King's Cross Scala
Reviewed Events
Coldplay at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 19 Jun
Coldplay: They’re Tasty (Sorry Chris I couldn’t resist!)
I’m hung-over, tired, with sore feet and little to no voice left, and oh did I mention, I’ve just had the GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE. In my short
Six By Seven at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 08 Aug
Mantra Recordings' 5th Birthday celebrations brings the return of Nottingham's Six By Seven, not exactly a 'party band' but a curious event nonetheless, with this being only the band's second gig proper of 2001 and the anticipation almost exasperating. Since the departure of guitarist Sam Hempton, lost to »
Manic Street Preachers at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 13 Sep
Tonight the Manics achieve something I’d never thought they would – they were boring. Now, its not the Manics fault, I grant them – they tried to excel, but the elements are against them. The venue is tiny and overcrowded to say the least. Vast portions of the venue are roped off, covered in cameras, boom mikes, and te»
Suede at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 03 Sep
I've seen Suede play great gigs. Gigs where people, en masse, quite literally levitate out of humdrum existence and onto a higher plain. Tonight is NOT that night. Tonight is about all the things that affect a band and a gig outside of the performance itself. About the venue, about the people, about the t»
The Hidden Cameras at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 20 May
Dickon Edwards sings the praises of Toronto's finest fairly-secret army. A few weeks ago, Armando Ianucci's disappointing satirical TV programme, 'Gash', commented on the official SARS all-clear given to Toronto with this alleged gag. "It's now okay to go to Toronto, the authorities say. They »
Sage Francis, themselves, sole at London King's Cross Scala, Sun 15 Jun
I’m in no position to claim that I know anything about hip hop. I’m white, middle-class (I guess, even if I am broke as fuck), and my record collection consists primarily of hardcore bands that go ‘errRRAAGGHHhh!’ a lot, and some where they don’t so much. My hip hop knowledge is thus: Public Enemy are good – seen ‘em,»
Delays, Tim Burgess at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 20 Aug
One of the most promising acts of the new British indie pack, Delays (no 'the's here!) are a captivating hybrid of The La’s and Geneva. Led by the brothers Gilbert, they’re all floppy hair, model cheekbones and heavenly harmonies. The band have really tightened up their sound over the past f»
Constantines, Mission Of Burma at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 01 Jul
It should have been revelatory performance; a glorious return to form for a band heralded in the early eighties for their minimal yet wholly unorthodox style of indie-punk. What actually happened was nothing short of disappointing.»
The Twilight Singers at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 18 Aug
The Greg Dulli mafia roll into town and light-up this King's Cross venue with a enough overdriven sleaze to send James Ellroy screaming into the night. You should've been there...»
Low at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 23 Nov
Tonight the Scala is rammed to bursting point, full of expectant souls, waiting for Minnesota three-piece Low to deliver a sermon of hymn-like affirmations. Mimi Parker stands centre stage surrounded by all the percussion instruments she could need. Zak Sally and Alan Sparhawk stand either side of her, it’s almost a line; a united front.»
Leaves, Secret Machines at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 06 Dec
Secret Machines unleash their unique prog rock blues at the London Scala.»
M83 at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 17 May
The first time I heard M83, I was thirty thousand feet up in the air, peering at a flood of clouds beneath me, rising on jet engines and M83's turbocelestial sound. On record, it's weightless. It's like sonic Maltesers. Yet tonight they sound like they're trying to drill for oil using a screwdriver.»
High On Fire at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 22 Jun
High On Fire are daddies amongst children, wolves within the flock, and men of utmost authenticity and integrity...»
Jonathan Rice at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 24 Oct
Dragging on a cigarette cadged off a member of the audience, Jonathan Rice tells a rambling story about a punch up at a bizarre Christmas dinner in a Hollywood hotel. Then, with everyone still laughing, he draws us into another of his delicately exposed songs. Alone, he is everything you want from your lonely troubadour.»
Nada Surf, John Vanderslice at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 14 Nov
Much loved indie three piece Nada Surf play to a sold out Scala, bringing label-mate songwriter John Vanderslice along for the ride. »
Black Mountain, Dead Meadow, Wolf Parade at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 23 Nov
Low-end rhythms writhe, weave and snake about drumbeats that, while hardly perfunctory, never really stretch the imagination, whilst Simon’s guitar is both caressed and sent careening into supersonic excess. The whole experience is admirable enough on a superficial level, but open your ears a little wider and you see the music upon the inside of your eyelids...»
Part Chimp, Pelican, Rainy Day Fuck Parade at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Tue 20 Dec
Part Chimp, pull off the difficult task of marrying FACE battering heaviness with a predisposition towards major tonalities, lending their music a redemptive, celebratory feel whilst still making you nod your head like an idiot watching Sky One.»
Deerhoof at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 27 Mar
Deerhoof are international heroes, disguised in clothes to make them seem like you and I; paving roads of happiness across acres of emotional furrow. Like all the best heroes, this band finds it significantly harder to put a foot wrong than it does to effortlessly captivate with another spasmodic burst of rhythm. A yelp. Or a squeal. A fiddling, then middling then quite frankly bewildering guitar pattern...»
Hundred Reasons, 65daysofstatic, Keiko at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 06 Apr
This is the homecoming. Hundred Reasons are playing to the most people since their unceremonious departure from Columbia and they've worked damn hard to get back here. This is an all British lineup with 65daysofstatic and Keiko in support.»
The Knife at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 10 Apr
Light plays across the balaclava masked faces of The Knife - a green glow from their keyboards illuminates their moving mouths as they start to sing, and a pink aura hangs from above, casting deep pits of shadow into their eye sockets, accentuated by skull-like overlays that extend the cheekbones and brow. The bass is heavy and slow, and the vocal sounds at once distant and like it is being whispered into my ear, layered but live, treated with effects, but real and immediate. »
Deftones at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 07 Jun
Sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a real feeling of magic in the air: ‘Head Up’ is furiously executed, as diabolically potent today as it was in 1997, while ‘Minerva’ proves itself to be Deftones’ second-greatest anthem...»
Jamie T at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 19 Oct
The 20-year-old grins as he gushes about how he likes this last song best because playing it makes him feel like Johnny Cash. "So let me pretend, and maybe you can pretend this is a prison, and you’re prisoners, and these are the guards…" He’s pointing to security, who are the only ones not smiling and punters are rattling their cages overhead...»
Final Fantasy, Sebastien Tellier at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 24 Oct
Sebastien Tellier was an unexpected expectation-crushing surprise as support at Final Fantasy’s London gig. Coming on stage in a»
Arab Strap, De Rosa at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 08 Nov
This, then, is the last show that Arab Strap are to play in London. You'd expect some emotion, some sign that this is a fond farewell, wouldn't you? A little moistened eye, a little longing glance at the audience? Nah, pish off ye bastard, ye...»
Jeffrey Lewis, Nina Nastasia at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 28 Nov
If Nina Nastasia was heard by the commuting masses at five-thirty on a Friday afternoon, traffic would grind to a standstill for a fair few minutes. Even in a venue as haphazard of sound clarity as The Scala – taller than it is deep, it seems – the non-native New Yorker’s wondrous voice soars majestically...»
Albert Hammond Jr at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 29 Nov
Greeting a sold-out Scala tonight is a rather shy looking Strokes guitarist, backed by a formidable band of four, rather than the »
Tilly and the Wall, Kate Nash, The Little Ones at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Wed 28 Feb
Tilly and the Wall are the dictionary definition of infectious – resistance is futile against their riotous joie de vivre. In other hands, such unfettered happiness could be sickly and ring hollow, but even a cursory examination of their lyrics is enough to prove that this is optimism born out of dark times...»
Clinic, These New Puritans, Wild Beasts at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 11 Apr
A great line-up, this: three acts with their own distinctive artistic bent, toiling under one label to achieve the same Domino effect...»
Electrelane, The Early Years at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 09 May
“I ACTUALLY love you!” shrieks one overenthusiastic fan, and you know what she’s on about – at their transcendent best, Electrelane are a band worthy of your palpable admiration...»
Clark, Battles at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 16 May
Is this embarrassing? Is this not just the type of loose-kneed finger-clicking gig people storm out from? ‘Disengaged avant-garde jazz glam prog-rock’? No. I can feel my foot going. Sodden trainer sole compulsively beating against the adhesive Scala flooring. Battles are playing ‘Atlas’...»
Band of Horses at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 22 May
The Wild West-style checked shirts are out in force at the Scala tonight. And rightly so: this is, after all, a rather special event. Band of Horses are making their London debut as part of a brief four-date UK tour...»
Andrew Bird, St Vincent at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 07 Jun
St Vincent suprised me ... and I reckon alot of other people. Soon after she started the bars emptied and she finished playing to »
(Review of nothing)
It’s rammed in here tonight. We should have been here 45 minutes ago. Still, we’ve had a few drinks beforehand and cheekily sl»
Of Montreal at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 02 Aug
In any land far far away, it would take a powerful and exotic creature to turn torture festive, but electro pop chameleon Kevin Ba»
Kevin Drew at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Wed 05 Sep
There seems to be a divergence of opinion over tonight’s show before we've even reached the door. Is this Broken Social Scene? Is this Kevin Drew? Or… is this Broken Social Scene presents... Kevin Drew? (And if it is, what the hell does that mean anyway?)»
XX Teens, Simian Mobile Disco at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 27 Sep
I've given this a slight sub but maybe needs to be less in the Bangs-esque first person and a little more economic? SA I would rather be doing poppers with some twelve-year-old boys listening to Simian in their room than here tonight. Sounds like a blast.»
Foals, Metronomy at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 02 Oct
How often is it that a British band comes along (and an exciting one at that) who’ve yet to release a debut album, or even issue a widely available EP, and completely sell out a venue the size of the King’s Cross Scala? Sometimes when bands get together it just works, instantly...»
Les Savy Fav, DiS DJs at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 22 Oct
Is that Captain Birdseye, wearing his late grandmother’s nightdress, I spot on the horizon... or just an anthropomorphous Humpty Dumpty dressed as a character from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes»
Mono, Jesu at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 20 Nov
Mono remain one of the finest acts of their kind. Problem is that their kind are running out of ideas, and what once gripped the heart now only half-fills souls well versed in such music»
Scout Niblett, Devastations, Florence & The Machine at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Mon 26 Nov
Scout Niblett's folksy numbers are largely tuneless and the grungey numbers are as shapeless as the heavy-knit sweaters the genre’s original proponents shared a sorry predilection for»
Okkervil River at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 05 Feb
This was a strange affair!!! Not sure whether I liked it or not… I’ve been listening to the ‘Stage Names’ album for seve»
Rogue Wave at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 21 Feb
California's dreamy and uncomplicated Rogue Wave stand strong to play the kind of poignant and introverted Americana melodies that make your heart swell and demand you sing along - I really only wish I knew the words»
Patrick Watson, Miracle Fortress at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 02 Apr
Miracle Fortress' Five Roses remains one of my Desert Island Discs. Based on tonight's set, though, there's no need for the Canadians to come and tour where I get stranded»
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Tue 08 Apr
The politics override the music, ultimately masking mediocrity, as A Silver Mt. Zion is just a band. Nothing else. I’m sorry I assumed otherwise»
DeVotchKa at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 09 Apr
Tonight is very special. It’s nearly half eleven, well past curfew, and DeVotchKa are in ecstasy, flitting between the centuries with timeless panache, surely time travel at its best»
dEUS at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 16 Apr
dEUS take to the stage to exactly the kind of heartening reception reserved for long-absent heroes, and while this is not a perfect show the Belgians offer a timely reminder of their unbridled power»
Cut Copy at London King's Cross Scala, Wed 23 Apr
The winsome charm Cut Copy exemplify is laudable, and as the evening wears on the surrounding swirl becomes ever-more kaleidoscopic»
Mystery Jets at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 24 Apr
Tonight the Scala is overflowing with fans who’ve come to greet the south west London troupe as friends lifting off the bandages for the first time after reconstructive surgery. With breaths duly baited, the Mystery Jets do not disappoint»
Jens Lekman, Jaymay, Bon Iver at London King's Cross Scala, Tue 20 May
Having previously witnessed Jens Lekman plying his trade with just an acoustic guitar, what’s paraded before us is a far different beast»
No Age, Lovvers, HEALTH at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 11 Aug
Colossal blows stripping away your sanity, HEALTH have honed their game, whether their shrieking anthrax-induced pines or their obliterating industrial noise»
Jeffrey Lewis at London King's Cross Scala, Thu 18 Sep
He may be thinning on top and the wrong side of 30, but Jeffrey Lewis is undoubtedly the current king of hip and quirky anti-folk»
Laura Marling, Jay Jay Pistolet at Islington King's Cross Scala, Tue 11 Nov
The London folk circuit seems to have seen more heartbreak than a fat person's cardiologist. Tonight's performance proves that Laura Marling is the most delicate bloom in this bruised bouquet by far, and she shines, dazzlingly, for almost two hours.»
Jeffrey Lewis at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Thu 23 Apr
Jeffrey Lewis might have taken a while to climb the mountain, but he's getting near the peak now. Think of it more as a gentle amble than the hype helicopter giving you a lift to the top. Fans seem to have spread by word of mouth, a growing cult of fey individuals in love with Jeff's deprecating lyrics and antifolk leanings.»
Deerhunter, Extra Life at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Mon 18 May
Reverb piles up, forming loops that skate over the swathes of guitar. Deerhunter's self-styled "ambient punk" sound has never made more sense.»
No Age, Gentle Friendly, trash kit at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Mon 19 Oct
They say that cymbals eat guitars, but No Age's Randy Randall isn't worried. From the second the Sub Pop-signed LA two-piece lope »
Do Make Say Think, Years, Charles Spearin and the Happiness Project at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Thu 22 Oct
Do Make Say Think’s sixth full-length Other Truths was released this week, to almost universal acclaim. Such reception is well d»
Konono No.1 at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Sun 09 May
Only when the lights come on after the encore do I realize my legs are aching, I’m severely out of breath, and I truly have no idea how long the set lasted.»
Best Coast at King's Cross Scala, Islington, Wed 01 Dec
It’s all too polite, too inoffensive. »
Twitter
Facebook
Last.fm
SoundCloud
MySpace
Friendster
RSS
