BLACK COUNTRY NEW ROAD (London Social, 19/09/18)

It was entirely right that Nervous Conditions, the most thrilling new British band of our era, decided to call it a day after their lead singer was accused of sexual impropriety. But I'm also glad the non-tainted members were granted another chance to unleash their uncompromising genre-warping cacophony upon the world. With Connor's departure, the snarling Mark E Smith-ian menace of their original incarnation has given way to a more instrumental approach, but their surreal, brutal brilliance remains intact.

DIONNE WARWICK (London Royal Albert Hall, 18/09/18)

Whilst it was undoubtedly an honour to witness a genuine soul legend perform some of the greatest songs ever written, muffled sound, the most obnoxious audience members in Christendom and a medley structure that traded depth for eclecticism resulted in an ultimately underwhelming experience. "Walk On By" was dispatched with almost unseemly haste, and only "A House Is Not A Home" was afforded enough breathing space to hit on the emotional level.

BELAKO (London Lexington, 17/09/18)

Didn't know much about this Power-Pop-Post-Punk outfit from the Basque Country beforehand, but with a verve and vitality that's half Savages, half Slotface, the Bilbao four-piece deserve to be a hell of a lot bigger.

MITSKI (London Rough Trade East, 17/09/18)

Mitski Miyawaki has long been on my "to-see" list, and this passionate solo acoustic set at Rough Trade, both raw and bewitching beautiful, showcased exactly why she's our Best American Girl.

WHY? (London Electric Ballroom, 15/09/18)

"Alopecia" is one of my all-time favourite albums, so to hear it performed live in full was a rather emotional experience. Even the often taciturn Yoni Wolf seemed taken aback by the force of several hundred people singing "yours is a funeral I'd fly to from anywhere" in harmonically uneven unison, and the reworked arrangement of "By Torpedo Or Crohn's" almost brought a tear to these cynical, embittered eyes. Sublime.

MASS GOTHIC (London Sebright Arms, 12/09/18)

It's a shame Mass Gothic didn't emerge thirteen or so years ago as they would have been huge, but their vibrant, well-crafted indie-rock still gets these old heartstrings a-stir.

JANELLE MONAE (London Roundhouse, 11/09/18)

The obvious heir to Michael Jackson and Prince, Janelle Monae may as yet lack the 5-star catalogue that'd propel her to superstar status, but her all-singing, all-dancing, and commendably #woke show is one of the most impressive all-round performances London has seen in a very long time. Truly the Electric Lady.

QUJAKU (London Lexington, 09/09/18)

Few things make me happier than Japanese bands that sound like the Apocalypse and Qujaku could have annihilated galaxies. Definitely the loudest gig I've been to at The Lexington and without a doubt one of the best.

TITUS ANDRONICUS (London St Pancras Old Church, 06/09/18)

Review: HERE

ST VINCENT (London Cadogan Hall, 04/09/18)

After feeling slightly detached from the stylistic and conceptual bells and whistles of the last two tours, it was such a delight to see Annie Clark play this stripped-down, piano-and-vox show with no 'quirky' monologues, no slow falls down stairs, and no pre-recorded backing tracks. A tremendous evening.

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (Larmer Tree Gardens, 30/08/18-02/09/18)

My fifth weekend at Larmer Tree, and one of the best yet. My top ten highlights:

- Feist's gimmick-free, effortlessly charismatic tour de force on Sunday night
- Vampire Weekend's surprisingly accomplished feel-good headline set
- The ferocious guitar shreddage of the ever-underrated Screaming Females
- Mulatu Astatke's sublime early-evening Ethio-jazz
- The eardrum-annihilating closing collaboration between Snapped Ankles and AK/DK
- Patrick Stickles' raw, but passion-fuelled Velvet Underground medley
- Ezra Furman being Ezra Furman
- Lucy Dacus' late-night cover of "Dancing In The Dark"
- The elatory Sudanese grooves of The Scorpios
- Haley Heynderickx's low-key, mesmerising charm

KING AYISOBA (London Cafe Oto, 28/08/18)

A heady dose of spell-binding Ghanaian rhythms from the critically-acclaimed kologo master.

LIGHTNING BOLT (London Black Heart, 26/08/18)

Is there a band more aptly named than Lightning Bolt? The noise-rock duo may have hit their mid-Forties, but their relentless racket still feels like a full-body shock to the system.

LIZZO (London Islington Academy, 24/08/18)

Move over Lizzie, Lizzo's our true Queen now.

THE SUN RA ARKESTRA (London Union Chapel, 16/08/18)

Marshall Allen is now 94 years of age, and yet seems more sprightly than ever. How the hell does that work? Needless to say, this was the best display of Afro-futuristic free-jazz space wizardry I've seen yet, as hypnotically groovy as the eighth ring of Saturn.

THE LEMON TWIGS (London Lexington, 15/08/18)

Review: HERE

JENNY LEWIS (London Koko, 14/08/18)

Review: HERE

CONFIDENCE MAN (London Scala, 08/08/18)

It's difficult to nail pastiche without coming across as overly arch and knowing, but Confidence Man's impeccably earnest send-up of cheesy 90's Euro-dance is an unqualified success, not least because they've got the catchy-as-hell pop bangers to back up the ludicrous costume changes and dance routines. C.O.O.L indeed.

THE FLAMING LIPS (Cambridge Junction, 23/07/18)

I didn't think it would be possible for Wayne Coyne to carry off the full Flaming Lips experience, incorporating confetti cannons, luminescent unicorns, a 10ft inflatable pink robot and roughly 52 billion giant balloons, in an 800 capacity venue. I was extremely happy to be proved wrong.

KALEIDOSCOPE FESTIVAL (London Alexandra Palace, 21/07/18)

All Points East might have had all the razzmatazz, but Kaleidoscope definitely had the soul. Located on Alexandra Hill, providing a magnificent view of the city below, it undoubtedly had some teething problems (exhausting their food and beer by 8pm, equipment cutting out during Ghostpoet), but the musical quality was unimpeachable, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant, and the ridiculous technicolour extravaganza of The Flaming Lips completely exhilarating.

ROY AYERS (London Jazz Cafe, 06/07/18)

Everybody loves the sunshine, but everyone loves the vibraphone legend even more, even if his voice is pretty shot these days. A brief but compelling jazz-funk odyssey.

MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS (London Brixton Blues Kitchen, 04/07/18)

It's not often you get to witness a bona fide Motown legend for £2 above a hipster-orientated burger restaurant, but it's something I wished happened more often. Of course her voice isn't what it used to be, and the other Vandellas looked like they were perpetually chewing a barrelful of wasps when they weren't singing, but the sheer joie de vivre of their performance really captured what made the Detroit sound so utterly timeless. One of the surprise highlights of the year.

EELS (London Brixton Academy, 02/07/18)

Over the last twelve years we've been treated to Eels "with Strings", "Gospel-y Garage" Eels, "Minimalist Acoustic" Eels, "Rock Powerhouse" Eels and "Baroque" Eels, and tonight continues Mark "E" Everett's constant reinvention of his material with what might be dubbed the "Double Denim" era. Bringing a certain country-rockin' spin to a career-spanning setlist, it might not be the most innovative or emotionally striking twist they've taken, but everyone looked like they were having so much fun I doubt anyone cared.