Humanity at large may have
been a crushing disappointment, but at least we got some good gigs
out of 2024. Sadly, the harsh laws of mathematics mean I can't
squeeze every decent show I saw into this Top 50, so here's a list of
honourable mentions:
Acid Mothers Temple, Agaskodo Telimerik, Amadou & Mariam, Amanda Bergman, Ana Lua Caiano, Arthur Verocai, Baliyama Project, Belako, Best Youth, Black Country New Road, Bob Dylan, Bohren & Der Club of Gore, Califone, Caroline Rose, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Craig Finn, Cursive, Death Cab For Cutie, Divanhana, Fever Ray, For Breakfast, Grey and Silver, Gustaf, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Heemoon Lee, Hekla, HYPERGAL, Ichiko Aoba, Jane’s Addiction, Jeffrey Lewis, Joanna Sternberg, June McDoom, Kevin Drew, Lail Arad, Le Vent du Nord, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Mandrake Handshake, Mary in the Junkyard, Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs, Mock Media, MONO, Mozart Estate, Mutual Benefit, Odetta Hartman, Okkervil River, Osibisa, Otoboke Beaver, Palehound, Patti Smith, Patrick Wolf, Perennial, Personal Trainer, Pixies, Plantoid, Pom Poko, Pushpin, Qujaku, Rachael Lavelle, SANAM, Senyawa, Sleater-Kinney, Slotface, Slow Shift, SMTO No-Noise, STRFKR, Sweeping Promises, TAFFY, Tangerine Dream, The Itch, The National, The New Eves, The Postal Service, The Research, They Might Be Giants, Upchuck, Vanity Fairy, Wednesday, Yard Act and Zola Jesus
And now, without further ado:
50. MAYA YOUSSEF - London St Martin-On-The-Fields Church
Two hours of blissful Syrian qanun, accompanied by piano and percussion, at the beautiful and iconic St Martin's-on-the-Fields Church.
49. OTOMO YOSHIHIDE SPECIAL BIG BAND - London Cafe Oto
One of those shows I attended at Oto out of sheer intrigue, the night's proceedings featured classic Japanese TV theme tunes, Balkan bops, avant-garde jazz improv and some honest to god J-pop (at Cafe Oto, I reiterate!) with no less than seventeen musicians "on stage". The bassist from Led Zeppelin even turned up! Eclectic but often wonderful.
48. MONO - London St John Hackney Church
In truth, much of this was MONO-by-numbers: 10 minute instrumental epics inevitably culminating in a pulverising post-rock climax (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!), but closing number "Everlasting Light", augmented by a full-strong section was truly one of the most transcendently epic moments of the year.
47. DANIEL KNOX - London West Hampstead Arts Club
70 minutes of piano-centric misanthropy, delivered with dark wit, resonant baritone and a low-key dash of sentimentality. Just make sure to duck when he chucks his crumpled lyric sheets at you.
46. CAMERA OBSCURA - London KOKO
Eighteen years ago, the first real "gig friend" I ever had introduced me to the Northern Soul-meets-Scottish melancholia of Camera Obscura, and my appreciation for them has only deepened over the years. The tragic and far-too-young passing of keyboardist Carey Lander means they've been absent for a long while, but their first London show in many years (indeed, at the very same venue I first saw them in in 2007) was an all-killer, no-filler delight.
45. CHINESE AMERICAN BEAR - London Two Palms
I've been waiting for this Seattle duo to visit the UK for a couple of years, and their chirpy, dreamy take on Canto-pop was well worth the wait. At one point, a random man danced on stage with a dumpling on his head, which is always a sign of quality in my book.
44. THE HOLD STEADY - London Electric Ballroom
The Hold Steady Weekender now forms a fundamental part of yearly gig calendar, and though there's no big surprises in the 2024 edition, having a two-hour heartland rock sing-along in a room of like-minded people is sometimes all you need. Stay Positive!
43. MINAMI DEUTSCH - London 100 Club
I regret to inform you that this Tokyo psych band obliterated me at a sub-atomic level.
42. THE LAST DINNER PARTY - London Roundhouse
You know you're doing well when your album isn't even out yet, but there's already a dozen sketchy-looking Camdenites flogging bootleg merch outside the venue. Yes, The Last Dinner Party are a bit posh, but their ascendency is well-deserved; after years of minimalist post-punk Sprechgesang, people yearn for big melodies and a sense of theatre and these ladies deliver that with aplomb.
41. TAPIR! - London Rough Trade East
My biggest musical regret of 2024 is not seeing Tapir! more often, as their lushly arranged, pastoral psych folk really is one of the loveliest things I've heard in recent times.
40. FOCUS - London Bush Hall
Flute solos! Yodelling! Thijs van Leer's sideburns! Yes, I had the pleasure to witness ancient Dutch legends Focus deliver a two hour prog-rock masterclass, and it was "verdomd goed" indeed.
39. MAN MAN - London MOTH Club
Perhaps not quite as madcap as in their heyday, but it was a real pleasure to witness Honus Honus' gruff-voiced vaudeville exuberance again after an eleven-year absence. He even sat on my lap and gave me a peck on the cheek mid-song, as you do.
38. PEARL CHARLES - London Slaughtered Lamb
"Only For Tonight" was my lockdown jam, so it made me very happy to finally hear it performed in less apocalyptic circumstances. Awesome funk guitar from Michael Rault too. Musical sunshine.
37. EZRA FURMAN - London Union Chapel
She does what she wants! We do what she wants! Everyone is happy! But seriously, what an honour to see Ezra back after a hiatus from touring- a beautiful, cathartic testament to the power of song, and a reminder of how electrifying a performer she is.
36. COLIN STETSON - London Barbican
If this is what the End Times sound like, count me in! One commentator accurately described 'Reborn' as sounding like "sunrise over Hell"; other moments made "O Fortuna" sound twee in comparison. An (un)holy triumph.
35. FATOUMATA DIAWARA - London KOKO
An ebullient set from Mali's most famous daughter, fusing traditional regiona styles with funk, reggae, jazz and rock, plus some very important messaging about the scourge of FGM.
34. AROOJ AFTAB - London Omeara
Sharp wit, free whiskey, exquisite musicianship. What more could you ask for? Mangos? Well, she was giving them away too. Stunning (and mad props to Terry Riley's son on guitar- that family certainly has talent!)
33. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - London Barbican
Stephin Merritt and his jaunty gang, performing '69 Love Songs' in full over two nights? Truly, I am the Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side (Of North Watford). Interestingly, although Night 1 had most of "The Hits", the quirkier Night 2 may have pipped it for me, perfectly showcasing the wry wit and wisdom of Merritt's ruminations on the many forms of love.
32. CORNELIUS - London Barbican
What an audio-visual spectacular this was! I rarely feel like mid-size gigs are "An Event" these days, but I was massively impressed by the ambition, technical skill and kaleidoscopic joy on display here from the Japanese Shibuya-kei legend.
31. ISLANDS - London Shacklewell Arms
Not many acts could persuade me to drag myself all the way to the Shacklewell on a school-night, but hey, this was Nick Thornburn's first UK jaunt in over ten years. Top-tier ramshackle indie-pop, featuring two Unicorns songs, a Lisa O'Neill cover and the epic "Swans" - it was like 2008 never ended.
30. A HAWK AND A HACKSAW- London Lexington
A rare UK sighting of Albuquerque's premier Balkan folk duo, who first enchanted me with their lively instrumental pizzazz as a fresh-faced 21 year old, and continue to do so now I'm pushing 40.
29. BOECKNER - London Oslo
They don't serve the people, but Dan Boeckner sure does. A scintillating solo set covering a two-decade career of hoarse-voiced indie-rock genius. (Also, glad I only had to travel to Hackney for this, in contrast to 5000 miles for Sunset Rubdown...)
28. POSTCARDS- London Waiting Room
An immense show from the Beirut-based shoegazers- coruscating yet deeply melodic, like a righteously furious Blonde Redhead. More of this, please!
27. CHILLY GONZALES - London Royal Albert Hall
"I'm an optimist- I see the glass as half-full...just like this venue." That's because your people originally priced even the crap seats at £70, Jason! On the bright side, this meant I got to see this superb show at a discount AND massively upgraded seats. Probably the most straightforward concert I've seen Gonzales do - albeit one that featured timpani-accented rants about the racist Richard Wagner and cancel culture, a whole bit on AI Spotify playlists and Jarvis Cocker covering Tina Turner's "Private Dancer" - but he remains one of the greatest showmen/raconteurs of our time.
26. WAR - London Royal Festival Hall
The only kind of War worth endorsing. Sure, a standing venue would have worked better, but Lonnie Jordan and his gang could bring the funk to a Lib Dem regional conference.
25. THE DECEMBERISTS - London Victoria Park
God knows why The Decemberists flew all the way from Oregon to play a 45-minute festival set in Bethnal Green, but a man long deprived of barnstorming sea-shanties and cut-throat folk brilliance does not question the whys and wherefores.
24. SPRINTS - London Rough Trade East
2024 kicked off with a bang with this ferociously spiky uppercut to the senses. Karla Chubb's rock 'n roll growl is a truly fantastic thing to behold, and her 'Patti-Smith-mid-Birdland' intense intro to "Little Fix" sent shivers down the spine. These Dublin post-punkers set the bar for the year pretty damn high!
23. ARIEL SHARRAT & MATHIAS KOM - London Water Rats
The revolution will not be televised, but it may well involve a robot drummer. Pro-worker, anti-The Man folk anthems FROM THE FUTURE, communicated via the medium of humanoids that bear no resemblance to brilliant Canadian oddballs The Burning Hell.
22. BYRNE'S NIGHT - London MOTH Club
A pure deid brilyunt tribute ta' two of Scotland's greatest sons, featuring what seemed to be the whole London alt-music scene performing over two hours of Talking Heads/solo Byrne classics, as well as a few more traditional nods to Rab himself.
21. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - London Hyde Park
If Bruce's 2023 Hyde Park show felt like an ageing fighter contemplating his mortality, this was the old man proving to the world he wasn't yet out for the count. Towards the end, the almost 75-year old Boss taunted the audience: "you *think* you can outlast the E-Street Band?!" and frankly after that 31 song, 190 minute tour-de-force I reckon they could outlast the Almighty Himself.
20. LES SAVY FAV - London KOKO
One hour of sheer post-hardcore anarchy courtesy of Tim Harrington, still deliriously, utterly unhinged after all these years. A sweaty, no-holds-bar Saturnalia for 40-something ex-hipsters.
19. THE DEARS - London Islington Assembly Hall
I was 21 when I went to my first show by grandiose Canadian indie-rockers The Dears. It was awesome, but I spent the night in agony as I perforated an eardrum.
I was 39 when I saw the same indie-rockers play their second album in full, complete with string ensemble. It was even more awesome ("Never Destroy Us" is an all-time banger, don't @ me), but I once again spent the night in agony,because I am so very very old.
18. MICHAEL ROTHER - London Barbican
A breathtakingly cinematic show by the eternally youthful Kosmische legend, his trademark shimmering guitar tones and motorik drums sounding truly mighty on the Barbican soundsystem, and a banging setlist despite the absence of my beloved 'Flammende Herzen'. Wunderbar!
17. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - London Victoria Park
I'd still prefer an indoor residency any day (few things in life have topped "Yeah!" next to the monitors at Ally Pally, it felt like space-time was going to collapse), but as outdoor LCD Soundsystem gigs go, this was up there with the best. "Losing My Edge" sounded bloody magnificent!
16. BARBICAN ESTATE - London The Grace
My favourite new live discovery of 2024, I saw this blistering London-based Japanese duo three times in 2024. Any act that can start their set with ambient flute meanderings and close with earth-sundering psych wigouts is A-OK with me.
15. KISHI BASHI - London Electric Ballroom
All roll up for the All-Singing, All-Looping Kishi Bashi Extravaganza! Blissful string-drenched ballads! Love songs set in a WW2 internment camp! Prog odysseys based on ancient Greek myth! Camp 80's synth-funk! Tall Tall Trees rockin' the Banjotron 5000! Underrated Richmond bartender James Clark! That bit where the band goes in the middle of the audience and plays "Manchester" and the Faces' "Ooh La La" unplugged! A marvellous night for young and old!
14. ANDREW BIRD TRIO - London Royal Festival Hall
The best set I've seen from Andrew Bird in over a decade, despite it lacking any 'Armchair Apocrypha'. A freewheeling, career-spanning setlist, incredible and stylish musicianship throughout and the band looked like they were having a lot of fun too. Superb!
13. MARUJA - Bucharest Control Club
Heard so many good things about this Manchester 4-piece that I flew to Romania to see them. And bloody hell, they were incendiary - the perfect mid-point between IDLES and Nervous Conditions, full of anger, power and SKRONK. Brilliant stuff- and kudos to the Bucharest crowd whose energy (and impassioned between-songs chants of "MA-RU-JA, HEY!") elevated the night to one of the year's best.
12. JANELLE MONAE - London Brixton Academy
Surely it's beyond argument now that Janelle is the one of the most impressive all-round performers of our generation? Maybe she doesn't have the budget or megahits of a TayTay or BeyBey, but her showmanship and vocal prowess is truly up there with The Greats. Killer vibe too thanks to a diverse and inclusive audience...an exceptional evening!
11. SINKANE - London MOTH Club
A sublimely effervescent start to the evening of 8th November 2024, which made the subsequent crash and burn even more acute. I have absolutely no idea why Ahmed Gallab isn't playing venues 10 times bigger than this= he and his band were absolutely fire.
10. CRACK CLOUD - London KOKO
Huge melodies, squalling cacophonic skronk and hypnotic motorik grooves are three of my favourite musical things, and this Canadian collective fuses them together into pure dynamite. Are they secretly the band I wish post-Isaac BCNR would be? Maybe!
9. THE ANTLERS - London Union Chapel
Few things really pierce my cold and embittered heart these days, but there were moments during Peter Silberman's solo set at Union Chapel that ignited genuine and profound feelings even within my apathetic spirit, not least the end of "Epilogue". Otherworldly.
8. PULP - Primavera Porto Festival
It's Pulp. In Portugal. No surprises set-list wise, but as 2000th gigs go, I could have done a lot worse.
7. HOPE OF THE STATES - Manchester Gorilla
When I was 18 years old, I discovered a six-piece from Chichester who I genuinely thought were the best band in the world. Then they split, life moved on and I thought I'd never see them again. Fast-forward to December 4th, 2024, and once more I find myself front-row for Hope of the States' first gig in almost two decades, and yes, it was as emotional as you'd expect. Old songs! New songs! Obscure B-sides! Mike nearly dropping his bow whilst he was in the 'zone'! Sam's happy-but-relieved grin at the end of "Black Dollar Bills"! The audience bellowing the refrain from "Enemies/Friends" during the pre-encore break! A genuine dream come true.
6. TV ON THE RADIO - London Islington Assembly Hall
An absolutely scintillating comeback from Brooklyn's finest. A very Dear Science-heavy set, but I bloody love that album so no complaints from me. An apocalyptic "Young Liars" was one of my top three gig moments of 2024 and having seen them several times. it was nice to finally have a sound mix that lets us hear Kyp's vocals.
5. EFTERKLANG - London Barbican/Copenhagen DR Konserthuset
I can't quite decide what Efterklang show I enjoyed more- their hometown performance to promote their documentary featuring an 18 piece Macedonian choir and a conga line, or their more typical London show, with Casper serenading us with "Modern Drift" in the middle of the audience? Either way, both left me with a big dopey grin on my face, which is the standard state of affairs for Copenhagen's cheeriest chappies.
4. THE GO! TEAM - London Roundhouse
Bit sobering to be at the 20th anniversary gig of one of the first bands I ever saw live, but what a wonderful celebration it was. 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' played start to finish! Ninja's first ever crowdsurf! Ian playing his harmonica backwards at the start out of nerves/excitement! And amongst the other eight songs they played, a very rare airing of B-side "The Ice Storm", a song I've listened to every snow day since 2006. They should prescribe this stuff on the NHS.
3. SEPPUKU PISTOLS - London Cafe Oto
A dozen or so Japanese men with giant drums and traditional instruments performing frenzied takes on hardcore punk (including Dead Kennedys covers) in a poncey jazz cafe in Dalston? Quite possibly the most exhilarating gig I've been to this side of lockdown. Phenomenal!
2. ST VINCENT - London Royal Albert Hall
I've had my ups and downs with Annie Clark over the last seventeen years, but this was St Vincent at her imperious, sublime best. Rock shows often sound underwhelming at the Albert Hall, but this effortlessly transcended the limitations of the venue, and the arrangements, staging and even movement of the band were meticulously executed with her trademark peerless style. "Krokodil", "Marrow" and "Los Ageless" were worth the price of admission alone, to be honest.
1. ARCADE FIRE - London Brixton Academy
Apparently it's not enough to perform, in entirety and brilliantly, my favourite album of the 21st century- no, the flash Canadian bastards had to throw out "Headlights Look Like Diamonds" and "Cars and Telephones" (an early, unreleased gem that's been my "white whale" of songs to hear live for almost two decades) too. Goddammit Win, you make it really hard for me to hate your stupid skeevy face.
(And for previous editions of this self-indulgent nonsense, now in its 17th year, here are the lists for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 - sadly the photo links are STILL busted but I plan to sort that out before Elon Musk leads us all to oblivion. Until the next time!
