The Luminaire
Info
Since the demise of The National, Kilburn NW6 and surrounding locales have long been known as something of a musical desert, but now, The Luminaire, a 250 capacity, comfortable, slightly decadent and much-needed addition to London's small venue circuit, is promoting whatever alternative music can throw at it.
The venue is serviced by two tube lines [Jubilee + Bakerloo], two Silverlink rail lines [Brondesbury + Kilburn High Road stations] and a slew of buses [16, 32, 189, 316].
For directions, go here.
Reviewed Events
Part Chimp, Todd, Hey Colossus, Lords, DJ Das Gink at The Luminaire, London, South East England, Sun 29 Jan
With a bill only rivalled by Lewis versus Holyfield circa ’99 for heaviness, combined with a palpable air of the impending arrival of The Noise, tonight’s punch-in-the-ear feast boasts a veritable banquet unrivalled in months for all fans of the bludgeon-end of rock...»
Daniel Agust at London The Luminaire, Mon 06 Feb
...Pick yourself up from where you fell, all of thirty minutes ago, lulled into tripping face-forward into a blackest hole of immeasurable depth; where it goes, only you now know; the descent, soundtracked by widescreen dreamadelica only the price on the door can buy: Daníel Ágúst...»
Jeffrey Lewis, My Latest Novel at London The Luminaire, Mon 20 Feb
Where else tonight could you see a 'low budget video' as Jeff incorporates his drawing talent into the set, abandoning the microphone and instead loudly singing a story a capella to accompany the pictures he has drawn?»
Howling Bells at London The Luminaire, Mon 27 Feb
Howling Bells' live show is too flawless for stages like this. It feels distractingly confined in the space, ready to erupt and burn itself onto much, much bigger and more grandiose stages. There's a real sense in the room tonight that this band, these songs, really aren't meant to stay down here for the likes of us.»
The Flesh Happening, The Imbeciles at London The Luminaire, Tue 21 Mar
The extremely aptly-monickered The Imbeciles, are led by erstwhile Eighties Matchbox B-Liner Andy Huxley, and also feature an escapee of Neil’s Children. Due to the fact that their concoction of stoner-ish punk/metal squall is rather far removed from their previous ‘work’, it’s not a total surprise they felt the need to run their own race.»
Simon Bookish, Final Fantasy, Grizzly Bear at London The Luminaire, Wed 10 May
Initially mistaking his prowess with a loop pedal for a backing track, Pallett does a sterling job of recreating the layered complexities of his recorded output in a live setting. The songs aren't diminished at by the changes required to make them possible to play.»
Camera Obscura at London The Luminaire, Sun 14 May
DiS damn near falls over before we’ve so much as taken one step inside The Luminaire this evening – there’s something about the foyer glitterball and a large mirror to the right of the front doors that completely disorientates your average gig-goer (and yes, we’re very average)...»
Lightning Bolt, An Albatross at London The Luminaire, Sun 28 May
This isn't any noisy band, this isn't even about noise at all; there is no noise. Noise is what you get when sound doesn't make sense anymore, and all of this makes sense, in a warped, lawless, six-dimensional kind of way. Lightning Bolt are one very simple opposition; drums and bass bounced off each other like nuclear fission until something violent and unconceivable happens.»
volcano! at London The Luminaire, Tue 30 May
First heard of these guys yesterday, was pretty exciting, some flashes of brilliance, like bjork on acid doing punk, questionable and interesting. felt like they were breaking rules and the results were fresh, long live the new flesh. Tape grew on me»
Charalambides at London The Luminaire, Sat 08 Jul
The intensity of a live performance is often so that leaving a venue speechless is a sign of appreciation, rather than boredom. Tonight at London's Luminaire, appreciation doesn't cover half of the emotion many would wish to convey, myself included...»
Blood On The Wall, xbxrx, Lovvers at London The Luminaire, Tue 19 Sep
xbxrx, emerge to a slightly depleted crowd; although I’m fairly far from overwhelmed by Blood On The Wall’s encore-capped set (aren’t support acts meant to ignore such requests?), clearly a good percentage of ticket-holders are so non-plussed by the Californian quartet’s jerky rhythms and coarse vocals that they’ve bailed without so much as bearing witness to a single song. It’s their loss, and a massive one...»
Shearwater at London The Luminaire, Fri 20 Oct
Shearwater are one of these bands that seem to create interest without any gimmick, just musicianship and a trickling source of melody that, throughout the gig tonight, does not make a start in drying up...»
A Hawk And A Hacksaw, Kid Harpoon at London The Luminaire, Sun 12 Nov
Despite the last-minute cancellation of oh-so-hot-right-now blog superstar Beirut due to ill health and personal circumstances, London has turned out en masse for co-headliners A Hawk And A Hacksaw - and I'll bet they're glad they did...»
Cortney Tidwell, Cyann & Ben at London The Luminaire, Wed 15 Nov
Paris? I’ve never even been there, but until I visit the music of Cyann & Ben will aid my own sweet belief that the city is one untainted by the mess of modernity...»
Monade, Fugu, Ueh at London The Luminaire, Thu 30 Nov
To an almost empty room, Ueh start to play their apparently freeform psychedelic mouldings of sound, tides of noise and inimitable instrumental wizardry. Laetitia Sadier of Monade skulks around the back of the room for a while, before taking to the stage and thwacking a tambourine like a cool version of the Australian hippy from This Is Spinal Tap... »
Viarosa, Josh T Pearson at London The Luminaire, Tue 05 Dec
The most startling sensation felt – the immediate stillness that strikes the individual, rendering them statuesque save for a few tilts of the head to find a better viewing angle – is one informed as much by nostalgia, the memory of performances past, as it is by what unfolds on stage this evening...»
No Age at London The Luminaire, Mon 16 Apr
No Age are all smiles. So are we. It feels nice...»
Faust at London The Luminaire, Wed 13 Jun
What a night! Totally insane evening beginning with a screening of a recent full band live performance, then Zappi and Jean delive»
They Don't Sleep, Optimist Club at London The Luminaire, Tue 17 Jul
An ominous black cloud – huge and bulging, and about to burst – hangs over the DiS office this morning. It’s like the heavens themselves know what’s passed...»
Audrey, DiS DJs, Yndi Halda, The Monroe Transfer at The Luminaire, London, South East England, Sun 28 Oct
A note for bands playing the Luminaire in future: stick as best you can to the noted stage times or else anyone with a house south of the river and work tomorrow will miss half your headline set. Thanks»
Lucky Dragons, Hawnay Troof, BARR at London The Luminaire, Sat 18 Oct
Hope in modern music isn’t a particularly easy thing to come by. Yet, there’s a select band of American musicians who specialise in it, and tonight three of them gather in Kilburn’s Luminaire.»
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