CUBAFROBEAT (London Jazz Cafe, 16/12/21)

This wasn’t actually intended to be my last gig of 2021, but ‘twas a fine one to wrap the year on anyway- Cubafrobeat do exactly what they say on the tin, and they do it very enjoyably indeed.

DAMON ALBARN (London Union Chapel, 14/12/21)

A truly magical evening with the Britpop legend performing his latest album plus stripped-down versions of Tender, Beetlebum, The Universal, and Girls & Boys. (Plus he gave me a fist-bump!). Brief, but sublime.

ILIKETRAINS (London Village Underground, 12/12/21)

Last time I saw iLiKETRAiNS, I was still a hirsute, virile student full of dreams and ambition. Those days are clearly long gone, but I’m glad to report they at least are StiLLQUiTEFANTASTiC, even though the soaring post-rock of olden tymes has largely given way to dark, paranoia-laden synth-pop.

JENNY MOORE’S MYSTIC BUSINESS (London St John’s-On-Bethnal Green Church, 11/12/21)

Lovely to see so many familiar faces at the final Daylight Music of 2021, and the music wasn't half-bad either! DM is one of the joys of living in London, and we can but hope it returns as strong as ever next year.

YARD ACT (London House of Vans, 09/12/21)

Swaggeringly triumphant, but deservedly so. These may be Dark Days, but the future surely shines bright for one of my favourite new British acts in yonks.

LUBOMYR MELNYK (London Cafe Oto, 08/12/21)

Sheer bliss in piano form, and well worth the 21 month wait. I've seen quite a bit of live music in my time, but "Windmills" may well be one of the most transcendental pieces of them all.

HEN OGLEDD (London Corsica Studios, 07/12/21)

Can't deny I had some, ahem, quibbles about the choice of venue and the band were clearly getting a bit narked with the tech issues, but "The Old North" still prog-folked their hearts out and for that I salute them.

CHILLY GONZALES (London Royal Festival Hall, 03/12/21)

Jarvis Cocker singing "Last Christmas", a comparison between the proletarian folk of the Eastenders theme and the bourgeoise decadence of Succession's and a whole load of melancholically-minded carols. Who needs Santa when you have Chilly Gonzales?

PRINCESS GOES TO THE BUTTERFLY MUSEUM (London Bush Hall, 30/11/21)

A diverting if singularly paced set from the Popular American Actor that was at least a lot better than Michael Cera's weedy efforts a few years back. Reckon a significant percentage of the audience had penned erotic Dexter fanfic at some point in their life...

VOKA GENTLE (London Rough Trade West, 29/11/21)

An intimate, stripped-down, and fantastically socially distanced (i.e I was the only non-staff member there) Rough Trade instore from the psychedelic art-pop trio.

DRY CLEANING (London Moth Club, 28/11/21)

Dry Cleaning’s zeitgeist-y combo of post-punk instrumentals and sprechgesang vocals hadn’t quite clicked with me before this show, but this scintillating performance, raising funds for ovarian cancer in tribute to the bassist’s late mother, would have converted even the most cynical nay-sayer.

ODYSSEY (London Jazz Cafe, 27/11/21)

In Camden, it's always Disco o'clock. A bit too cheesy for my tastes overall, but “Native New Yorker” is still one of the all-time greatest tracks of the 1970s.

WET LEG (London Brixton Academy, 25/11/21)

Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin? Regardless of your thoughts on that particular question, "Chaise Longue" was undoubtedly the single most fun gig moment of 2021.

CHARLES LLOYD (London Barbican, 20/11/21)

83 years old, and he can still saxo-mo-phone it up with the very best of them. Simply top-tier musicianship all round.

TERJE ISUNGSET (London Kings Place, 19/11/21)

Instruments carved from glacier ice, Tuvan, Sami and Inuit folk singers...plus jazz? Not a combination you see every day, but this exhibition of "Ice Music" proved a remarkable, almost otherworldly experience.

HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO (London Cafe Oto, 18/11/21)

The popular Dalston arts venue was sadly decimated tonight by the righteous riffage of these rogue Norwegians. Only a crater filled with shattered free-jazz LPs remains.

ICHIKO AOBA (London Kings Place, 17/11/21)

A spellbinding set of delicate, Ghibli-esque dream-folk from Japan - you could have heard a pin drop when she played her last, unamplified song sitting on the edge of the stage. Simply beautiful.

DAMON LOCKS BLACK MONUMENT ENSEMBLE (London EartH, 15/11/21)

I originally had plans to be in Chicago this week, but instead Chicago came to me. A mesmerising, spiritually-charged show that reminded me of Idris Ackamoor with a 21st century twist, even if the venue was a bit too cavernous for my liking.

THE BURNING HELL (London Lexington, 14/11/21)

There are few bands that make me as uncomplicatedly happy as the Burning Hell, and this show was most delightful possible end to an amazing weekend of live music. Particularly enjoyed how they incorporated the unsettling stickiness of the Lexington floor into their set...

BALIMAYA PROJECT (London Southbank Centre, 14/11/21)

A killer (and free) 70 minute set in the Clore Ballroom, fusing jazz and a varied selection of traditional West African styles.