GIANT DRAG (London Borderline, 17/09/13)

A scrappy but fun set from Annie Hardy, the funniest, sharpest dame in indie-rock. Shame they didn't play the best cut from the new album (“90210”), but they did perform “Kevin Is Gay,” one of the catchiest songs of the early noughties, and Hardy's banter was almost worth the price of admission itself.

ANAMANAGUCHI (London Garage, 15/09/13)

Chiptune odysseys! 3D pixel art projections! Magical light tubes! Neon rainbow bass strings! Anamanaguchi's first ever London gig was as much as a blast as one could hope for, even though the venue was, as the kids would put it, “hot as balls.” The rest of the bands were more of a mixed bag, however- Sabrepulse was exactly how I imagined Skrillex to sound like i.e. shit, Johnny Foreigner were a bit out of sorts, Shirobon was as decent as anyone that looks like a Games Workshop shelf-stacker deserves to be, and AXES were an absolutely stonking mix of Deerhoof, Ponytail, Battles and old school math-rock and one of the best support bands I've seen in years.

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER (London Bush Hall, 03/09/13)

Blasphemy as it may be, but I think I actually prefer Ms. Friedberger's solo material to that of the admirably eccentric, painfully uneven Fiery Furnaces. That unique, half-spoken, half-sung rapid delivery is still there, but the melodies are catchier, the quality more consistent, and with Field Music as her backing band, they also sound excellent live.

SIGUR ROS & POLICA (London Roundhouse, 02/09/13)

Review: HERE

(Sigur Ros were also very good, although the EOTR set was definitely better. No Olsen Olsen tonight, and a bit too heavy on the slower/less familiar tracks. Also, too many idiots chattering through the quiet bits, although that's pretty standard for free gigs.)

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (Larmer Park Gardens, 29/08/13 - 01/09/13)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Deap Vally (perfect festival band. Big riffs, lots of charm) 
• Cider Bus Disco Party on the Thursday night (although the brandy shots may have been a mistake) 
• King Khan (although I'm absolutely gutted about missing the Tipi Tent set) 
• Eels (Double fuckin' rainbows! All-out rock 'n roll set! E in exuberant form! So much better than the previous times I've seen them)
• David Byrne and St Vincent (Almost identical to the London show, but no less fantastic for that.) 
• Sigur Ros (My personal performance of the year. Surprised "Untitled 8" didn't cause structural damage to Stonehenge.) 
• Frontier Ruckus (Sunday morning. Musical saw. Good mix) Ichi (the most delightfully creative set of the weekend.) 
• Bo Ningen (because they're BO FUCKING NINGEN, duh) Jens Lekman (the perfect Sunday evening dance-along) 
• The Walkmen (find them hit or miss as a live band, but they were on top form this weekend. And they played "The Rat", which obviously isn't to be sniffed at) 
• The chocolate brownies at the Proper Tea Company stand

DISAPPOINTMENTS

• Most of Saturday (Julianna Barwick and Anna Van Hauswolff sounded good, but couldn't really get into them stuck in the back of a crowded Tipi Tent. Telemann, The Leisure Society and Pokey La Farge were pleasant enough. Nothing else grabbed me at all.) 
• Braids (Loved this band a few years back, but their new material is pretty zeitgeisty in a boring way.) 
• Belle and Sebastian's encore (the show itself was enjoyable enough- especially as they played “Your Cover's Blown”, but them finishing early ended the weekend on a somewhat anti-climatic note.) 
• Too many boring folks strumming guitars earnestly (although I was at End of the Road, what did I expect?)

In summary: not quite as fantastic as 2010, but still the best British festival in terms of atmosphere. First weekender in ages where I've enjoyed all three headliners, but can't deny a little disappointed by the lack of new discoveries. Nonetheless- a solid 8/10 weekend.

DAVID BYRNE & ST VINCENT (London Roundhouse, 27/08/13)



The brass! The choreography! The St Vincent shimmy! And most importantly- the songs! I always knew the Byrne/Clark combo would deliver, but this was truly one of the most magnificent gigs I've seen in recent times. The “Love Your Giant” stuff was good and all, much more vibrant live than on record, but it was the renditions of Talking Heads and St Vincent material, augmented by the most joyous 9-piece brass section ever, that made this a performance for the ages. I mean, seriously, “Marrow” followed by “This Must Be The Place”? And “Cruel” into “Road To Nowhere”? Truly incredible.