Borderline
Info
Capacity: 275
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road
Reviewed Events
The Miles Hunt Club at London Borderline, Mon 07 Jan
First things first, it's lovely to see Miles in somewhere small (for my own personal gratification) without lots of people in very very old t-shirts reliving their pasts and thinking that they are 20 year olds trapped in 30something bodies. I must admit that towards the end of The Wonder Stuff's most recent set of gig»
Remy Zero, Ben Lovejoy at London Borderline, Tue 05 Feb
I’m riding the last subway train to anywhere with this childlike grin extending from ear to ear. My body aches all over, my voice has been reduced to a mere inaudible croak – and I’m wondering how on earth I’m going to describe what was possibly the best gig of my life.
I’ve waited three years for this gig »
Tom McRae at London Borderline, Wed 11 Dec
"There's an acoustic cafe up the road from here where I used to pay to perform three songs. In two years I've come... eight yards" chuckles the none-more-affable singer-songwriter Tom McRae. He forgot to say "via Shepherds Bush Empire clutching an acclaimed debut album". Whoops. Oh well. Bani»
Jacks Creation, Dragster at London Borderline, Mon 23 Jun
Dragster are already playing as we enter Soho’s quaint little Borderline club. A raven-haired punkette clad in boots and mini-skirt, pretty but mean looking, belts out a number over the racket of the band’s distorted rumble. The guitarist looks like a cross between Chopper and Mad Max, like a deranged sheep s»
The Boxer Rebellion at London Borderline, Tue 22 Jul
Like a fountain of flame, pain and paraffin, The Boxer Rebellion are so post-everything they may as well be courier delivered straight into your soul. Love is the opening song, sounding like Coldplay’s ‘Politik’ butchered by The Music’s ‘The Dance’, sending sweet shivers of seratonin through your b»
Razorlight at London Borderline, Thu 21 Aug
Believe the hype? Well, as Razorlight mount the stage, it’s notable that there’s already an impressively small army of loyal fans gathered, eagerly waiting for them to start. Naturally, frontman and ex-Libertine, Johnny Borrell, takes to the stage last, joining his band (which includes drummer C»
Oceansize, Elefant at London Borderline, Wed 05 Nov
Elefant: another pretty non-descript NYC outfit all suited up and singing nasal rhymes like they're The Strokes winning a Brian Molko karaoke competition and Oceansize: the tightest, most musically together band around. Songs? Sadly not, but live, that doesn't matter.»
Ox at London Borderline, Fri 23 Apr
Ox quietly stun with a stripped down set that sounds at once both timeless and unmistakably of its era.»
Go Go Pimps at London Borderline, Mon 16 Aug
Some bands need a focal point. In Amelia Pruen, London’s Go Go Pimps have just that...»
The Magic Numbers at London Borderline, Fri 10 Dec
Band most likely to stop the rain at Glasto 2005, The Magic Numbers sound like a Beck-ed ip Beautiful South playing Doves.»
The Paddingtons at London Borderline, Thu 10 Feb
Even before I plunge into the depths of the Borderline, I am privy to shrieks of delight as a herd of girls fawn over one of tonight’s headliners, The Paddingtons.»
Now It's Overhead at London Borderline, Sun 20 Feb
Now It’s Overhead: a band of split personalities guaranteed to split opinion, then, even in the mind of the individual.»
The Faculty at London Borderline, Fri 11 Nov
I predict they'll disband in a haze of cocaine and feedback, some time in April.»
The Tailors, The Rumble Strips, The Bishops at London Borderline, Wed 18 Jan
If you see this band live, I defy you not to have a good time...»
William Elliott Whitmore at London Borderline, Wed 02 Aug
Until his deliberate self-destruction at the hands of the demon drink – “I had a drink problem, but now I can afford it,” he says – Whitmore is an engrossing performer for the right reasons. He sings with his heart in his throat, stamps his foot and hacks at his banjo as if cutting through the overgrown undergrowth of some alien forest, the foliage before him so thick it takes an hour’s effort to move six inches forward... »
Cold War Kids at London Borderline, Thu 30 Nov
Having written here but days ago that essentially, the only area of music that is currently exciting me is the world of electronica. Be it techno, ambient house or unpredictable waves of noise, there's been more there for me to grasp than anywhere else in the musical sphere for a while now. Of course then, when I'm presented with four average indie whiteboys in the overtly indie hangout and beer cellar known affectionately as the Borderline, I'm less than excited. That is of course, until they start to play.»
Club Fandango, curated by Steve Lamacq at London Borderline, Thu 01 Mar
Absolutely cracking sets from all three bands.»
The New Pornographers, Immaculate Machine at London Borderline, Tue 19 Jun
The New Pornographers play full steam ahead, right from the off. They've always been labelled as power-pop, the tag is deserving. It's hard not to crack a smile - this all being wonderfully free of pretension. It's wave after wave of melody - not unpredictable, perhaps a little overtly nice, but most certainly memorable. »
Club Fandango at London Borderline, Thu 26 Jul
Okay, we're getting there. Energised by a Mercury nomination and galvanised by every gig they play, Maps are sounding better with each show...»
Patrick Watson at London Borderline, Tue 07 Aug
It’s hot as hell in The Borderline. Sweat collecting into droplets, dripping down your back. And there’s simply no escape. Patrick Watson’s name has found its way into so many ears and homes, and then back onto people’s lips, that we’re crammed into formation in here, soaking in our own brine. It’s utterly degrading and disgusting; we must be somewhere worthwhile...»
Emmy the Great, George Pringle, Eugene McGuinness at London Borderline, Wed 05 Sep
Seemingly nervous and looking quite small George Pringle takes the small steps up to the Borderline's stage. Armed with just her »
Jim Noir at London Borderline, Thu 17 Jan
Jim Noir takes the stage – tall, aloof and chatty. But, immediately, something is off. To start, he forgets lyrics, spills beer all over the stage, chats more than he sings and misplaces the setlist. He keeps asking the keyboardist which song is next, then playing the wrong one, apologizing and starting again»
Pete and the Pirates, Let's Wrestle at London Borderline, Tue 29 Jan
Let's Wrestle are the band the maxim ‘here’s three chords, now start a band’ was invented for, a band to stop all the bickering and the name-calling and make you realise why you made music your girlfriend in the first place»
It Hugs Back, Monade at London Borderline, Fri 29 Feb
Really, Monade are above the prosaic business of reviewing; the most multifunctional pop band you're likely to see, equal parts dreamy, calculated and natural.»
White Rabbits, Teenagers in Tokyo at London Borderline, Tue 29 Apr
Intimacy is not the best atmosphere for White Rabbits' music, as these intricate song structures are more suited for bigger venues, places allowing more space to explore, squeeze into and influence. I bet Koko is next»
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