BEACH HOUSE (London Bush Hall, 17/02/10)



My apathy towards Beach House may have been dispelled after their triumphant Fleapit show last December, but I’m still yet to be convinced that they’ve reached their full potential as a live band. There’s a reserve to their performance that fits the bewitching nature of their spacious dream-pop, and it sure sounds bloody lovely, but I can’t shake the feeling you’d get the same effect by playing the album really loud and have the band mime over it.

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)

tUne-YaRdS (London Cargo, 15/02/10)



A ukulele, a drum kit and a loop pedal aren’t normally things that stir a crowd into rapture, but then again, Merrill Garbus isn’t your run-of-the-mill musician. Refreshingly inventive and dynamic, her genre-bending song structures are infused with a rhythm and playfulness that gets feet tapping and hands a-clapping, and her exuberant personality is as infectious as the Afrobeat-infused basslines that underpin her songs. But if there’s one thing marks her as a talent of the highest order, it’s that astonishing voice. With a range and versatility that puts all contenders to shame, she switches from old school soul showboating to quirky beatboxing with breathtaking ease, resulting in more jaw-to-floor moments that any recent performance I can rcall. An absolute marvel, she’s set the bar ridiculously high for the rest of the acts I'll see this year- if I witness anything else as good in 2010, I’ll count myself a very lucky man.

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)

MUSIC GO MUSIC (University of London Union, 11/02/10)



It's weird how swiftly your tolerance of students declines after graduation. As someone who left the hallowed halls of academia several years ago, my ability to endure the chattering, drunken imbecility that passes for Uni culture is minimal at best. It's therefore no surprise that the University of London Union isnt't my favourite place to check out a gig, and true to form the crowd was full of boozed-up morons who by rights should be kicked in the nuts with impunity. Nonetheless, not even they could ruin my enjoyment of MGM's ABBA-inspired disco-rock, with Meredith Metcalf's enchanting girl-next-door charm and a fine line in ultra catchy melody-making ensuring fun times all round.

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)

STILL FLYIN' (London Proud Galleries, 04/02/10)



If Proud Galleries was a person, they'd be an absolute cunt. But despite being a vision of hipster hell, the Barn of Infinite Sorrow couldn't impact on the jaunty good times provided in bulk by Still Flyin' and Bearsuit. The former's carefree, ramshackle nature recalled the sadly-missed Mae Shi, and the latter's quirky, bass-heavy twee-pop could rouse even the most exhausted civil servant from his lethargy.

(Photo: Makinations (Flickr))

THAO NGUYEN AND THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN (Camden Barfly, 01/02/10)



Despite some bastard swiping her guitar, Thao Nguyen's reluctant to let London's thieving underclass ruin her day. Jovial and charismatic, her vocals have a husky intensity that's more passionate than tuneful, but married to upbeat country-tinged indie that's perfectly calibrated to get feet stomping and hands clapping, the hour long set never fails to delight. The Barfly's one of the most soulless venues in the capital, patronised primarily by chattering industry types and twats, so the fact they managed to get something of an atmosphere going is to the band's massive credit.

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)