alongside the drum-work of Byrnes, who switches effortlessly with the flow of the song from light to angry to rousing and back again. The band recall the emotive, alternatively gorgeous/abrasive spoken-word post-rock of Slint with the warm, intriguing guitar feel of Jeff Buckley.
The Raconteurs
Astoria
London
United Kingdom
2006-03-23
This is the first (relatively low-key) London appearance by this Detroit supergroup-of-sorts, featuring Jack White, solo artist Brendan Benson and two thirds of The Greenhornes (Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence). Their visit follows only one very limited 7” release and proceeds their debut album Broken Boy Soldiers. All but two of the (original) tracks played were new to the audience, but each was treated like a Robbie Williams tribute act at a chav wedding reception. The two songs already released and streamed on their website were given an even more fervered reception. I guess that’s what happens when someone who normally plays stadia, arenas and headlines festivals plays such modest surroundings.
65daysofstatic/Clark
Opera House
Bournemouth
United Kingdom
2006-03-11
New releases on Warp Records will always have the benchmarks set by the label’s most forward thinking artists such as Aphex Twin and Squarepusher to live up to. Tonight Clark, having dropped his first name of Chris from his title as an artist, had the chance to show off new material from his limited edition EP Throttle Furniture ahead of a full album later this year and 65daysofstatic were showcasing their album from last year, One Time for All Time.
Calla
Islington Acadamy
London
United Kingdom
2006-03-09
Calla is made up of Aurelio Valle, Wayne Magruder, and Peter Gannon and are now on their fourth album of skyscraping gloom-rock, Collisions, and this show was part of a short tour to promote it.
You and the Atom Bomb
Islington Academy
London
United Kingdom
2006-02-26
Apparently, backstage these guys didn’t bring beer or amphetamines only a load of Willy Wonka chocolate bars. Gees it showed, whether it was through the guitarist’s hair or the oompa lumpah keyboards, this chocolate was refined.
NME Tour
Bristol Academy
Bristol
United Kingdom
2006-02-13
The Bristol academy was packed to the rafters for the hippest gig of the year. The kids were there, the museos were there, the curious were there, the BBC was there, and the Arctic Monkeys were waiting in the wings. You could hardly hear for the buzz.
Earth
Islington Academy
London
United Kingdom
2006-02-10
In a double-headed beast of a tour alongside drone-lords Sunn O))), Earth came to London in support of their recent double-titled release Hex; or Printing In The Infernal Method . The sound the band offer on Hex is faily removed from previous Earth releases, however, it contains elements distinctly apparent throughout the band’s career. That career is a long one, spanning over fifteen years, and one containing multiple personnel shifts, all around the core of mainman Dylan Carlson.
Goldfrapp
Guildhall
Southampton
United Kingdom
2006-02-02
The show starts with a track from their latest album, Supernature: “U Never Know”. With dramatic synths and soaring vocals erupting through the room, it is an announcement Goldfrapp are here to entertain by sending the music vibrating through your body.
An Albatross
Golden Gate
Berlin
Germany
2006-02-02
The band stripped the paint from the walls of this awful venue with an extremely corrosive initial outburst of antagonising ‘riffage’ and a digital breakdown on the keys. In fact, the premiere of their sound was pretty much what was to expected through the whole set: walls and walls of thrash quenching noise.
Test Icicles
Oxford Zodiac
Oxford
United Kingdom
2006-01-31
They played a song from the yet to be recorded album. It was called “Idle Chatter” and it was by far the best performance of the night. Lisa Francais’ high pitched scream really knocked the socks off the Test Icicles and their drunken shambles of covers.
Califone / The Diamond Family Archive
The Hope
Brighton
United Kingdom
2006-01-29
Roots and Crowns, Califone’s latest album, was released on Thrill Jockey at the end of last year to great acclaim, cementing an already strong position in Chicago’s music scene as well as wider experimental and folk circles. The band started off as the project of one man, Tim Rutili, but grew into a band with four steady members (the others being Ben Massarella, Brian Deck and Tim Hurley — the four of them having already performed together as Red Red Meat in the 1990s), however, at the last jaunt zap! bang! attended, immediately post-Roots and Crowns, they performed as a two-piece, and here they numbered three (Tim Rutili and present members Joe Adamik and Jim Becker — Massarella being absent), testament to the way that the band appears to develop, being open to change and re-interpretation, new ideas and influence (the band’s debut full-length apparently featured an open-door recording policy leading to additional performances from members of Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day among others).
The Bad Robots
The Dublin Castle
London
United Kingdom
2006-01-16
Anyone fearing the arising of another James Blunt however need not be alarmed, The Bad Robots may be radio friendly but their subject matter and demeanor are much less twatish.
Forward, Russia!
The Tunnel Club
Leeds
United Kingdom
2006-01-14
Sandwiched between two impeccable drummer-led tracks, new single “12” demonstrated exactly why Forward, Russia! are destined for great things: off-kilter lyrics and vocals backed by an energy that’s frightening. With choruses and little hooks bursting out at all sorts of odd angles, this is the sort of music that shouldn’t make sense but does.
Jon Brion / Fiona Apple / Matt Chamberlain
Largo
Los Angeles
United States
2005-12-22
If you don’t already know, Jon Brion has composed soundtracks for films such as Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love and I Heart Huckabees. He has collaborated with Elliot Smith, Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, A Perfect Circle, David Byrne and countless others.
The Locust / JR Ewing / Kill Me Tomorrow
Pfefferbank
Berlin
Germany
2005-12-10
It is honourable that The Locust can slash the convential track time by at least half, and still disseminate the contents of the track further than the gluttonous convention and its many more seconds.
The Cribs / The Chalets / Help, She Can’t Swim!
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds
United Kingdom
2005-12-08
Tonight Leeds Met plays host to two very different sides of the current indie scene. Fighting out of the blue corner, The Chalets bring a distinctively kitsch brand of pop with a good live reputation. They’re the most interesting and shamelessly fun band I’ve listened to in a long time, and seem destined for the top. The red corner plays host to our headliners, The Cribs. As something of a homecoming gig for the Wakefield trio, their raw northern guitar rock sound should go down a storm, but a patchy live reputation precedes them.
LCD Soundsystem / Art Brut / Hot Chip / Waxed Apple
Event II
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-12-08
LCD Soundsystem, the rock’n’roll dance band brainchild of James Murphy (DFA), have always sounded a bit flat on CD, but their live show injects verve and excitement to every song thanks to Murphy’s almost obsessive enthusiasm to entertain every single person.
The Chemical Brothers / Cagedbaby / James Holroyd
Bournemouth International Centre
Bournemouth
United Kingdom
2005-12-06
Now on their third tour of 2005, The Chemical Brothers wasted no time laying down the heavy beats with “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” before getting everyone up to speed with newer tracks “The Big Jump” and “Galvanise”. They were already working up a sweat on the dancefloor as the crowd erupted into all manner of arm waving, pointing and jumping like loons on a basketball court.
Damo Suzuki & Jelly Planet
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-04
Damo Suzuki is ‘universal’, and with this post-human attribute he is one of very few human beings still discovering new paradigms for pleasure; which still — most importantly — is inticing multitudes into the comprehension of the supertemporal nature of creative output.
Quintron & Miss Pussycat
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-03
With a tantalising twin of musical ingenuity and an allurement to shake your organs to the organ — you have the paramount of parties for your Saturday night.
The Fucking Champs
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-03
The band play raging riff-heavy, cock-metal, generally without vocals, in fact most of the time it seems that they’ve added extra riffs instead of vocals. The band survive as drums and guitars without a bassist because the ultimate classic metal harmonies that the twin guitars perform provide all the notation that is necessary.
High On Fire
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-03
For nearly an hour High On Fire sweated out the loudest, ear-crushing riffage playing up to metal cliches and doing so beautifully. Matt Pike just loves finding a huge riff, blasting it out and lapping up the whole scenario - his face then screws up as he plays another solo, foot on the monitor, guitar neck pointing high, before spitting and returning to growl into the microphone, probably, although not always anymore, about smoking weed or similar.
Mastodon
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-03
Mastodon achieved incredible success in 2004 with what was widely voted the best metal album of the year, Leviathan, and live performances in support of it were truly impressive. This set at ATP offered promise though of not just expected classics from both Leviathan and previous album Remission but also of some new material - which was achieved. As well as the treat of their awesome cover of the Melvins “The Bit” off Stag.
Subtitle
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-02
A futuristic, scientific dialectic is the diaphragm where Subtitle finds his muscular munition of words — the antithesis of the bestial and primal paradigm of those emcees that threat physical violence in their war of words.
The Locust
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Camber Sands
United Kingdom
2005-12-02
The band’s sound constanly switches schizophrenically between the two extremes of the loudest, most frenetic, math-grind, to minimal synth noise, remaining (as trademard) distinctively sci-fi throuhout. When loud and active the band are intense, fierce and lurching around insanely, and when quiet they are deadly and eerily still. They are always slightly frightening and unnerving throughout, but somehow their challenging music and presence is not inaccessible by any means, it’s engaging and one hell of a thrill to be in a crowd to.
Dungen / Fursaxa / Alexander Tucker
The Highbury Garage
London
United Kingdom
2005-12-01
The crowd was quiet up to this point, but once “Panda“‘s stuttering drum intro burst forth into driving Zeppelin-fuelled blues rock I knew any unbelievers would soon be converted. “Festival“‘s bucolic Woodstock folk (that’s the original not the frat boy riot sequel) was an uplifting joy.
Kid Carpet / The Holloways / Betchadupa
Camden Barfly
London
United Kingdom
2005-11-28
Kind of a strange, beautiful night really. It started with James Bourne from arena-touring, punk-pap fools Busted unable to blag into this grimiest of venues for free and having to pay like a mere mortal and ended with a fully grown man being applauded for swearing and playing with Fisher Price toys.
Johnny Truant / Beyond All Reason / Blood Roses
Joiners
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-11-28
Starting with a fattened-up metal version of the more introspective “Vultures” before fully announcing their arrival by blasting into the frenetic “A Day in the Death” the new album tracks were impressively performed in the live show, and gained a whole extra intensity and loudness.
Khanate
Garage
London
United Kingdom
2005-11-26
By ordering his paws to never falter in pauses, he opened up a provocative pandora that takes hold of cognition; leaving the listener in focus of the minimalism in sound — not the abundances.
Mr Scruff
The Brook
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-11-24
Armed with three boxes of 12” vinyl, four boxes of 7” and a collection of CDs, Scruff was laying on the jazz funk when I arrived almost two hours into his five hour set.
Beecher / Architects
Joiners
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-11-24
When Beecher first arrived years ago they were championed for their blend of metal, melody and electronics. Nowadays all of these factors remain in some form but at least in the live act, or at least tonight, they are pure metal - the more emotional moments being swallowed up within the onslaught of noise.
Thrice
House of Blues
Los Angeles
United States
2005-11-21
What happened to the Thrice we know and love? The band that would rock so hard that their guitar straps would tear apart mid song? The pop sensible hardcore band that was able to interchange gutteral screams with high flying sing along choruses? Tour. Tour happened.
Melt Banana / Hunting Lodge / Big Joan / Sodding Wolf’s Head
Joiners
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-11-21
no matter how good the support seemed at the time, along came the Japanese mentalists and all were blown away. Playing basically the same set as that played in support of Cell-Scape on its release a couple of years ago the band blasted through material of that album and others such as the classic Charlie.
Four Tet/Explosions in the Sky/Kid Koala/Faust
Hammersmith Palais
London
United Kingdom
2005-11-10
organised by the wonderful Eat You Own Ears night and Kieran Hebden (Mr. Four Tet), and they put together a flawlessly cool line-up in support of Four Tet’s multiple-tronica’s (i.e. folk, jazz, glitch): German legends Faust, Aussie DJ Kid Koala and Texan sky scrapers Explosions in the Sky.
Test Icicles / MC Lars
The Joiners
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-11-02
The music obviously draws from a range of sources from disco, house, hip-hop and electro to punk or metal and the noisier, dirtier sounds of all of the above came out. The show was pacy and energetic, more so than the recordings, and added an overall heaviness and volume which magnified its effect.
Awful Sparks / The Fucks
Nambuccas, Holloway Road
London
United Kingdom
2005-10-25
One thing they’re not is more of the same disco beat. Many art-rock bands are all cool and slick, all narrow eyed grove; Awful Sparks have the shambolic energy of a boarding school dormitory ten minutes before lights out.
Lapsus Linguae / Hunter’s Loaf
Bull & Gate
London
United Kingdom
2005-10-19
What matters most about the music of Lapsus Linguae — for me at least — is that they evade every convention or expectation you could have in music. Yet they haven’t done this by releasing records that are purely a whisper or no sound at all; they’ve given the listener everything that’s fucking great in music wrapped in one picnic basket of joy.
Wives / Collapse
Catch 22
London
United Kingdom
2005-10-11
That aura of intensity was reflected in their attitude, which was loose, and somehow feral. In fact, they embodied everything that is exciting about the punk aesthetic, but without the crap music that traditionally accompanies it.
Noxagt / Volt / Notorious Sci-Fi Killers / Black Horse
Upstairs @ Garage
London
United Kingdom
2005-10-07
Noxagt finally appeared on stage without a word. It wasn’t until then that I realised they’ve shed their viola player, in favour of a guitarist.
Part Chimp / Deerhoof
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2005-10-04
There’s nothing more impulsive in music right now than Deerhoof, an angular pop band that will throw books at you from a library full of strange variants and catchy, catchy tunes.
Melvins
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2005-10-04
When i got “Honey Bucket” it was fast and mental, Buzz Osbourne proving his power and presence as a guitarist and front man to be much more than just big hair
Under The Influence Of Giants
Key Club
Los Angeles
United States
2005-09-27
What Under The Influence Of Giants is doing is far from a mesmeric concoction of clever musical patterns and phantasmagoric songwriting.
USAisamonster
Tonic
London
United Kingdom
2005-09-20
In between tracks the drummer made some comments summarising some of the songs, which sounded quite interesting — something about the difference between the mythology of the American Dream, and the realities of the modern United States.
Asva
The Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-09-09
the comfortably small Freebutt was filled and its foundations almost threatened by the mass barrage of sound created by the five men inhabiting its small stage
Ex Models / Ack Ack Ack
The Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-09-08
the two Ex Models launched at intervals into the staccato high-pitched vocals and careful guitar call and responses which have made the band so interesting
USA is a monster / DJ Scotch Egg / Riotmen
The Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-09-07
The chickenhead-dressed man makes music using his Nintendo games systems, alongside very hard and heavy beats which he then screams over.
Kosmic Renaissance
Repertory Theatre
San Jose, California
United States
2005-08-12
From squeaks and yelps to clicks and shouts, they busted the wall in my head of how an instrument can be played. There were no breaks in their set, rather, the music was orchestrated into movements
Devendra Banhart / Espers
Koko
London
United Kingdom
2005-08-11
Devendra is a performer who is able to slow down or speed bits up, to change bits around, and go off on little flourishes on a whim.
Hondo Maclean / Architects / Ghost of a Thousand
Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-08-10
The Architects boys can really play, they are incredibly tight and mix some big riffs with some great technical and math parts, and they are still young — lucky bastards.
Espers / Josephine Foster / Mi & Lau
Tonic
London
United Kingdom
2005-08-10
The effect will be less live music, and a greater homogenisation of new music in general.
Cove / I’m Being Good / Lords / Epideme
Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-08-07
and so although Cove may continue in some form or another, this was the last to chance to catch the storming behemoth before a third of its body fell off.
Electric Eel Shock / The Mutts
Freebutt
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-08-05
before the band start the PA blares out Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” and the guitarist/singer is seen on top of the speaker bending over underneath the roof miming along like an ecstatic crazy
Beck
Gibson Amphitheatre
Los Angeles, CA
United States
2005-07-22
As Beck strummed on his hollowed out instrument, his band took a short siesta, sitting down at a table on stage, complete with food and glasses of wine.
Wolf Eyes
Barden’s Boudoir
London
United Kingdom
2005-07-11
It’s certainly more interesting than yet another bastard twanging a guitar; accompanied by drums played in a flat four claiming to be ‘innovative’.
Liars
100 Club
London
United Kingdom
2005-07-07
The anger and blatant vexation in guitarist/vocalist/cacophonist Angus Andrew is strangely offered in insouciant wrappings; the man pissed with a million things often presented himself in a relaxed manner. There were of course violent outbursts of giving his guitar the pleasure of touching the ceiling, and apparently being dissatisfied with drumsticks, he’d use a microphone to smack a cymbal when he felt like it.
Babyshambles
Joiners
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-05-27
I then discovered that the times I didn’t hear such apparent splendour, were times in which I simply couldn’t hear what the fuck he was saying — the lyrics were impeded by intoxicated slurs and whimsical ulilations.
Fingathing
The Brook
Southampton
United Kingdom
2005-05-18
Unfortunately, there seemed to be a lack of the paramount Fingathing usually find some three quarters of the way through their show — a zenith that usually exposes itself during the intensity of the track “Superhero Music”.
Maximo Park
ULU
London
United Kingdom
2005-05-07
All comparisons to the The Futureheads should be swept aside, Maximo Park are on their own road. Bring on the album.
ISIS
Concorde 2
Brighton
United Kingdom
2005-04-30
They came onto the stage. They said nothing.
There was then a hastening within this extraordinary collective; they began to form their presentimental prerogative, a seemingly telepathic energy that ultimately enables them to never fail in one of the most prolific doom metal cohesions. For this reason, there would have to be an imbalance in the electro magnetic field of the relevant venue — for it surely is telepathy that constructs the insane coherence featured in the live performance of ISIS.
Mars Volta
Brixton Academy
London
United Kingdom
2005-03-13
The robotic central groove of the song had people ducking and jiving in a convulsive manor, as if something was battling to escape from deep inside.
Neurosis
The Forum
London
United Kingdom
2004-12-18
Swelling drones initiated the appearance of the band and for the next two and a half hours came a doomy onslaught of awesomely apocalyptic post-metal.
Sunn O)))
Scala
London
United Kingdom
2004-12-07
The set was one hour-and-a-half-long intense and engulfing sub-bass assault with a complete wall of wave after wave of the most down-tuned guitar distortion, accompanied by fuzzy white noise and various affecting sounds and howling screeches.
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