THE CAN PROJECT (London Barbican, 08/04/17)

Shame ol' Jaki couldn't make it (RIP), but despite slightly muddy sound up in the Gods, this 50th anniversary tribute to perhaps the greatest practitioners of Krautrock - featuring the electrifying presence of original vocalist Malcolm Mooney- was an inventive, ear-pounding, motorik treat.

GRANDADDY (Brighton Concorde 2, 01/04/17)

Ol' Grumpykins Lytle was pissed off with the venue, and there were a few around me who'd had a little too much Pimms in the sunshine, but Grandaddy's superlative lo-fi indie-rock was well worth the trek from the Big Smoke.

GOLDFRAPP (London Roundhouse, 27/03/17)

Alison Goldfrapp has historically alternated between high-energy albums and more sedate releases (and tours), and whilst I'm certain I've enjoyed seeing either incarnation, I'm not going to deny that seeing Goldfrapp in full "vamp disco" mode was a pretty invigorating experience. Minimalist set-up, maximally effective.

TONY ALLEN (London Forum, 24/03/17)

The Crown Prince of Afrobeat, now in his mid-Seventies, is always worth checking out, but even he couldn't quite transcend the sheer, unyielding awfulness that is the Kentish Town Forum on a Friday night.

MANUEL GOTTSCHING (London Barbican, 22/03/17)

There are few musicians out there that can claim to be influential in two completely disparate genres, but Manuel Gottsching has over his five-decade career proved to be instrumental in the development of both psychedelic rock (via his group Ash Ra Tempel) and techno, via his spontaneously improvised 1984 work "E2 E4". Tonight's performance showcased both aspects, with varying success- "E2 E4" was mesmerising in a soporific, minimalist way, but the psych jamming wasn't as far-out as it should have been, perhaps due to last-minute withdrawal of Ariel Pink.