ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE (London 100 Club, 06/10/19)

Another Sunday evening praying at the altar of the Acid Mothers Temple. Possibly the heaviest I've ever seen them, which is saying something - if I could live in a piece of music, "Pink Lady Lemonade" would surely be a contender.

KANDA BONGO MAN (London Rich Mix, 05/10/19)

West Ken Kwassa Kwassa courtesy of the Congolese soukous legend.

JAMBINAI (London Purcell Rooms, 03/10/19)

My 6th time experiencing the South Korean post-rock/metallers and probably the best? "ONDA" and "Connection" both sounded positively apocalyptic with the pimped-up six-piece setup.

STARS (London Scala,30/09/19)

The 15th anniversary of 'Set Yourself On Fire'. The 3rd time I've seen the joyously heart-on-sleeve Canadians at the Scala. The 100th gig I've attended in 2019. What an album, what a show, what a band!

SAY SUE ME (London Lexington, 29/09/19) 

Far and away the best set I've seen from the fuzz-laden shoegazers from South Korea. They've grown so much as a band these last 3 years...

MARIKA HACKMAN (London Islington Assembly Hall, 26/09/19)

Not *quite* sure if I was the target demographic for this, but had a good time regardless- so many people were pogo-ing during "Boyfriend" I feared for the structural integrity of the building.

SARATHY KORWAR (London Moth Club, 25/09/19)

Tonight I witnessed two versions of Britain: one exemplified by the phenomenonal Sarathy Korwar, whose exuberant, politically-charged melting pot of jazz, spoken word, noise and bhangra brought together a diverse audience with the sheer joy of music; the other by a corpulent jizz-sodden haystack seeping corruption, dog-whistle racism and corrosive privilege from every pore, stumbling through life (and wives, some of whom he personally married) under the severe misapprehension that a passable knowledge of Ancient Greek is an adequate substitute for basic human decency. I know which I prefer.

SASAMI (London Moth Club, 24/09/19)

A rawer, more energetic performance than you might have expected from her rather more restrained recordings. Then again, she did used to be in Cherry Glazerr...

MÚM (London Union Chapel, 21/09/19)

Glitchy Icelandic loveliness at Union Chapel. Not quite as classic as the 2007 Scala gig with its 20-piece ensemble, but a close second for sure.

OPERATORS (London Sebright Arms, 19/09/19)

70 minutes of electro-percussive bangers, a tribute to late cultural critic Mark Fisher, top crisps banter, an unexpected airing of my favourite Handsome Furs song (Serve The People), hugs from Dan Boeckner, and the company of friends old and new. An A+ sorta evening.

LHASA (London Barbican, 17/09/19)

A gorgeous tribute to the late Mexican-American musician Lhasa de Sela, featuring Feist, Andrew Barr (The Barr Brothers), Bryce Dessner (The National), Mélissa Laveaux, Ariel Engle (La Force/Broken Social Scene), Dustin O'Halloran (A Winged Victory For The Sullen), Emma Broughton, Todd Dahlhoff, Pauline DeLassus (Mina Tindle), Clarice Jensen, Alexi Murdoch and Joel Shearer. Wasn't familiar with her work beforehand, but this was a persuasive argument to rectify that.

ALTIN GUN (London XOYO, 11/09/19)

Super-fun disco-infused Anatolian psychedelia straight from 1976. Şiddetle tavsiye edilir!

THE FLAMING LIPS (London Brixton Academy, 07/09/19)

Wayne Coyne might be the neediest man on the planet, but that didn't unduly undermine the fact I finally got to hear The Flaming Lips play "The Soft Bulletin" in full. "Waitin' For A Superman" and "Suddenly Everything Has Changed" were particularly welcome reminders that under the confetti, balloons and inflatable genocidal pink robots, they're a pretty decent band at heart.

SERPENTWITHFEET (London EartH, 03/09/19)

An immense, soulful and unique talent, but perhaps one best enjoyed in less suffocatingly humid environs.

DEERHOOF (London EartH, 02/09/19)

The venue may have been warmer than the centre of the Sun, but watching Greg Saunier flail around his drum kit like a malfunctioning robot remains one of the great pleasures in life.