Best live acts of 2011
I haven't decided myself yet, what with ATP next week and all but I thought after seeing DJ Shadow last night (who was AMAZENESS) I'd re-run this from last year. http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4273486
Which lots of you took part in. ASIWYFA and Bon Iver surely to join DJ SHadow in my top 5 this year.
Same rules, choose 5, each mention get one point. I'll leave it to the new year to total up as some people kept adding their thoughts after I'd posted the results. Ooh, me!me!me!
- Relevant artist taggings:
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Tough choices, but here’s my favourites:
Sufjan Stevens at RFH
Trail Of Dead at Brixton Windmill
Dananananackroyd at the Cluny
Gillian Welch at the Apollo
Pulp at Primavera
Notable mentions to Superchunk at the Scala, Trouble Books at Café Oto, Conquering Animal Sound at Café Oto, Electrelane at the Scala, Why? at the Union Chapel, Antlers at the Borderline, Future Of The Left at Hoxton B+G, Congotronics at the Barbican, Hidden Cameras and Gonzales at the Barbican,
Memory. So. Hazy.
As such:
The Cure
Anais Mitchell
PJ Harvey
Atari Teenage Riot
Foals
Today is the Day
Melvins
Church of Misery
Unsane
Screaming Females
Cementimental
Sufjan at RFH/Primavera
Low at Primavera
Big Boi at Primavera
Los Campesinos at KCLSU
Modeselektor at the Forum
Portishead at IBYM
Joanna Newsom - End of the Road
tUnE-yArDs - EOTR
Beirut - EOTR
TV on the Radio - Glastonbury
Sufjan Stevens - Sage
The National - Latitude
St.Vincent - Brudenell
Deerhunter @ Glasgow Oran Mor
Pulp @ Primavera & Brixton
Sufjan Stevens @ Primavera
Drugstore @ St Giles-in-the Fields
Caitlin Rose @ The Antelope Tooting & The Windmill
Honourable mentions go to Trail of Dead @ The Windmill, Disappears @ The Borderline, Wooden Shjips @ The Scala, Nils Frahm @ Cafe Oto, Steve Wynn @ The Garage Upstairs, Nisennenmondai @ Primavera, Perfume Genius @ Primavera, Swans @ Primavera & Pj Harvey @ The Troxy.
Sufjan Stevens at RFH by a country mile
Was utterly lukewarm to him for the most part going in, came out absolutely exhilarated. Would make my top-5 gigs of all time let alone this year!
Janelle Monae at Glasto
The Rural Alberta Advantage at Bush Hall
Los Campesinos! at SBE and KCLSU
DFA1979 at the Forum
Sufjan RFH
Antlers various
Pulp Brixton (though I loved Hyde Pyrk too)
Interpol SBE
Portishead IBYM
acid mothers temple
Another vote for Sufjan (Sage)
Also Efterklang were great too.
Los Campesinos! at Oran Mor, Glasgow
Warpaint at Queens Hall, Edinburgh
Vessels at Captains Rest, Glasgow
Katy Perry at SECC, Glasgow (not even kidding)
Bright Eyes at Oran Mor, Glasgow
Fucked Up at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
i so wanted to go to that Warpaint gig
daaaamn you
Not to rub it in mate, but they were brilliant
Make sure you go see them next time!
Los Campesinos! at Oran Mor, Glasgow
Warpaint at Queens Hall, Edinburgh
Vessels at Captains Rest, Glasgow
Katy Petty at SECC, Glasgow (not even kidding)
Bright Eyes at Oran Mor, Glasgow
Fucked Up at Cabaret Voltaire, Glasgow
In no particular order (though probably a straight fight between The Cure and Pulp for number one...)
Pulp @ Leeds Festival (somehow topped Primavera)
Sufjan Stevens @ Primavera
The Cure @ Bestival
Bon Iver @ Manchester Apollo
Bright Eyes @ Leeds Academy
Janelle Monae @ Glastobury
Wild Beasts @ Manchester Cathedral
Josh T Pearson @ Royal Northern College of Music
Slayer @ Sonisphere
The National @ Primavera
Glastonbury, obviously...
Hazy memory, but...
-The Go Team (think this was this year, most fun live band ever and awesome songs)
-Vitalic (not very live as such, but he played the hits and the atmosphere was spot on)
-Aidan Moffat/Bill Wells/The Best Ofs (triple bill Valentine shenanigans, and he played 'I Would Have Liked Me A Lot Last Night' solo on the autoharp)
-Jesse Malin (dude is a showman)
-LCD Soundsystem (gutted that was the last time, proper good band)
Fully expect either Mogwai on the 22nd or Lemonheads on Monday (fingers crossed) to trump at least one of these.
Honourable mentions to Lykke Li for playing a blinder, although the atmosphere from the crowd was non-existent, and The Field for being The Field, although I hadn't swotted up on the new album so it wasn't as jaw dropping as the last time.
First Atp next week too, hopefully a few from there might creep in too.
Too much too too.
Jesse Malin was great at Scala the other night
always puts on a good show
didn't get to catch D Generation though :'(
One trick pony
"Chief, I'll listen to the lyrics and work out what the song is about, now shut the hell up and play".
Seen him few times, same jokes, same stories and adlibs, same old same old name dropping. Most of the Ryan Adams audience ended up chatting through his set. He's fake leather, authentic as a ten minute in substituted player in the qualifiers giving the lecture on being a World Cup participant.
Turns out that LCD gig was over a year ago...
Getting old; years starting to melt into each other in my mind.
I'll add Primal Scream at T in the Park to the list instead; hearing them do Damage was an individual highlight of the year.
1. Big Boi at ATP
2. Animal Collective at ATP
3. Gang Gang Dance at ATP
4. Black Dice at ATP
5. Atlas Sound at ATP
I did actually go to other things though. Danananaykroyd and The Field and Islet and Jeffrey Lewis were all great and not at ATP.
1. Girls - Electric Ballroom
2. Primal Scream - Bestival
3. Foals - Latitude
4. Metronomy - Shepherd's Bush Empire + Bestival
5. The Cure - Bestival
(Honourable mentions: Fucked Up - Village Underground, Odd Future - Village Underground + Electric Ballroom. The Horrors - York Hall + 100 Club, Bombay Bicycle Club - Reading + Barfly + Brixton + Latitude)
yup, Girls at Electric is my top one too
1. Weezer @ Brixton
2. Big Boi @ ATP
3. Death From Above 1979 @ The Forum
4. Omar Souleyman @ Glastonbury
5. Janelle Monae @ Glastonbury
Honourable Mention: The Zelda concert at Hammersmith Apollo. Granted, not a proper 'live act' but that was insanely good.
ATP to come and I'm sure there'll be more goodies to come.
That Weezer setlist looked simply awesome. Lucky dude
Sufjan at RFH
The Antlers at Reading Fest
The Mars Volta at Sonisphere
The Cure at Bestival
Glassjaw at Reading Fest
the fact that i've missed off so many other incredible sets is a shame but notable mentions to Bjork, Mogwai, Four Year Strong, Fucked Up, Muse, Elbow, PJ Harvey and Robyn,
That Mars Volta show at Sonisphere was outstanding
i am so glad i wasn't the only one who thought so
They were at their concise groovey hypnotic best. I hope the new album is good after that.
DAMN YOU!!!
fucked up
1. Sufjan Stevens @ Manchester Apollo
2. Villagers - Brudenell Social Club - Not a fan of the album, but really was special in the Brudenell.
3. Daedelus/Tokimonsta/Teebs/Jeremiah Jae - Great line up at Brudenell
4. Ruins Alone - great drumming and slightly bonkers bespectacled japanese fella. What a spectacle!
5. Flaming Lips @ Joddrel Bank - Great setting and some more proper songs rather than just all happy clappy singalongs.
Honorable mentions to Joan as Policewoman, Daughter, Deerhunter, Fink.
Antlers - Borderline/Birmingham
Okkervil River - Heaven
Godflesh - Forum
Pulp – Brixton
The Twilight Sad – Borderline
Notable mentions - Elbow in Hackney; Superchunk last night; Kills at the RH
Off the top of my head:
Sufjan Stevens @ Copenhagen Vega
Efterklang @ Crossing Border, Eindhoven
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros @ London Old Vic Tunnels
Dustin Wong @ London Lexington
Pulp @ Primavera, Barcelona
And for a non "gig" musical experience: Distant Worlds at the Albert Hall last month.
Sufjan @ RFH both times
PJ Harvey at Troxy
Blood Orange/CANT @ Cargo
Portishead @ Alexandra Palace
OK GO @ Koko
Gang Gang Dance
Les Savy Fav
The Go! Team
Beirut
Wild Beasts
i haven't seen much this yr but all these were awesome.
godflesh...forum
swans & gybe & portishead @ ill be your mirror
These were all great...
Nicki & The Dove - Electrowerkz
Telescopes/Insect Guide - Zigfried Von Underbelly
The Coathangers - XOYO
Screaming Females / Human Hair - Lexington
Paris Suit Yourself - Madame JoJos
Versailles - Islington Academy
LCMDF/Sykur - Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Britney Spears - Wembley Arena
Givers - XOYO
Wire/Talk Normal - XOYO
Loads of mint stuff this year
Er top 5
Mike Watt & The Missingmen
Group Inerane/Flower Corsano last night was INCREDIBLE!
Our Love Will Destroy The World
R Stevie Moore
Thee Oh Sees
they were all in Newcastle
6th place - Goblin
also mint
Jessica Rylan
Bishop-Orcutt-Corsano
Hype Williams
Rhys Chatham Guitar Trio
Richard Dawson
Melvins with two drummers/with one drummer
Pretty sure Iggy and The Stooges would've been amazing if it hadn't been at the worst festival in the world.
Big Boi
Meat Puppets
Khaira Arby
Kyuss Lives
very jealous of anyone who got to see Group Inerane/Flower Corsano
Saw Flower Corsano a few years ago and it was brilliant and I imagine Group Inerane would be pretty great live too
there were pretty good!
It's those bits where they sound a bit like a stuck record and just get louder and louder. It was just as weirdly psychedelic as the cd!
Stands outs off top of head
Evangelista, Cafe Oto
Bjork, Manchester (surprised I'm first to mention this)
The Phantom Band, Norwich Arts Centre
Group Doueh, ATP
Animal Collective, ATP
forgot Staff Benda Bilili, Norwich Royal Theatre
Great performance, crap venue!
Bon Iver - Usher Hall
Deerhunter - Oran Mor
Gold Panda - King Tuts
Emeralds - Arches
Battles - Arches (especially witnessing John Staniers brilliance)
Didn't go to many gigs
But the best ones were:
Metronomy - Debaser, Stockholm
LC! - Unit, Tokyo
Mogwai - Headlining some festival in an abandoned steel mill in Naples
Owen Pallett performing Heartland - Barbican, London
The Horrors - Black Cat, Washington, DC
Didn't go to many gigs....
No bloody wonder, you must've spent most of your year in airports/bus stations/on motorways.
1. My Dying Bride @ Manchester Academy
2. Laura Cantrell @ Sheffield City Hall
3. Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton @ Sheffield Library
4. Justin Townes Earle @ The Greystones, Sheffield
5. Erland and The Carnival with Hannah Peel @ Sheffield Leadmill
Bjork - Mcr
Morrissey - York Barbican
Pretty much everything else has been not that memorable. In fact, I think I've been to less shows this year than normal.
Uh, off the top of my head
- Janelle Monae was off the hook
- Sufjan RFH show was phenomenal
- Big Boi was delirious fun
- Julianna Barwick at Slaughtered Lamb was intimate and lovely
- Demdike Stare's dark brew
Jaga Jazzist - Scala.
Battles - ICA.
PVT - The Lexington.
Oh Sees - The Dome
Enablers - The Lexington.
So many really great shows this year
Pulp @ Glastonbury
Weezer @ Brixton Academy
The Flaming Lips @ Jodrell Bank
Dananananaykroyd @ Derby Victoria Inn
Los Campesinos! @ Leeds Cockpit
Wild Beasts @ Glastonbury
Beyonce @ Glastonbury
Best Coast @ Manchester Club Academy
Esben and the Witch @ Salford St. Phillips Church
bilge pump
action beat
zun zun egui
francois & the atlas mountains
electrlane
Things wot I liked
Primavera highlights: PiL, Pulp, Matthew Dear, Factory Floor, Pissed jeans, Shellac
IBYM: Portishead, PJ Harvey, Company Flow, DOOM, Beak>... all of it basically
FOTL @ Hoxton B&Grill
Katy B @ Shepherd's Bush Empire
Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells @ Cargo
Juan Maclean @ Cargo
Janelle Monae @ Roundhouse
My top 5 - did no one catch Jens Lekman this year?!
Jens Lekman - Heaven
Janelle Monae - Glastonbury
Beyonce - Glastonbury
Pulp - Glastonbury
Sufjan - RFH
a very 'grouchland' list
Who's grouchland?
Still got ATP to go...
Tune-Yards (End of the Road/Primavera)
Suicide of Western Culture (Primavera)
Mogwai (various)
The Antlers (Birmingham)
Pulp (Primavera)
MEGADETH @ Sonisphere
I bet a festival length set from Megadeth would be amazing
I saw them in Manchester and after two and a half hours I was hating Dave Mustaine big time.
Top 5
1. Sufjan Stevens - Brighton Dome (by a country mile)
2. Mono - Concorde 2
3. Mogwai - Bournemouth Academy
4. Why? - Duke of York's Brighton
5. Dean Wareham - Komedia, Brighton
Low tomorrow night though so they'll probably be in there somewhere.
Sufjan Stevens
I could list others as well, but it seems pointless given how superior sufjan was to everything else to the point that other live music is basically redundant.
main thing to take from this thread..
Sufjan Stevens preety much kicks ass
1. Girls - Electric Ballroom
2. Cat's Eyes - Latitude
3. Real Estate - The Garage / Rough Trade East
4. John Maus - Rough Trade East
5. Jeffrey Lewis - Heaven
mentions to
smith westerns, the go! team, cults, twin sister, avi buffalo, high llamas, caribou, deerhunter, spectrals
thurston moore would probably replace jeffrey lewis
1. Stevie Nicks @ Hyde Park
2. Bright Eyes @ Royal Albert Hall
3. Antlers @ DiS stage, De Montfort Hall at Summer Sundae
4. When Saints Go Machine @ CAMP
5. Gang Gang Dance @ Great Escape
6. Luke Abbott @ DiS stage Great Escape
7. Austra @ Cargo
8. Friendly Fires @ XOYO
9. Christian AIDS/Stay+ @ DiS stage at Great Escape
10. Jeniferever @ Lexington
sufjan
bright eyes
the walkmen
wild beasts
good year, can't remember the beginning of it at all though
1. Chad VanGaalen @ Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh
2. St Vincent @ Stereo, Glasgow
3. White Denim/Royal Bangs @ Electric Circus, Edinburgh
4. Drive-By Truckers @ The Queens Hall, Edinburgh
5. The Go! Team/Phoenix Foundation @ Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
Chad was so drunk, second last night of his tour. He thought it'd be a good idea to do a 2 minute "sniff solo", one of the funniest moments of my life. St Vincent was a hazy dream of a show, though the cider and the heat probably helped. WD are a stupidly tight band, was grinning nonstop through it. DBT played literally two songs I recognised but I was entranced all the way through, sign of a gooood gig. The Go! Team never disappoint either.
Honourable mention for all of the Cambridge Folk Festival, no real stand-outs but it was just a whole weekend of fun
another good year...
badland @ folly bridge inn, oxford
arandel @ sonar, barcelona
redinho @ sonar, barcelona
kimura/ ono @ womad, wiltshire
whitetop mountaineers @ bestival, isle of wight
Quality over quantity this year
Sufjan at Brighton Dome
Mogwai at Bestival
Swans at IBYM
Bon Iver at Bristol Colston Hall
Brian Wilson at Bestival
Tall Ships at Tramlines
Don't thing I've seen a bad gig this year. Flaming Lips at Eden Project was too expensive and contained too many "COME ON MOTHERFUCKERS's" and not enough songs, but otherwise I've had a good year.
Yeah, I love The Flaming Lips,
but I've seen them too many times with all the gimmicks. I'd rather they play a dozen songs in a set, than 7 songs with a lot of faffing.
Still awesome to take a first timer though, almost more fun watching their reaction than the gig.
Know what you mean...
being that Eden was my first experience of the Flaming Lips live and I was totally blown away! And I thin the biodomes must've blown Wayne's mind - like he'd got back to his home planet! Seriously enjoyed that gig, and the Go!Team in support were great fun!
nah he has acted like that a lot this year
COME ON MOTHERFUCKERS COME ON
was fairly annoying to be honest. Still a great show though
More love for Sufjan
Sufjan at Primavera (easily the best I saw)
The Antlers at Screen on the Green
The National at Primavera
Okkervil River at Koko / Heaven
Parts and Labor at Camp
fleet foxes
never much cared for them until seeing their live show. stunning.
also..
akron/family
st.vincent
future islands
danny brown
So many great gigs this year. Quite pleasing.
Breathe Owl Breathe - travelled to Paris to see them at La Flèche d'or, seeing as they weren't coming to the UK. Totally worth the giant journey to see them.
13 & God - at the Garage. This was even better than I was hoping for.
The Real Tuesday Weld - saw them about 5 times this year. Probably last night at the Cobden Club was my favourite.
I'm From Barcelona - saw them twice this year; their headline Tabernacle gig was their usual brilliance
Sleep Party People - three times in three nights. Great bunny-masked band.
Jens Lekman - saw him twice, could happily have seen him many times more.
tUnE-YaRdS - three times, all great fun
Team Me - Lexington
Admiral Fallow - Lexington
Sufjan Stevens - both RFH shows. So so amazing.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros -Old Vic Tunnels & SBE
Loney Dear - three times
Agnes Obel - very beautiful gig at the Union Chapel
Efterklang - Scala
Owen Pallett and orchestra - Barbican
and also Efterklang, Owen Pallett and The National each three nights in a row in The Netherlands in February. Such an amazing line-up.
The Cure @ Bestival.
Simply incredible and one of the best shows I've ever seen, never mind just this year.
Other honourable mentions:-
Pulp @ Leeds Festival
Sisters Of Mercy @ Sonisphere
Wild Beasts @ Leicester Y Theatre
The Horrors @ Leeds Festival
The National @ Primavera
Factory Floor - everywhere I've seen them to be honest although the Summer Sundae and Highbury Garage shows stand out.
No mention of
Suede in this thread? Big surprise. Staggeringly good at Brixton
1. Suede at Brixton Academy
2. Touche Amore at Hevy
3. Gillian Welch at Hammersmith Apollo
4. Feed The Rhino at Hevy
5. Destroyer at Heaven
Hopeful for that Wild Flag / Veronica Falls gig next week too.
In no particular order
Death From Above 1979
Battles
Efterklang
Esben and the Witch
65daysofstatic
Daedelus
Portico Quartet (in a tiny pub in Sheffield!)
Bump, for pigfoot. (Perhaps we could sticky this thread)
I'll answer this but I'll see other answers and be like DOH! Missed that one!
1. Braids at Club Academy
2. Sufjan Stevens at Manchester Apollo
3. Pinback at Brudenell
4. Flaming Lips at Jodrell Bank
5. The Antlers at Sound Control
Galaxie 500 at Primavera and Crystal Stilts at Ruby Lounge just missing out
Post ATP bump
and for anyone else who missed it before...
I'll definitely be adding Holy Fuck, deciding between Caribou, Battles, Oxes, Flying Lotus and Les Savy Fav for the other 2 is tough!
Might be worth trying to find the thread started by pigfoot too,
As I think a fair few people posted theirs in there too.
Too broke this year to see much music
but catching Pulp at Leedsfest was great.
Prince - Hop Farm Festival
Simply one of the best live performances I've seen in a long time let alone this year.
Duchess Says at CAMP Basement last night...
...Jesus H Christ! Amazing.
Melvins - Electric Ballroom
Godflesh - The Forum
Lavotchkin - Old Blue Last
"Kyuss" - The Forum
Ghost of a Thousand/Bastions/Turbowolf - Old Blue Last
Black Breath - Borderline
Slipknot/Weezer - Sonisphere
Evening bump for the working people of DiS
this had a fuck load more replies last year, maybe the other thread has ballsed up my cornflakes.
1. Bon Iver - Manchester Apollo
2. Bon Iver - Leeds O2 Academy
3. Sufjan Stevens - Manchester Apollo
4. Tune-Yards - Brudenell, Leeds
5. Wild Beasts - Brudenell, Leeds
Special Mentions to:
Trail of Dead - Manchester Academy
Braids - Constellations, Leeds
GYBE - Leeds Met
St. Vincent - Brudenell, Leeds
Phosphorescent - Brudenell, Leeds
Band of Horses - Leeds O2 Academy
Biggest disappointment: Deerhunter - Leeds Irish Centre
Bon Iver - Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Caribou Vibration Ensemble - ATP
The Flaming Lips - Alexandra Palace
Bright Eyes - T in the Park
Battles - Arches, Glasgow
Bombay Bicycle Club - Barrowlands, Glasgow
Swans
PJ Harvey
and
Portishead @ I'll Be Your Mirror
Anais Mitchell @ The Union Chapel
Honorable mentions go to
Zola Jesus@Heaven
Been a quiet year... the following all deserve honourable mentions
Battles at The Plug, Sheffield
The last Dananananackroyd at The Cluny, Newcastle
And So I Watch You From Afar, 2000 trees Festival
But hands down best? Weezer, Brixton. Un-flipping-believable.
-o-
1. Sufjan Stevens @ RFH
2. David Thomas Broughton @ King's Place
3. Bill Orcutt @ Cafe Oto
4. HEALTH @ Jericho Tavern
5. Jonquil @ Blessing Force 1
More or less in order
Pulp @ Primavera
Sufjan Stevens @ RFH
Electrelane @ XoYo
M. Ward @ EoTR
Deerhunter @ Shepherd's Bush
Tuneyards @ EoTR
Belle & Sebastian @ Primavera
I can't believe I forgot..
Dean Wareham at Primavera. Probably squeezes in ahead of Sufjan.
Boris/Russian Circles/Saade
triple header at the Fleece in Bristol. In a word, LOUD
not one person has mentioned
Thee Oh Sees in this thread.
this makes me sad
Muse
Muse
Muse
Just kidding.
!!! forever
BUMP _ last few days
Seems Sufjan rules this year, don't leave it too late!
Saw Mogwai at the Bournemouth Academy
They were pretty fucking good.
But I'm in Bournemouth so there's been nothing else worth seeing. Such cases.
Flaming Lips
Sufjan Stevens
Battles
Fleet Foxes
Mogwai
Redneck Manifesto
Not Squares
Oh I didn't realise this was a proper top 5 POLL thingy. Ignore the last 2 I guess.
Hmmm top 5...so damn difficult.
1. Pulp at Glasto.
2. Sufjan at Primavera (thursday show). Seven Swans was incredible. And so damn loud.
3. Josh T Pearson at EOTR. This narrowly pips his Barbican and Lexington gigs.
4. Flaming Lips at Primavera. I know this didn't get much love, but I thought it was amazing, so cheerful. I was near the front and nicely drunk and had a good jump around with friends.
5. Grinderman at primavera. Or mogwai at hoxton bar and kitchen.
This:
1. Sufjan Stevens at the Royal Festival Hall
2. Matmos at Auto Italia
3. No Age at Spaghetti Tree
4. Dustin Wong at The Lexington
5. Future Islands at Plan B
6. JEFF The Brotherhood at the Old Blue Last
7. Trouble Books at Cafe OTO
8. The Antlers at The Borderline
9. Ty Segal at Primavera
10. Low at the Barbican
Honourable mentions for Roll The Dice at Cafe OTO, Foot Village at The Victoria, Flying Lotus at ATP NBC, Zola Jesus at the Bowery Ballroom, How To Dress Well at XOYO and Bill Callahan at the Barbican
....
Bjork - Manchester
The Walkmen - A church in Manchester
a.p.A.t.T/ Secret Chiefs 3 - Salford
Sufjan Stevens - Manc Apollo
St Vincent - Leeds Brudenell
Radiohead- Glastonbury
Queens Of The Stoneage - Manchester Academy
Iron Maiden - Manchester MEN
Efterklang - Manchester Academy 3
Mogwai - Manchester Academy
Trail Of Dead - Manchester Academy 2
St Wincent
These ones
Les Savy Fav at Heaven
Pulp at Primavera
Portishead twice at Alexandra Palace
EMA at Cargo
Fire! and Oren Ambarchi at the Vortex
Islet at The Lexington
The Ex and Getatchew Mekuria at ATP Minehead
Wild Flag at ATP Minehead
Doubling up my top 3
Gillian Welch - Chicago & Brighton
Ryan Adams - Oxford & Union Chapel
Bon Iver - Indianapolis & Hammersmith
The Decemberists - Glasgow
Pulp - Hyde Park
Bubbling under...
The Cave Singers at Greenman, Ani Difranco at Shepherds Bush, The Handsome Family, Vetiver, Meursault and Sparrow & The Workshop all at South Street, Reading
1. The Rapture (@ SWG3)
2. DJ Shadow (@ ABC)
3. CSS (@ Stereo)
4. The Go! Team (@ Oran Mor)
5. Motorhead (@ Academy)
(ATP NBX Top 3: Battles, Wild Flag, Nisennenmondai)
Wild Beasts, Leicester Y Theatre
Los Campesinos!, Wakefield Hop
Dananananaykroyd, Leicester Firebug
Josh T Pearson, EOTR
Aidan Moffatt & Bill Wells, Swn
Honourable mentions: Allo Darlin', Trail Of Dead, Phantom Band, Warpaint, Edwyn Collins, Gruff Rhys, ASIWYFA, British Sea Power in a library
Dead Rider + Poino at the Shacklewell Arms was one of the best "small" gigs I've ever seen
Advert at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
Blurt at The Macbeth (also at the Victoria in Mile End)
Nought at The Macbeth
Bo Ningen at Corsica Studios
3 of those gigs were ones I put on but still.
Bright Eyes at the Scala
Sufjan Stevens @ RFH - front row and utterly sublime
Wild Beasts @ Wlton's Music Hall
PJ Harvey @ Troxy
Suede @ Brixton Academy - Dog Man Star night, with the best encore ever
Not been to many at all this year, but here goes
1. The Walkmen at Latitude
2. Mercury Rev playing Deserter's Songs at Primavera
3. Pulp at Primavera
4. Bjork at Manchester International Festival
5. Tindersticks at Bridgewater Hall
Final bump for this
then I'll totes do the totes. I may not do it, and see if anyone notices.
I haven't posted mine
Wild Beasts - Leicester Y theatre. On the day Smother was released, the day after my birthday in a beautiful little venue. I drove from Brum on my own, and watched the band on my own. This made it extra special, and not tragic thanks for asking.
And So I Watch You From Afar - 2000 Trees festival. Immense.
Bon Iver - Birmingham Academy. The only act to have a crowd in that venue in absolute silence during his quieter moments. An amazing transformation of the acoustic songs to big band success, in a way that Iron & Wine should note.
Holy Fuck - ATP NBC. Perfect party people.
Adam Ant - Birmingham Academy. Waited 30 years for this, and wasn't expecting much but it was fantastic. An early b-side heavy set that no-one else on earth could get away with. And two drummers.
DJ Shadow - Birmingham Institute. The shadowsphere. Enough said, if you've seen it surely. I don't think I've ever been that entanced by the music/visuals combination at any other show, just mindwarping. And I only had one beer.
Runners up... Fleet Foxes, EITS, Gruff Rhys,Jonny, AnCo, Spectrum,Tall Ships, Battles.
I'll have a bash then . . .
1) Sufjan Stevens at Primavera
2) Wild Beasts at Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
3) Josh T. Pearson at Stereo, Glasgow
4) Caribou at Primavera
5) Primal Scream at Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens
1. Monster Magnet @ The Garage, Glasgow 24/11/2011
2. Crystal Head @ The purple Turtle, Camden 25/11/2011
3. The Black Angels @ Jo's Place SxSW, Austin, Texas 19/03/2011
4. Amplifier @ Colchester Arts 08/12/2011
5. The Early years @ CAMP 02/11/2011
Very close
Spotlight Kid @ The Flapper, Birmingham 22/10/2011
Boxer Rebellion @ Shephers Bush Empire 29/09/2011
Moby/Silver Apples @ The Roundhouse (iTunes Festival) 31/07/2011
Warrior Soul @ Camden Underworld 22/09/2011
A Place To Bury Strangers @ Cheer Up Charlies SxSW, Austin, Texas 16/03/2011
In no particular order
Sufjan at Primavera
Janelle Monae at Bristol Academy
The National at Bristol Academy
Bjork at Manchester International Festival
St Vincent at Fleece, Bristol
Metronomy plus Ghostpoet at Clwb Ifor Bach
From what I can remember (2010 & 2011 seem to clump together a bit...)
Evangelista @ Cafe Oto
Glassjaw @ The Forum
Mono & The Holy Ground Orchestra @ Koko
The Books @ IBYM, Alexandra Palace
Rival Schools @ O2 Islington
...Trail of Dead were also great at that O2 show, and Helen Money, BEAK> and Portishead were fantastic at IBYM too. Honourable mentions to Esmerine @ Electrowerkz, Sleepingdog @ Cafe Oto (though the audience, for once, weren't very receptive which kind of dampened it), Nadja, also @ Cafe Oto, and Torche & Part Chimp @ The Garage.