THE NATIONAL (London Alexandra Palace, 14/11/13) 

The National have transitioned from a minor cult concern to arena-filler with astonishing grace, and yes, overall it was a great, at times superb, performance, but I can’t be having with a setlist that cuts “Apartment Story” for a dozen mid-tempo post-“Boxer” tracks.

(Photo: Carkamok)

STARFUCKER (London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, 13/11/13)



Starfucker may have changed their name at least three times since I first saw them, but their high-energy synth-pop remains as giddily enjoyable as ever. True, the band seemed a little jet lagged and the vocals too low in the mix, but there’s no resisting the imperious technicolour disco of “Medicine” and “Boy Toy”.

(Photo: Vivian Yang)

ARCADE FIRE (London Roundhouse, 11/11/13 & 12/11/13)



These last two nights, Arcade Fire reminded me once again why they were the band that made me fall in love with live music in the first place. The Suburbs tour was a bit of disappointment in retrospect, heavy with plodding, MOR album fillers that sapped the energy from their infamously electrifying performances, but these intimate Roundhouse shows see them reinvigorated with the matchless vitality of the Funeral/Neon Bible era. It’s amazing how a set consisting primarily of new material sparks such an intense reaction from the (unusually dapper) audience, but songs like “Here Comes The Night Time,” “Normal Person” and the title track itself are every bit as instant as “Power Out” et al. Add in the mariachi band playing 80’s pop-hits, the face-painting, the Venetian masks, the choreography lessons and an airing of one of my all time favourite songs (“Crown of Love”), and you’ve got my favourite gigs of twenty thousand and thirteen.

JA JA JA FESTIVAL (London Roundhouse, 08/11/13-09/11/13)



Review: HERE

(Photo: Jason Williamson/The Line Of Best Fit)

BOBBY WOMACK (London Royal Albert Hall, 29/10/13)

 

London is not a city made for late night gigs. Its infrastructure essentially shuts down after midnight, and unless you’re lucky enough to live within Zone 1, getting home after the music is as fun as your average Nickleback show. Which explains why this 11pm Bobby Womack performance was so undersold, they felt the need to give out free tickets on the night. That didn’t stop the old R&B legend putting on one hell of a show, trotting out hit after hit with his astoundingly tight backing band. Not quite as brilliant as his Latitude performance earlier this year (possibly due to tiredness all round), but still worth suffering the night-bus home for.

EFTERKLANG (London Heaven, 29/10/13)

Despite its name, Heaven is not the ideal setting for acts that employ any sort of delicacy or subtlety in their music, which made it an odd fit for one of Denmark’s most beautiful bands. Indeed, compared to the Lexington show earlier this year, this show seemed a little distant and by-the-books, impacted by the venue’s overly bassy sound. Nonetheless, I’ll never get enough of Casper and Katinka’s syncopated harmonies on the likes of “Modern Drift”, which would sound utterly stunning in any circumstance.

 (Photo: Kevan Davis)

ARCTIC MONKEYS (London Earls Court, 26/10/13) 



Review: HERE

(Photo: Steve Asenjo / The Line Of Best Fit) 

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE (London Corsica Studios, 15/10/13)

Acid Mothers Temple are one of the greatest psychedelic rock bands in history- but not even their formidable grooves could permeate the echo chamber that constitutes the back of an oversold Corsica Studios. Serves me right for getting there late, I guess.

MARIAM THE BELIEVER (London St. Pancras Old Church, 09/10/13)

It's always a pleasure to see Mariam Wallentin and her wonderfully distinctive, soulful vocals in action, even if her new project isn't as inventive as Wildbirds and Peacedrums (one of my favourite live acts ever). Good to see her husband Andreas in the band too- one of the best jazz drummers around.

THE OCTOPUS PROJECT (London Garage, 07/10/13)

Why has it taken 5 years for The Octopus Project to return to Britain? Whatever the reason, their blissful instrumentals, blistering drumming and theremin rockouts have been greatly missed. So much better than ostensible headliners Man Or Astroman?, who were very much a one-trick pony.

CHROME HOOF (London Lexington, 04/10/13)

Well, that was pretty incredible. I mean, I was clearly destined to love a band that's essentially GOAT meets Melt Yourself Down, but man- the costumes! The dancers! The techno-psychedelic-prog-rock-voodoo-space-jazz freakouts! Absolutely preposterous, but so much fun.

Also, since when has the Lexington had those funky multi-coloured lasers? I demand they're employed at all future gigs, regardless of appropriateness.

A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN (London Village Underground, 01/10/13)

Don't get me wrong, the music was lovely, the sound was fine and at least they closed the bar, but a swelteringly hot Shoreditch warehouse is NOT the right venue for a minimalist classical performance. Let's hope they play somewhere like Union Chapel or Kings Place next time.

POLYSICS (London Underworld, 25/09/13)

Japan's most enjoyable Devo enthusiasts always put on an energetic show, even if their songs are a tad one-note. Fun support set from mentalists the Telephones too.

BALMORHEA (London Bush Hall, 23/09/13)

Too tired and ill to enjoy this as much as I should have done, but I still managed to lose myself in the beauty of the Texan sextet's luscious instrumentals from deep within one of Bush Hall's surprisingly cosy sofas.

GIANT DRAG (London Borderline, 17/09/13)

A scrappy but fun set from Annie Hardy, the funniest, sharpest dame in indie-rock. Shame they didn't play the best cut from the new album (“90210”), but they did perform “Kevin Is Gay,” one of the catchiest songs of the early noughties, and Hardy's banter was almost worth the price of admission itself.

ANAMANAGUCHI (London Garage, 15/09/13)

Chiptune odysseys! 3D pixel art projections! Magical light tubes! Neon rainbow bass strings! Anamanaguchi's first ever London gig was as much as a blast as one could hope for, even though the venue was, as the kids would put it, “hot as balls.” The rest of the bands were more of a mixed bag, however- Sabrepulse was exactly how I imagined Skrillex to sound like i.e. shit, Johnny Foreigner were a bit out of sorts, Shirobon was as decent as anyone that looks like a Games Workshop shelf-stacker deserves to be, and AXES were an absolutely stonking mix of Deerhoof, Ponytail, Battles and old school math-rock and one of the best support bands I've seen in years.

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER (London Bush Hall, 03/09/13)

Blasphemy as it may be, but I think I actually prefer Ms. Friedberger's solo material to that of the admirably eccentric, painfully uneven Fiery Furnaces. That unique, half-spoken, half-sung rapid delivery is still there, but the melodies are catchier, the quality more consistent, and with Field Music as her backing band, they also sound excellent live.

SIGUR ROS & POLICA (London Roundhouse, 02/09/13)

Review: HERE

(Sigur Ros were also very good, although the EOTR set was definitely better. No Olsen Olsen tonight, and a bit too heavy on the slower/less familiar tracks. Also, too many idiots chattering through the quiet bits, although that's pretty standard for free gigs.)

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (Larmer Park Gardens, 29/08/13 - 01/09/13)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Deap Vally (perfect festival band. Big riffs, lots of charm) 
• Cider Bus Disco Party on the Thursday night (although the brandy shots may have been a mistake) 
• King Khan (although I'm absolutely gutted about missing the Tipi Tent set) 
• Eels (Double fuckin' rainbows! All-out rock 'n roll set! E in exuberant form! So much better than the previous times I've seen them)
• David Byrne and St Vincent (Almost identical to the London show, but no less fantastic for that.) 
• Sigur Ros (My personal performance of the year. Surprised "Untitled 8" didn't cause structural damage to Stonehenge.) 
• Frontier Ruckus (Sunday morning. Musical saw. Good mix) Ichi (the most delightfully creative set of the weekend.) 
• Bo Ningen (because they're BO FUCKING NINGEN, duh) Jens Lekman (the perfect Sunday evening dance-along) 
• The Walkmen (find them hit or miss as a live band, but they were on top form this weekend. And they played "The Rat", which obviously isn't to be sniffed at) 
• The chocolate brownies at the Proper Tea Company stand

DISAPPOINTMENTS

• Most of Saturday (Julianna Barwick and Anna Van Hauswolff sounded good, but couldn't really get into them stuck in the back of a crowded Tipi Tent. Telemann, The Leisure Society and Pokey La Farge were pleasant enough. Nothing else grabbed me at all.) 
• Braids (Loved this band a few years back, but their new material is pretty zeitgeisty in a boring way.) 
• Belle and Sebastian's encore (the show itself was enjoyable enough- especially as they played “Your Cover's Blown”, but them finishing early ended the weekend on a somewhat anti-climatic note.) 
• Too many boring folks strumming guitars earnestly (although I was at End of the Road, what did I expect?)

In summary: not quite as fantastic as 2010, but still the best British festival in terms of atmosphere. First weekender in ages where I've enjoyed all three headliners, but can't deny a little disappointed by the lack of new discoveries. Nonetheless- a solid 8/10 weekend.

DAVID BYRNE & ST VINCENT (London Roundhouse, 27/08/13)



The brass! The choreography! The St Vincent shimmy! And most importantly- the songs! I always knew the Byrne/Clark combo would deliver, but this was truly one of the most magnificent gigs I've seen in recent times. The “Love Your Giant” stuff was good and all, much more vibrant live than on record, but it was the renditions of Talking Heads and St Vincent material, augmented by the most joyous 9-piece brass section ever, that made this a performance for the ages. I mean, seriously, “Marrow” followed by “This Must Be The Place”? And “Cruel” into “Road To Nowhere”? Truly incredible.

MIKAL CRONIN (London Lexington, 19/08/13)


Mikal Cronin's bassist looks like a cross between Thor and Scooby Doo's Shaggy. Their vibrant mixture of surf-rock and psych-rock is pretty nifty too.

(Photo: Josh Halliday)

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT (London Union Chapel, 15/08/13) 


Review: HERE

(Photo: Steve Asenjo)

OWEN PALLETT (London Village Underground, 11/08/13)


Review: HERE

(Photo: John Gleeson)

THE POLYPHONIC SPREE (London Village Underground, 06/08/13)

 
The white robes have given way to tie-dyed garments, the confetti cannons have gone, and there's only(!) fourteen of them now. But almost nine years since I first saw them, The Polyphonic Spree remain one of the most all-out joyous gig experiences a man can experience. The new songs are solid enough, but let's face it- few things can top the likes of “Hold Me Now”, “Soldier Girl” and “Running Away” for sheer arm-waving, singing-from-the-top-of-your-lungs euphoria. And the encore, with Tim DeLaughter descending from the stage during “Lithium” to initiate a venue-wide mosh pit would have been, in years less brilliant than this, my gig moment of 2013.

GENERATIONALS (London Lexington, 05/08/13)

 

Excellent, tuneful indie-pop from a band that sounds half like Freelance Whales, half like Starfucker. Not the most charismatic of performers, but “When They Fight, They Fight” is an undeniable tune.

LATITUDE FESTIVAL (Henham Park, 19/07/13-21/07/13)



Review: HERE

OF MONSTERS AND MEN (London Somerset House, 16/07/13)



Review: HERE

(Photo: Eleonora Collini)

FIRST AID KIT (London Somerset House, 15/07/13)

Review: HERE

(Photo: Sara Amroussi/The Line of Best Fit)

JENNIFER LOPEZ/CHIC (London Hyde Park, 14/07/13)

I must admit not to be the greatest aficionado of chart-topping popular music, but even those more attuned to the genre must have been disappointed by J-Lo's shallow, soulless, mostly mimed excuse of a “performance”. Thankfully, Chic were around to deliver a barrage of real pop classics (seriously, how many bona fide hits has Nile Rodgers had a hand in?), but even they were hindered by overheating equipment and busted soundsystems. Disappointing.

RAY DAVIES (London Hyde Park, 12/07/12)
 

Ray Davies' voice may be pretty much busted at this point, but let's face it- hearing the Greatest Hits of the Kinks for free (including “Waterloo Sunset” at sunset) was always going to be an incredible experience regardless of the great man's inability to carry a tune. What was particularly striking is that even after half a century Davies still seems to really enjoy performing, his enthusiasm lending a lot to one of the most straightforwardly enjoyable gigs of the summer so far.

BLONDIE (London Roundhouse, 07/07/13)
 

Review: HERE

(Photo: Steve Asenjo/The Line of Best Fit)

FRANZ FERDINAND (London Dalston Victoria, 05/07/13)

Franz Ferdinand. 150 capacity venue. Matinee, Do You Want To, Michael, Ulysses, and some very promising new tracks. All fans, no guestlist wankers. Bloody. Brilliant.

GOAT (London Electric Ballroom, 27/06/13) 
 

Tribal rhythms and mighty riffs from pseudo-mystical Swedes with the best costumes this side of a Lordi show. They were superb (as were Teeth of the Sea), but the hipsterish, “oh-look-at-me-I'm-too-cool-to-express-any-emotion-but-disdain” audience...not so much.

THE NATIONAL (London Roundhouse, 26/06/13)
 

In contrast to popular opinion, I've not been that much of the fan of the last two National abums, believing them to be pale retreads of “Boxer” and “Alligator”. That said, this was the best show of theirs I've seen in years. Maybe it was the visuals, maybe it was the soundmix, but for once I found myself actually enjoying the non-Bloodbuzz material from High Violet, and of course I'll never tire of hearing “Fake Empire,” “Abel” and “Apartment Story” live. Local Natives were also pretty impressive in support- always wrote them off as a vapid hype band, but them kids have some decent musical chops. Top stuff.

(Photo: Fiona Petch)

TIM BURGESS (London Barbican, 23/06/13)

Review: HERE

PATTI SMITH (London Shepherd's Bush Empire, 19/06/13)



Review: HERE

(Photo: Burak Cingi/The Line of Best Fit))

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (London Wembley Stadium, 15/06/13)

Now I understand why he's called the Boss. For years, I'd ignored Springsteen due to a distaste for “Born In The USA” and his reputation for over-earnest cheesiness, but I've come to realise my terrible error. For this three hour show plus at Wembley Stadium was truly worthy of the epithet “epic,” a showcase of quality songwriting, peerless musicianship and the all-consuming charisma of Bruce. His tricks and gimmicks may be well practiced (the placards, the back-to-back runthrough of an entire album, the getting a child up to sing on stage), but they're so effective they feel spontaneous and natural. Jake Clemons has taken up his legendary uncle's mantle with aplomb - although they didn't play Jungleland (the sole disappointment of the night), he absolutely killed the solo of “Born To Run”- and the rest of the E-Street Band were tight as fuck despite the partly-unplanned setlist and the sheer length of the show (31 songs!) Doubtlessly the gig of the year, and one that made me sincerely regret not checking him out sooner.

(Photo: petereduk)

THE STONE ROSES (London Finsbury Park, 08/06/13)

I've always thought there's been a bit of Pitchfork revisionism around The Stone Roses. Yes, Ian Brown couldn't hit a note if his life depended on it; yes,“The Second Coming” is a very uneven album; yes, there is a distinct air of “aggressive neanderthalism” that surrounds a proportion of their fanbase, but goddamn, if they didn't write some fantastic songs in their time. This wasn't an masterclass in performance by any means, but I'd forgotten what a tight musical unit Squire, Mani and Reni were, and any quibbles about Ian Brown's tunelessness were moot as you couldn't hear him over the audience. “Made of Stone” was my (surprise) highlight of the night, but “Fools' Gold's” irresistably aggressive funkiness and the closing double-whammy of “Breaking Into Heaven” and “I Am The Resurrection” (be still, my 16 year old heart) all contributed to a show that flicked all the nostalgia switches, whilst providing a much-needed reminder that under the bullshit and swagger, the Stone Roses were actually pretty special.

CAMERA OBSCURA (London Heaven, 06/06/13)

 

Camera Obscura have never been an epoch-defining live act, but they've not needed to be. Tonight isn't exactly the best performance I've ever seen, but with a strong new album to showcase, interspersed with the glorious Northern Soul stylings of “French Navy” and “Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken,” there's also very little to complain about.

OLAFUR ARNALDS (London St John's-In-Hackney Church 03/06/13)
 

I can only presume Icelandic children must be taught to compose ethereal soundscapes as part of their national curriculum, for how else can a country with a population roughly the size of Watford produce so much wonderful music? This was far from the best Olafur Arnalds show I've seen, with technical problems galore and echoey sound (at least where I was standing), but it had enough moments of majestic beauty to make the trek to the Far North East (of London) worth it.

TITUS ANDRONICUS (Leeds Brudenell Social Club, 27/05/13)

Patrick Stickles sans beard may be a perplexing, nay, frightening notion, but fear not, his clean-shavenness has not had a Samson-esque effect on his shouting abilities. Even though this set largely centered on Titus Andronicus' so-so third album “Local Business”, it remained an absolute riot thanks to the Pogues-y vitality of the band, the fervent enthusiasm of their fans, and Stickles' constant, near-feral wildness. Plus, any gig that incorporates both “Killing In The Name Of” AND “Battle of Hampton Roads” is, by law, automatically going to be one of my shows of the year.

(Photo: Manchester Scenewipe)

SARAH NEUFELD (London Bush Hall, 26/05/13)

 

An intimate, experimental and beautiful solo performance from the Arcade Fire violinist. In many ways, it reminded me of the work of her saxophonist boyfriend Colin Stetson- unafraid to draw the most unusual sounds out of their instrument, whilst remaining accessible even to a cultural philistine like me. A most sophisticated way to spend a Sunday evening.

JEFFREY LEWIS & PETER STAMPFEL (Brixton Windmill, 23/05/13)


It's been three years since I last saw Jeff Lewis, and I'm not entirely sure why. Combining forces with wonderfully eccentric 74-year old ex-hippy Peter Stampfel, this show deftly incorporated material from their joint album (highlight: the peerlessly titled “Do You Know Who I Am, I'm Fucking Snooki”), energetic takes on classic tunes (well, “Surfin' Bird” at least) and of course, Jeff's gloriously rendered flipboard “movies” (not suitable for under-18's or people averse to bird-on-nerd sexual proclivities.) And what an absolute blast it was too.

THE POSTAL SERVICE (Brixton Academy, 20/05/13)

  Oh Ben Gibbard. Just because you split from Zooey Deschanel, it doesn't give you the excuse to dance like a drunken dad at a wedding party. That aside, this long-awaited reunion of the indietronic emos was at best a satisfactory affair, a perfunctorily run through the hits which really ever engaged the emotions. Decidedly meh.

(Photo: John Gleeson)

CELEBRATION (London Waiting Room, 19/05/13)



Not quite as much of a celebration as I'd hoped, alas. I'd been looking forward to seeing the joyfully eclectic Baltimore band for years, and whilst they didn't disappoint, they did seem somewhat fatigued from a rather intense spate of touring. Still, Katrina Ford has one hell of a voice, and I hope the shamefully small audience doesn't put them off from returning to the UK in the near future.

SHUGO TOKUMARU (London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, 14/05/13)
 

Review: HERE

KISHI BASHI (London Lexington, 10/05/13)

Owen Pallett and Andrew Bird, step aside - a new contender for King of the Violin Loopers has emerged. K. Ishibashi's fiddle playing might not be quite as technically astounding as his more established peers, but his mixture of deliriously joyful orchestral pop, beatboxing and improv is so damn wonderful, it simply doesn't matter.

THE KNIFE (London Roundhouse, 09/05/13)


For years, The Knife had resided near the top of my bucket list of bands I want to see before I die, but having read recent reviews of their “Shaking The Habitual Tour”, I'd tempered my expectations quite dramatically. “Worst show ever”, said some. “A sixth form liberal arts performance,” said others. “Riverdance for cunts,” exclaimed one particularly forthright member of the Twitterati. And you know what- I can understand those points of view. It wasn't a live gig as such. It was a bunch of people in shiny costumes, dancing to mostly prerecorded backing tracks, with some pretty funky lighting. And I enjoyed it greatly.

If I'd been standing further back, or hadn't been previously aware of the “unique” nature of the show, I might have had a significantly more negative opinion. But near the barrier, the sound was crisp, clear and loud, the visuals mesmerising (if not as innovative as the Knife think they are), and the atmosphere was decent enough for a London crowd. It had a fair few flaws- it's a shame they didn't make more use of the cool instruments they employed for the first few songs, there's no real excuse for the lack of live vocals, some bits were inarguably lame (when the band left the stage for ten minutes leaving nothing but the backing track, the choreography for “Full of Fire” and the song that immediately followed) and overall, it probably wasn't worth the £30 asking price. But when you're faced with the full might of “Silent Shout” blasting at a gazillion decibels with SPINNING RAINBOW LASERS encompassing their entirety of your vision, its possible to forgive The Knife pretty much anything.

!!! (London Village Underground, 07/05/13) 

Review: HERE

(Photo: Siamak Amini)

PARENTHETICAL GIRLS (London Lexington, 06/05/13)



From their albums, one might be forgiven for thinking Parenthetical Girls would be prissy, reserved live performers. In reality, they're the complete opposite. Zac Pennington struts around the stage, off the stage, on the sound deck and the bar like a camp American Jarvis Cocker. Old songs are given livelier, more muscular arrangements without compromising their beauty. People actually dance a little rather than sagely stroking their beards or crossing their arms in an “I'm too cool to be impressed” manner. It's all really rather excellent.

CHILLY GONZALES (London Cadogan Hall, 30/04/13) 

Part recital, part lecture on musical theory, all masterclass of showmanship, Chilly Gonzales proved that solo piano performances can be technically dazzling, innovative, educational and a hell of a lot of fun all at the same time. It's hard to sum up all the genius moments of this show – the understated but clever visuals, the well-judged and hilarious moments of audience participation, his fascinating and deeply-informed talks on subjects like the emotional appeal of arpeggios (referencing Frere Jacques, Glenn Miller and Daft Punk)- but the greatest thing about it is that it all served to augment, rather than distract from, the quality of his own musical talents. A evening of genuine brilliance.

(Photo: Jason Williamson (The Line Of Best Fit))

MELT YOURSELF DOWN (London Corsica Studios, 24/04/13)

Look, it's Zun Zun Egui with a bunch of the country's leading modern jazz musicians. It was always going to be great. True, their material lacks variety, deviating from high-octane jazz-funk only to delve in latter-day-Sam-Beam world music territory, but my God, it's a hell of a lot of fun.