FIRE! (London Cafe Oto, 26/03/16)

It's been a while since the Swedish improv trio have been to these here parts (at least without their 25-piece accompanying orchestra) so it's great to have the opportunity to witness their motorik grooves and saxophone squalls in such an intimate setting. Quite impressed too by the guy who tried to start a one-man moshpit during a particularly avant-garde interlude. Truly the epitome of #yolo.

WET (London Scala, 23/03/16) 

A damp squib.

ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF (London St John's at Bethnal Green, 18/03/16)

Anna Von Hausswolff might well be the literal harbinger of the Apocalypse. Indeed, this show was so loud, the vibrations knocked my phone off the pew in front of me and (allegedly) caused small chunks of masonry to fall from the church roof - which is something even My Bloody Valentine can't boast. From gothic organ drones to heavy-metal freakouts (and an excellently-judged cover of Bowie's "Warszawa"), this was the most intense performance I've seen since Pharmakon- and one as beautiful as it was visceral.

DAN DEACON (London Village Underground, 17/03/16)

Not the best audience I've ever experienced at a DD show (too many media types checking their smartphones throughout), but for the most part, my assertions from last time still hold. Euphoric.

OMAR SOULEYMAN (London Koko, 16/03/16)

This generation- "Generation Y", "Millenials" or whatever- gets a lot of flack, much of which is entirely deserved. But it is to their credit that this gig, wherein a middle-aged Syrian man in a didashah played Dabke-inspired techno, is primarily populated by those younger than myself. (Back in my day, they'd almost doubtlessly all be watching landfill indie, and that's just unforgivable.) An infectiously groovy performance.

DEAFHEAVEN (London Heaven, 14/03/16)

I went to Heaven and now I am deaf. Turns out these black-metal-meets-shoegaze racketeers are aptly named.

DREAM WIFE & REYKJAVIKURDAETUR (London Birthdays, 11/03/16)

Review: HERE

TRICOT (London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, 04/03/16)

Tricot are a math-rock band from Kyoto, Japan and they do math-rock better than anyone else. Things may start off a little reserved, but by the final ten minutes, guitars are being whirled, the bassist is inexplicably river-dancing, the singer is draped over the sounddesk and the room is filled with sweat, flailing arms and an exceptional amount of joy.

EMILIE AND OGDEN (London Waiting Room, 03/03/16)

Some New Joanna? Well, there's no denying there's some crossover between Emilie Kahn and a certain other quirky harpist with a distinctive voice, but her work ultimately bears more resemblance to the likes of Daughter than the obtuse, sprawling epics of "Ys". And that's not a criticism- she may not have not crafted anything as elegant as "Emily" so far, but it's also easier to distinguish her voice from nails down a blackboard. (*safety wink*)