Gig Reviews
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sleigh bells, Teeth at Old Blue Last, London, South East England, Sat 07 Aug
“Respect the wristbands”, says Teeth’s Veronica and that’s what tonight is all about. A highly publicised free show for Sl»
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, The Xcerts at The Deaf Institute, Manchester, Tue 10 Aug
While he still means what he says, Duckworth doesn’t say it with the same youthful frustration that used to ignite his inspiration.»
Best Coast, Sky Larkin at Cargo, London, Mon 02 Aug
Sometimes there is nothing more repelling than hype. Not because people aren't to be trusted, especially when it often appears to be a gigantic weight of them, but more because the crushing of heightened expectation is never fun and you'll never regain the enthusiasm that was once a product of the small element of mystery. It's more than fair to say that Best Coast have been recipients of an awful lot of talk, chatter, much positive, much of it perhaps over the top. Maybe it's because there's so little to get excited about nowadays. I don't really know. »
Perfume Genius at Hoxton Hall, London, Tue 13 Jul
On Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius's, debut full-length, there is such an exposed fragility that it's quite difficult to listen t»
Wu Tang Clan at Brixton Academy, Lambeth, Wed 04 Aug
The Wu aren’t entirely expendable themselves just yet, but they’re still not utterly dependable either.»
Klaxons at Village Undergound, London, Wed 28 Jul
Klaxons were propelled by a cultural explosion four years ago, but tonight proves that away from the transient fashions their songs still work, because they’re well crafted art-pop stunners.»
Savoir Adore at Bodega Social, Nottingham, Thu 22 Jul
While it would be unfair to suggest Brooklyn duo Savoir Adore are in possession of all the answers, there's no disputing their minimalist, slightly off-kilter and every-once-in-a-while lo-fi excursions around a tune bring a much needed breath of fresh air to an underwhelmed yet exhausted genre... »
Os Mutantes at Royal Festival Hall, Lambeth, Sun 18 Jul
It's hard to think of a better showcase for alternative Brazilian music than this. Os Mutantes, tied to the Tropicalia movement that revolutionised Brazil in the 1960s, are perhaps, along with Tom Zé, the only artists from that era that have managed to maintain the spirit of experimentation and of regurgatating pop music, as well, even better, fresher pop than it was in the first place. »
Underworld, Kele at Roundhouse, London, South East England, Sat 17 Jul
I feel wholly undecided about tonight’s event. It’s hard to argue with being given free gig tickets and song downloads and yet»
The National at Corn Exchange Theatre, Brighton, Fri 09 Jul
Although a fine performance, it is the wealth of quality material that really stuns.»
Wild Beasts, The XX at London, Roundhouse 12/7/2010
The division between audience and headliner tonight is a physical one, true – band high on stage, gaggle grouped below. But there’s also a detachment that’s rather less tangible, albeit just as apparent; a schism of circumstance that confirms, for better or worse, that The xx have truly flown the indie nest and arrived at a place where their delicate songs have been co-opted by the comparative masses. »
Shackleton, Shed, Pole, Martyn at Fabric, London, South East England, Sat 03 Jul
On a good night, with the right kind of music, Fabric’s Room One may well have the finest club sound I’ve ever encountered. Th»
Arcade Fire at Hackney Empire, Hackney, Wed 07 Jul
Maybe tonight is just a lie: the next time we see Arcade Fire it won’t be in a plush Edwardian music hall, but headlining to fuck knows how many pissed up Libertines and Blink 182 fans at Reading/Leeds. We’ll know by then whether we like The Suburbs or not, and even though I can safely say these songs sound pretty great live, goodwill counts for a lot. But tonight Arcade Fire were the band we wanted them to be, and I think more importantly, they were probably the band they want themselves to be. It counts for a lot.»
Dirty Projectors at The Barbican, City of London, Fri 25 Jun
Tonight sees Dirty Projectors dominant, glorious, and offering the best that avant garde rock can offer. I'm sorry you missed it.»
Micah P Hinson at Union Chapel, Islington, Wed 02 Jun
Do we still crave authenticity from our prophets, our storytellers, our troubadours, our balladeers? Is that all we’ve ever real»
Xiu Xiu, Woom, Blue on Blue at Plan B, Stockwell, Sun 06 Jun
Last year, Jamie Stewart’s solo shows proved that less can be (frighteningly, excoriatingly) more, because one man onstage – s»
Flight Of The Conchords at Wembley Arena, London, Tue 25 May
Wembley is without a doubt an intimidating place, and it takes a lot for a band to hold it in the palm of their hand. Bigger acts than Flight of the Conchords have come here and done worse - even so, the New Zealand twosome don't make this the triumph it should be, despite their best efforts.»
Liars, Factory Floor at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, Thu 27 May
I leave feeling underwhelmed and disappointed by Liars, but determined to hear more from Factory Floor.»
Mos Def at Bristol Academy, Bristol, Wed 14 Apr
There’s few who mix style and substance quite like Dante.»
NME Radar Tour at Waterfront, Norwich, Tue 11 May
Not many peoples turned up to see Hurts, Everything Everything and Darwin Deez in Norwich. Shame, cause it was brills. »
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