Premium Japanese math-rock from a band who come second only to Otoboke Beaver for sheer, unadulterated on-stage energy. An absolute joy.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
NERVOUS CONDITIONS (London Old Blue Last, 24/08/17)
If you locked a bunch of teens in a room with only the more avant-garde records of the late 1970's as entertainment, you might eventually get a band that sound like Nervous Conditions (you'd probably get put on some sort of list too, but that's beside the point). Abrasive, intense, groovy and shot through with sinister swagger, I can't help but feel they're karma's way of compensating for Ed Sheeran and his thrice-cursed ilk.
If you locked a bunch of teens in a room with only the more avant-garde records of the late 1970's as entertainment, you might eventually get a band that sound like Nervous Conditions (you'd probably get put on some sort of list too, but that's beside the point). Abrasive, intense, groovy and shot through with sinister swagger, I can't help but feel they're karma's way of compensating for Ed Sheeran and his thrice-cursed ilk.
FEIST (London Shepherd's Bush Empire, 28/07/17)
It's a shame "1234" proved such an albatross around Leslie Feist's neck, for as catchy as that ubiquitous exemplar of mid-Noughties twee inarguably is, it tends to overshadow the fact that the rest of her work was considerably more interesting (see also: Chairlift). Her new album "Pleasure", for example, is sparse, moody and abrasive, yet works magnificently in a live setting- who needs bubblegum choruses when you've got righteous guitar shreddage and Jarvis Cocker? Add in some carefully curated earlier numbers (and a unplanned rendition of "Secret Heart"), and you've got a show that'll linger in the memory even longer than that damn song.
It's a shame "1234" proved such an albatross around Leslie Feist's neck, for as catchy as that ubiquitous exemplar of mid-Noughties twee inarguably is, it tends to overshadow the fact that the rest of her work was considerably more interesting (see also: Chairlift). Her new album "Pleasure", for example, is sparse, moody and abrasive, yet works magnificently in a live setting- who needs bubblegum choruses when you've got righteous guitar shreddage and Jarvis Cocker? Add in some carefully curated earlier numbers (and a unplanned rendition of "Secret Heart"), and you've got a show that'll linger in the memory even longer than that damn song.
A TRIBUTE TO SCOTT WALKER (London Royal Albert Hall, 25/07/17)
Of course nothing could ever come close to seeing the actual Scott Walker perform his songs live on stage, but Jarvis Cocker, Susanne Sundfor, John Grant and Richard Hawley give it a damn good shot. There's definitely an argument that Sundfor aside, the assembled talent play it too safe to capture the essence of what made Walker so unique, but Jarvis' general loucheness and Grant's unmistakable tenor went some way to compensate.
Of course nothing could ever come close to seeing the actual Scott Walker perform his songs live on stage, but Jarvis Cocker, Susanne Sundfor, John Grant and Richard Hawley give it a damn good shot. There's definitely an argument that Sundfor aside, the assembled talent play it too safe to capture the essence of what made Walker so unique, but Jarvis' general loucheness and Grant's unmistakable tenor went some way to compensate.
MERCURY REV (London Barbican, 14/07/17)
It's bewildering to think no-one had the idea to combine Mercury Rev's baroque dream-pop with an orchestra before, but needless to say, it's a marriage made in musical heaven. Jonathan Donahue looks like he's on Cloud 9 throughout, the arrangements are uniformly lush, and they even carry off an entirely straight-faced "When You Wish Upon A Star" without coming across as majorly self-indulgent. Truly enchanting.
It's bewildering to think no-one had the idea to combine Mercury Rev's baroque dream-pop with an orchestra before, but needless to say, it's a marriage made in musical heaven. Jonathan Donahue looks like he's on Cloud 9 throughout, the arrangements are uniformly lush, and they even carry off an entirely straight-faced "When You Wish Upon A Star" without coming across as majorly self-indulgent. Truly enchanting.
EZRA FURMAN (London Barbican, 13/07/17)
"The kid taking over the opera house" is how our queer Jewish hero describes himself tonight, and this one-off Barbican performance certainly proves a very different experience to the scrappy, euphoric rock 'n roll sermons he normally delivers. There's new and very old songs rendered acoustically, there's poetry, there's Leonard Cohen covers, there's collaborations with Du Blonde, there's a weird "Jazz Club" interlude, but most of all, there's Ezra, proving that even outside his comfort zone, he remains one of our generation's most compelling performers.
"The kid taking over the opera house" is how our queer Jewish hero describes himself tonight, and this one-off Barbican performance certainly proves a very different experience to the scrappy, euphoric rock 'n roll sermons he normally delivers. There's new and very old songs rendered acoustically, there's poetry, there's Leonard Cohen covers, there's collaborations with Du Blonde, there's a weird "Jazz Club" interlude, but most of all, there's Ezra, proving that even outside his comfort zone, he remains one of our generation's most compelling performers.
ARCADE FIRE (Manchester Castlefield Bowl, 06/07/17)
Not going to lie, the setlist was not really to my taste ("Intervention" is emphatically not my jam), but a second-tier Arcade Fire show is still better than almost every else out there. Plus, they ended with an a capella "Love Will Tear Us Apart", which was surprisingly well-judged for the band who wrote, recorded and released "Chemistry".
Not going to lie, the setlist was not really to my taste ("Intervention" is emphatically not my jam), but a second-tier Arcade Fire show is still better than almost every else out there. Plus, they ended with an a capella "Love Will Tear Us Apart", which was surprisingly well-judged for the band who wrote, recorded and released "Chemistry".
ARCADE FIRE (London York Hall, 04/07/17)
"Everything Now" might see Arcade Fire hitting the maligned "80's Bowie" section of their career, but whilst Win Butler's lyrics contain more tired cliches than a Tory press conference, their live prowess remains manifestly undimmed. Indeed, blessed with a perfectly constructed setlist and the most passionate performance I've seen from them since the "Funeral" era, this intimate in-the-round set was genuinely one of the most exhilarating gigs this seasoned old bastard has ever had the pleasure of experiencing. So glad to see that the band who made me fall in love with live music all those years ago still have the power to give me goosebumps. <3
"Everything Now" might see Arcade Fire hitting the maligned "80's Bowie" section of their career, but whilst Win Butler's lyrics contain more tired cliches than a Tory press conference, their live prowess remains manifestly undimmed. Indeed, blessed with a perfectly constructed setlist and the most passionate performance I've seen from them since the "Funeral" era, this intimate in-the-round set was genuinely one of the most exhilarating gigs this seasoned old bastard has ever had the pleasure of experiencing. So glad to see that the band who made me fall in love with live music all those years ago still have the power to give me goosebumps. <3
GREEN DAY (London Hyde Park, 01/07/17)
Billie Joe Armstrong may be slowly morphing into Liza Minnelli as his age skews closer to "pension" than "teen", but Green Day remain one of the slickest, most unabashedly crowd-pleasing live outfits this side of Springsteen. Lots of hits, lots of nostalgia, lots of fun.
Billie Joe Armstrong may be slowly morphing into Liza Minnelli as his age skews closer to "pension" than "teen", but Green Day remain one of the slickest, most unabashedly crowd-pleasing live outfits this side of Springsteen. Lots of hits, lots of nostalgia, lots of fun.
ANNA VON HAUSSWOLF (Birmingham Town Hall, 16/06/17)
The Arch-Deaconess of Drone on a fuck-off giant organ- a (literal) pipe dream come true, at least in theory. The reality was a little less transcendent, with less-than-perfect sound and a running time best described as "brief", but she still sounded commendably like Armageddon incarnate.
The Arch-Deaconess of Drone on a fuck-off giant organ- a (literal) pipe dream come true, at least in theory. The reality was a little less transcendent, with less-than-perfect sound and a running time best described as "brief", but she still sounded commendably like Armageddon incarnate.
WHY? (London Village Underground, 13/06/17)
One of the most infuriatingly un-Googleable bands in existence make a triumphant return to London, ditching the white-boy hip-hip of late-noughties classic "Alopecia" for straight-laced indie-rock but remaining as compelling a live experience as ever. Even though I hadn't seen them in years, there's is a gig I would get the Tube to from anywhere...
One of the most infuriatingly un-Googleable bands in existence make a triumphant return to London, ditching the white-boy hip-hip of late-noughties classic "Alopecia" for straight-laced indie-rock but remaining as compelling a live experience as ever. Even though I hadn't seen them in years, there's is a gig I would get the Tube to from anywhere...
SHUGO TOKUMARU (London Oslo, 07/06/17)
Ukuleles, feline hand-puppets and a Ghiblisworth of whimsy. On paper, a Shugo Tokumaru show sounds like an twee overdose-in-waiting, but his inventively charming popcraft, eclectic array of instruments and ever-enthusiastic backing band prove a thoroughly winning combination.
Ukuleles, feline hand-puppets and a Ghiblisworth of whimsy. On paper, a Shugo Tokumaru show sounds like an twee overdose-in-waiting, but his inventively charming popcraft, eclectic array of instruments and ever-enthusiastic backing band prove a thoroughly winning combination.
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