SLOTFACE (London Electrowerkz, 25/05/19)

More top-quality Norwegian pop-punk. Much better (and sweatier!) than the weirdly subdued Barfly show two years back.

TEETH OF THE SEA (London Science Museum, 21/06/19)

 Perhaps the volume was slightly too intense at times, but TotS's live score of a new documentary about the Apollo space program was for the most part pretty masterful.

AVA LUNA (London Thousand Islands, 19/06/19)

Not sure what I was expecting from Ava Luna's live show, but a heady brew of Talking Heads, Devo and Dirty Projectors, fronted by the mesmerising Jennifer Vanilla, was not it. Art rock par excellence!

YAMANTAKA//SONIC TITAN (London Sebright Arms, 18/06/19)

One of the most inexplicably undersold gigs I've ever attended, but even if London's ungrateful citizenry weren't that hyped, YT//ST's prog-psych No-Wave odysseys certainly hit the mark for me.

LONDON VIDEOGAME ORCHESTRA (London Theatre Peckham, 15/06/19)

A bit rough round the edges, but the inaugural performance of the LVGO showed tremendous promise, and most of all, heart.

ANDREW BIRD (London Barbican, 13/06/19)

A full-band show from the Whistle-Meister General, complete with an old-timey, "around the campfire"-style encore. Fantastic, naturally.

STEREOLAB (London Shepherd's Bush Empire, 12/06/19)

Ooh la la, c'est Stereolab. It's a shame that the middle-aged audience confused the place for a bustling Parisian wine bar rather than a live musical event, but on the whole- c'est bon!

BIKINI KILL (London Brixton Academy, 11/06/19)

Not sure if the shit-faced couple shouting "BIKINI KILL WERE CRAP" on the Tube were of the same opinion, but I thought Kathleen Hanna and co. were darn good fun. I did learn though that Riot Grrl moshpits are far too intense for my ancient and decrepit frame...

HARU NEMURI (London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, 10/06/19)

Maximal good times courtesy of J-pop, hip-hop/electro human dynamo Haru Nemuri, and DJ Flugvél og Geimskip A.K.A. "Drunk Bjork channeling Kero Kero Bonito". Haru, in particular, executed the best crowd-surf since David Yow at the first Jesus Lizard comeback concert 10 years ago - although the weeaboo-heavy audience seemed a bit non-plussed by it all.

AURORA (London Rough Trade East, 08/06/19)

Another bewitching set from Norway's most eccentric (and eco-conscious) elf-maiden.

JAMBINAI (London Garage, 06/06/19)

Their dance moves may be less slick than BTS, but I think Jambinai beat them slightly on the "epic post-rock-metal" front.

JASON LYTLE (London Bush Hall, 03/06/19)

A truly exquisite solo piano set from the Grandaddy frontman. Loved the moment where he compelled the audience to sing "the annoying melody" to A.M.180, and"He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot" was, as ever, pure gorgeousness.

ALL POINTS EAST (London Victoria Park, 02/06/19)

In all honesty I enjoyed this more as a "bumping into loads of friends and drinking free Jagermeister" experience rather than a musical one, but KOKOKO! brought the afro-funk party and Ezra Furman's punkish new direction was a balm for the soul.

FUJIYA & MIYAGI (London Moth Club, 01/06/19)

A monumental set from the eternally under-the-radar Fujiya & Miyagi, whose sardonic motorik funk resulted in hundreds of slightly-sozzled Centrist Dads trying to dance (and in one case, crowdsurf). They even nobly tried to heal our divided nation with a song called "Gammon". Absolute heroes, one and all.

SPENCER KRUG (London Bush Hall, 29/05/19)

Not only did I chat to my Genuine Musical Hero and Deeply Intense Ivory Tinkler Spencer Krug in actual real life, but I got to hear him play a Sunset Rubdown song for the first time in almost a decade. So that was nice.

ICHIKO AOBA (London Babel Arts Cafe, 28/05/19)

Went to see this charming Japanese guitarist on a complete whim, and she proved to be an understated delight. Also: more gigs should finish by half 6.

RAW POWER FESTIVAL (London Tufnell Park Dome, 25/05/19-26/05/19)

Day One: face-melting Japanese psych, Geordie feminist punk, brutal Norwegian experimental rock, Australian hellscapes-rendered-into-sound, London noise-rock, Mancunian scuzz-pop and the Dutch being Dutch.


Day Two: Drum-Robot-manufacturing Warlords from Lincoln, hypnotic ritualistic psych from Tokyo, baroque drones from London-via-Lyon, electro-drum-screamcore from Bristol, expert drumming from Porto and general ear-splitting madness from whatever far-out dimension Makoto Kawabata comes from. Same time next year I guess!

SUN RA ARKESTRA (London Union Chapel, 24/05/19)

Transported to a higher realm once more by everyone's favourite jazz wizards. Glad to report Marshall Allen remains a sprightly, irrepressible presence, despite this show being a celebration of his 95th (!) year upon this Terrestrial plane.

DISTANT WORLDS (London Royal Albert Hall, 17/05/19)

RIKKI performing "Suteki Da Ne"! A second half dedicated to Final Fantasy VII! If it wasn't for the fact that VIII was brutally ghosted, this would have been a classic even by Distant Worlds standards.

ERLAND COOPER (London Milton Court, 16/05/19)

A gently lovely performance from the eccentric Scot, doubling up as a pretty effective ad for the Orkney Tourist Board.

ROBERT FORSTER (London Union Chapel, 14/05/19)

Australian musical royalty in session down Islington way. To be honest, I found it rather singularly paced, but can't deny the man's songwriting talent.

KOENJI HYAKKEI (London Lexington, 12/05/19)

Now I've seen this Magma-inspired Japanese sextet, every Sunday evening that doesn't end with a delirious 70 minute burst of noise-jazz-prog-rock-opera seems pretty drab in comparison.

THE ESSEX GREEN (London Redon, 10/05/19)

The Elephant 6-adjacent indie-poppers don't come over to these shores that often, but their classic 60's-style tuneage was received with well-deserved enthusiasm.

PHILIP GLASS - THE BOWIE SYMPHONIES (London Royal Festival Hall 09/05/19)

The third movement based on 'Lodger' was "difficult", to put it euphemistically, but Philip Glass' reinvention of 'Low' and 'Heroes' proved a majestic fusion of undulating arpeggios and the unalloyed genius of the late, great Davie Jones.

LEWSBURG (London Shacklewell Arms, 08/05/19)

Pleasant enough Velvet Underground wannabes.

CRACK CLOUD (London Old Cholmeley Boys Club, 08/05/19)

Crack Cloud are the band that make me feel how Idles are supposed to make me feel. Hyper-kinetic straight-edge post-punk that's like a shot of pure adrenaline.

STELLA DONNELLY (London Scala, 07/05/19)

Hadn't been in the mood for this beforehand, but the Welsh-Australian singer-songwriter was a genuine joy to experience- witty, charismatic and a damn good songwriter to boot.

BUILT TO SPILL (London Kentish Town Forum, 03/05/19)

Stalwart indie-rockers indie-rocked their way through "Keep Me Like A Secret" with generally enjoyable results. Given the venue, it was a foregone conclusion it would sound like ass, but at least the mighty "Broken Chairs" was delivered with a heft and intensity worthy of its status.

OTOBOKE BEAVER (London Scala, 02/05/19)
 

There's few annual events I look forward to more than Damnably's Golden Week showcase, and this year all three bands knocked it out of the park. Drunken Boys & Girls Choir were scrappy but enthusiastic, Say Sue Me delicate and dreamlike, and Otoboke Beaver - as ever- a livewire garage-rock juggernaut.

HANABI (London Lexington, 28/04/19)

A rare opportunity to check out the Chris Marron Experience. Great stuff!

WEYES BLOOD (London Islington Assembly Hall, 25/04/19)

Sadly, I'll never get to see Karen Carpenter, but this was pretty much the next best thing.

THE ANTLERS (London Union Chapel, 23/04/19)

To be honest, I can take or leave most of the stuff The Antlers have released since, but "Hospice" remains uniquely devastating; an album of exquisite, spine-tingling beauty. As such, to hear them play it in full, stripped-down, in a venue like Union Chapel was inevitably one of the most emotional live musical experiences a fey Noughties indie kid could have.

SOAP & SKIN (London EartH, 15/04/19)

I knew the artist responsible for the most intensely harrowing performance I've ever experienced would bring her A-game to her first London show since 2012, but even I wasn't expecting a set of such ambition, artistry and passion. Moments of beautiful subtlety suddenly interrupted by abrasive industrial noise, gothic grandeur yielding to Omar Souleyman covers...truly, this set had it all. I am in awe.

BEIRUT (London Hammersmith Apollo, 12/04/19)

After the youthful exuberance of Aurora, Pom Poko and Black Country New Road earlier in the week, Zach Condon and co. struck me as a little 'Last Of The Summer Wine' in comparison, but all was forgiven when they basically ditched their recent stuff for a 'Flying Cup Club'-era setlist. Most pleasant.

BLACK COUNTRY NEW ROAD (London Lexington, 11/04/19)

I GUESS...I'M A LITTLE LATE...TO THE PARTY.

POM POKO (London Lexington, 10/04/19)

Excellent, hyper-kinetic set from the Norwegian four-piece. Think Battles covered by a Scandi pop-punk band, or Deerhoof but...less so. Cowbell-tastic!

AURORA (London Courtyard Theatre, 08/04/19)

Sometimes a bit of eccentric Norwegian elf magic is exactly what you need, and Aurora Aksnes delivers it in spades. A magical show for a worthwhile cause (even if the setlist was sorely missing "Conqueror").

DESPERATE JOURNALIST (London Garage, 05/04/19)

Review: HERE

KOKOKO! (London Xoyo, 04/04/19)

Sixty minutes of undiluted joy from a Congolese quintet so electrifying they could solve the global energy crisis. Yellow jumpsuits, home-made instruments, and a heady brew of afropop and hip-hop is apparently a recipe for sure-fire success.

EMILY WELLS (London Lexington, 23/03/19)

Spellbinding maverick multi-instrumentalism from the obscenely talented Texan. A minor revelation.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND (London Islington Assembly Hall, 23/03/19)

"Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?" Can't say I care that much either way, but spending a Saturday morning in the exuberant company of Ezra Koenig and co. was a pretty fun way to celebrate my 1,500th gig.

ONEIDA (London Oslo, 11/03/19)

Radical dadcore from the eclectic, perpetually cacophonous Brooklyn experimentalists.

THE HOLD STEADY (London Oslo, 10/03/19)

Ended up covered with beer, sweat and confetti, my voice was completely shot, but mytenth Hold Steady show was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best "rock" gigs I've ever been to. It's difficult to pick a highlight, but the closing run of 'Chips Ahoy', 'Stay Positive' and 'Killer Parties' (not to mention 'Stuck Between Stations' and 'Massive Nights' back-to-back) left me higher than one of the protagonists in a Craig Finn song.

THE COMET IS COMING (London Village Underground, 06/03/19)

Review: HERE

KAMASI WASHINGTON (London Brixton Academy, 05/03/19)

There's not much more I can say about King Kamasi that I haven't said before, but though this didn't quite eclipse the Roundhouse show as Potentially The Best Gig Ever, "Fists of Fury" (ft. Thundercat on bass) was one of the most monumental-sounding things these ears have ever been graced with.

SNAPPED ANKLES (London Oslo, 28/02/19)

Review: HERE

ANDREW BIRD (London Rough Trade West, 28/02/19)

Whistle Boss 5000 performing 'Tables & Chairs' (and six new songs) in a 80-capacity record store in Notting Hill. Nice.

ADVANCE BASE (London The Islington, 25/02/19)

Maudlin, lo-fi indie-tronica par excellence from Owen Ashworth, returning to Europe after a six year absence. Nice sprinkling of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone classics as a sop to us veterans, but the new material stands up well enough on its own merits.

THE ANDREAS ROYSUM ENSEMBLE (Oslo Nordic Black Theatre, 24/02/19)

Spent my final night in Scandinavia watching improv jazz in an avant-garde theatre founded by a guy named Cliff Moustache, which even I must admit is pretty on-brand.