DOVES (London Royal Festival Hall, 12/09/08)

BOOOOOO-URNS. Really, this has to rival Modest Mouse at the Royal Albert Hall last year as the most tragically disappointing gig I’ve ever been to. I take no pleasure in saying that, as I was really looking forward to this, but almost everything about it failed to impress. As someone who’s been to the Koko, like, 20 times I don’t say this lightly, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a headliner so badly served by a sound mix as the Doves that night. Not only was it screechingly distorted, but the bass and drums were so overwhelming that singer-guitarist Jimi Goodwin could have left the stage and no-one would have noticed. Didn’t help that apart from some generic “it’s good to be back” platitudes the band themselves were incredibly dull to behold- I’ve met sponges with more charisma. And let’s not forget the pitiful, half-arsed attempts at visuals- you could have put on a Windows screensaver and produced a more accomplished display. In fairness, it did improve towards the end, with a few decent-sounding new songs and a communal There Goes The Fear raising the spirits but with tickets retailing for £30, they could and should have put in a fuckload more effort.

AND, to add insult to injury we had to sit through half-an-hour of aging Welsh emos the Manic Street Preachers reliving their punk roots as a ‘tribute’ to record label Forever Heavenly, whose birthday this whole shebang was celebrating. I’ll admit a couple of the tracks they played were palatable, given they were written when the band was in their teens, but watching these forty year old men gyrating round the stage like teenagers (especially Nicky Wire, who wouldn’t look out of place in the Sex Offender’s Register) was never less than excruciating, a feeling enhanced by the gaggle of emaciated, wrist-scarred fangirls ghoulishly lapping up this affront to everyone’s dignity. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

(Photo: stevec77 (Flickr))

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN (London Borderline, 11/09/08)

Completely bog-standard American indie-pop with absolutely nothing to distinguish it from masses of identical-sounding college bands- the kind of pleasant, generic fare you’d find on a slow day on a mid-table music blog. An anaemic performance certainly didn’t help their cause, and the supports were mince too.

(Photo: Sara Brooks (Flickr))

CLARE AND THE REASONS (09/09/08)

Another fantastic set of sumptuous strings, quirky instrumentation and delicate beauty from one of New York’s most under-rated acts. No matter how many times I hear it, I fall head over heels in love every single they play Pluto- an eccentric concept married to the most gorgeously fragile string-and-musical-saw melody. Plus, the delectable Marla Hansen (part of Jens Lekman’s entourage back in May) joined them on violin duties, which automatically improves any show by 500,000,000%

(Photo: Man Alive! (Flickr))

AKRON/FAMILY (London Luminaire, 08/09/08)

Bit of a marmite band, these Akron/Family fellas. Three genre-bending hippies with a predilection for free-form jams and an aversion to playing actual songs obviously won’t appeal to everyone, but their devil-may-care experimentalism hits the mark often enough to make them a worthwhile experience. The first half of their set was more or less conventional alt-folk with distinct, recognisable songs, without the random shifts into, say, death metal that would typify the latter half. But it was the second part that more accurately captured the ethos of the band; chockful of instrument-swapping, sudden shifts between different music styles (low-key grooves one moment, 100dB of hardcore NOIZE the next), five minute long prog-outs of acute self-indulgence hitched to audience participation and frequent forays into the crowd...sure, at times it was frustrating and it didn’t always work (the fifteen minutes of a capella at the end was dragged several miles from breaking point) but their creativity and spontaneity always keeps you on your toes- and how many bands can you genuinely say that about?

The other draw of the night were Canadian folk-pop six-piece The Acorn, whose Glory Hope Mountain album is an undoubted contender for Album of the Year. Shame then that this performance didn’t quite live up to its promise; competence rather than excellence was the order of the day. Perhaps it had something to do with the impending departure of two band members, perhaps it was tour fatigue or merely that my expectations were too high, but one got the impression they weren’t firing on all cylinders- the liveliness that underpins the albums wasn’t really bourn out by their set. Maybe I’m being a bit harsh- my friends who hadn’t heard them before left impressed- but I couldn’t help but feel it could have been better.

(Photo: Alan Bee)

CAMERA OBSCURA (London 229 Bar, 06/09/08)

Third time’s the charm, evidently. Neither my prior experiences of Camera Obscura live were particularly encouraging; there’s only so many Phil Spector pastiches with downbeat lyrics a man can take, even if they’re being delivered by the soothing Scottish croon of Tracey-Anne Campbell. But this time round, it all seemed to click; despite them having done nothing to address their lack of variety even on the new songs they previewed, it was all so winningly pleasant that you couldn’t help but get swept along in a haze of warm fuzziness. Ironically, Lloyd I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken- to my mind one of the best songs of the decade and the redeeming feature of both previous gigs- was a bit of a disappointment, lacking the wall-of-sound expansiveness it deserves but hey, for the first time I left a show of theirs with a smile on my face which proves they must be doing something right. Good job, folks.

And on the theme of previously-underwhelming-Scottish-live-bands-done-good, Frightened Rabbit were also on top form that night, finally giving me a glimpse into why they’ve attracted such a devoted cult following. Still not won over by their album, but their hungry, ferocious performance was a mesmerising sight to behold.

(Photo: borninastorm (Flickr))

BROKEN RECORDS (London 229 Bar, 05/09/08)

Another fantastic show from this magnificent Scottish seven-piece, who are bound to be one of the big success stories of 2009. A touch less mind-blowing than their Latitude set, it was touching to see that despite not even having a proper release out yet they’re starting to garner a small but energetic fanbase that know all the words to all the songs. It’s only a matter of time before they’re performing epic symphonic balladry like Slow Parade in venues ten times bigger than this; I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to see them so many times in such intimate settings. Supports The Ruling Class are also worth mentioning , riffing heavily on the early 90’s baggy era but showing enough talent to prove themselves more than mere Stone Roses imitators. They’re playing another show in December supporting by the Outside Royalty, which I’ll almost certainly be attending.

(Photo: John Gleeson)

THE SHOUT OUT LOUDS (London 229 Bar, 02/09/08)

The perennial underachievers of the Swedish indie-pop scene, they’ve obviously got the potential for greatness (their songwriting is very high quality) but always seem to let themselves down live with slightly hollow arrangements and a tendency to extend songs way longer than required. On the whole, openers The Boy Least Likely To outshone them, their gleeful sugar-rush of a set happily harkening back to the carefree days of The Best Party Ever before they become all serious and boring.

(Photo: mistermonkey28 (Flickr))

YACHT (London ICA, 28/08/08)

Although not the first show I’ve been to devoid of live instruments (Alaska In Winter did a vocal-only performance back in April) it’s still a pleasant surprise to note that in capable hands such glorified karaoke can actually turn out to be as much fun was watching a more conventional set-up. And YACHT certainly know how to carry it all off- two charismatic Portlanders armed with an imaginative and cleverly choreographed PowerPoint presentation, unhinged dance moves and a refreshingly relaxed, unpretentious attitude. Musically, YACHT are much more dance-orientated than single “See A Penny (Pick It Up)” would lead you to believe, working well in conjunction with the minimalist set-up and songs were often interspersed with banter, crowd invasions and a Q&A session to compensate for the lack of musicians. Unfortunately, not all the good natured fun in the world could disguise the weakness of some of their material- the middle third visibly sagged under the weight of generic filler- but taking on board the limited materials they had to work with, it was a hell of a lot more fun than it had any right to be.

(Photo: Namestage (Flickr))

RA RA RIOT (London Water Rats, 27/08/08)

Ra Ra Riot seemed to have all the ingredients to engage my awesome-o-meter; a multitude of members, an attractive string section, jaunty chamber-pop sensibilities. Unfortunately they’ve seemed to have mislaid the tunes somewhere along the line. They perform well enough and their closing number’s a doozy, but on the evidence here they’re less of a riot than a schoolyard scuffle.

(Photo: Valido (Flickr))

HIDDEN CAMERAS (London St. Leonard’s Church, 23/08/08)


















Full review HERE

(Photo: John Gleeson)

FUTURE OF THE LEFT (London Water Rats, 20/08/08)

Having mysteriously neglected to check out this Welsh three-piece despite their vocal band of devotees plugging them at every opportunity, I finally got to find out what the fuss was all about. Fittingly taking place at the Water Rats, a miniscule, sweat-drenched room at the back of a Kings Cross boozer, their succinct shots of shouty off-kilter rock is delivered with an unusually fervent energy and their eccentric lyrics manage to come across as witty rather than obnoxious- an increasing rarity in this day and age. The acerbic humour of frontman Andy Falkous is an even greater draw, brutally ripping into a series of deserving targets including a chronically irritating front-row heckler unwisely wearing a Tool t-shirt. AND they threw Jaffa Cakes into the crowd, which is essentially all the bribery it takes for me to write a positive review. They’re probably not the great white hope of British music some of their more obsessive fans portray them to be (their material got pretty samey towards the end) but still, it’s encouraging that there’s up-and-coming bands with the balls and charisma to wash away the bad taste of the talentless chancers clogging up the charts with their interminable dreck.

(Photo: Valido (Flickr))

WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS (London Social, 18/08/08)

Well, it could have been awesome. Unfortunately, this show seemed to attract all the worst kind of bleating horse-faced London fashionistas, the kind of people who for the good of themselves as well as society should be whacked repeatedly in the kneecaps until they promise never to babble all the way through a gig again. The constant distractions didn’t quite distract from the quality of the Swedish duo’s set, although the experience very much paled in comparison to the Luminaire’s reverential atmosphere- even the band seemed thrown by the rudeness of the clientele. They ultimately triumphed, Mariam Wallentin astonishingly soulful vocals soaring above the chatter of morons but they deserved so, so much better.

(Photo: acb (Flickr))

O’DEATH (London Cargo, 14/08/08)

After the previous night’s show at the Roundhouse, it’s good to see O’Death back in the kind of tiny, sweaty club they naturally belong. Commencing with Adelita was a perfect statement of intent for a set that never wavered in its unrelenting energy; several more new songs were previewed (mostly sticking to the tried-and-tested gothic bluegrass formula, but no worse for it) and although time constraints forced them to omit Only Daughter, there’s little faulting such a tremendously assured performance. Brilliant sing-along finale of Lay Me Down to boot, leaving the audience gasping for more.

(Photo: Gonzalo MR (Flickr))

NINA NASTASIA (London Roundhouse, 13/08/08)














Full Review HERE

(Photo: Robocod (Flickr))

THE DODOS (London 100 Club, 12/08/08)

I’m undecided about the Dodos. Sure, they’re fantastic musicians and my Lord, they don’t half put some passion into their set but there’s something about them that doesn’t quite work for me. But first the positives- it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an act with so much fire in their soul- they remind me of Two Gallants before they went shit. Their clattering, impassioned folk-rock is delivered with an almost explosive vitality- Meric Long periodically almost falls out of his chair with the abandon he plays his guitar with; Joe Haener engages in the wholescale decimation of a metal dustbin when he’s not adding lovely vibraphone or toy piano touches to the mix. Sounds fucking awesome- and it would be if only they didn’t make every song last ten minutes. It’s a huge problem- even the greatest melody can’t survive being strung out that long and the limited instrumentation just compounds the feelings of ennui at hearing another extended drum-and-guitar freakout. It’s a real shame, as I honestly wanted to love them but overall I couldn’t help but feel they’re a band less than the sum of their parts.

(Photo: LittlePants (Flickr))

FIELD DAY (London Victoria Park, 09/08/08)

By all accounts (not least the organisers) last year’s inaugural Field Day was a bit of a disaster- too many people, ludicrous bar and toilet queues, twenty minute sets and such low volumes that cross-over between stages ruined almost every performance of the day. As a result, this was a make-or-break even t for the curators- and on balance, I think they just made it. The toilet queues were still obscene, the thoroughly miserable weather was a constant trial, there was a raft of last minute cancellations and the audience was still overburdened with Hoxtonite twats but musically this was heads and shoulders more impressive than last years shambles.
Current indie darlings Noah and the Whale inaugurated the main state with their insubstantial, though mildly diverting fare but it was Ozzie band the Howling Bells that provided the day’s first real attraction- their dark tinged indie rock was rendered with fierce, hard-edged energy. The Delgados’ Emma Pollack impressed with a solid and varied folk set; Laura Marling was even better although her performance was marred by the braying hipster morons events like these inevitably attract. The Mae Shi popped up twice- most memorably in a double-decker bus performing an a capella version of Run To Your Grave. Of Montreal and Les Savy Fav both suffered due to sound problems (the latter was redeemed by the typically mental Tim Harrington dispensing lost shoes he’d found round the site) but Efterklang were fantastic, their multi-instrumental splendour undiminished by the biblical storm raging outside. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Foals as my willpower collapsed and I fled to the warmth of Mile End tube station, but whilst retreating the torrential rains I reflected that despite being soaked to the skin, I’d still had a much better time than in 2007. As I said last year, Field Day had the potential to be a great festival if the organisers addressed the issues that conspired to ruin everyone’s fun, and they’ve made some progress in that regard. But there’s still lots of room for improvement, and although I’m willing to give it another chance in 2009 they better ensure that the same old problems don’t rear their ugly heads for the third year running.

(Photo: Felinebird (Flickr))

THE MAE SHI (London Old Blue Last, 04/08/08)

The most shambolic gig of the year so far. Californians The Mae Shi put on a gloriously shambolic, bodged-together wreck of a show, amplifying HLLLYH’s mentalist electro-punk sensibilities with a performance held together far more by enthusiasm that any actual musical qualities (though to be fair, the sped up Lamb and The Lion was maximally ace). But they were overshadowed and outclassed by Glaswegian “fight-pop” sixpiece Dananananaykroyd- taut, energetic, chockfull of driven guitar lines, impassioned yelping and catchy riffs they combined the chaos of the headliners with far more substantial songcraft. Getting the audience to form an archway with their hands to one end of the venue to the other song their lead singer could shuttle back and forth through it was easily one the best bits of crowd participation I’ve ever seen at a show, and I can’t imagine there were many there who weren’t blown away by their star quality. Utter madness- in the best possible sense.

(Photo: Lucy Johnston (Flickr/DrownedInSound))

RATATAT (London Cargo, 23/07/08)

By far the best part of CSS’ never-ending tour last year, the New York electro-dance duo (famed for their fantastic remix of The Knife’s “We Share Our Mother’s Health”) unleash their crisp, crunchy beats, wailsome guitar and freaky projections in Shoreditch hipster haven The Cargo, with surprisingly awesome results. Although their material does stick rigidly to a formula, it’s delivered with such aplomb that niggles about variety are moot- unlike many acts of their genre, there’s quite a lot of live input (guitars, bongos, snare) along with the backing tracks making it much more than just a live replaying of their albums. But the thing I enjoyed most (apart from the sublime “Wildcat”) was seeing such dance-related anarchy in the Cargo- I’ve oft complained about the total lack of atmosphere at that venue, but that audience more than made up for previous failings in that regard. Their hour long set just flew by, and unlike many shows I could have happily watched them for many hours more- although I love my more cerebral bands, it’s nice to have a proper dance once in a while.

(Photo: Durrr (Flickr))

LATITUDE FESTIVAL (Henham Park, Southwold, 18/07/08-20/07/08)

“More Than A Musical Festival.” Well, Suffolk’s premier festival likes to brand itself as such, and to its credit it’s true- the literary and comedic talent on offer is easily the equal of the bands on offer, and despite the focus of this review I did get the opportunity to sample some of its more unusual delights. But ultimately I was there for the music, and on this count Latitude (for the most part) didn’t disappoint.

First on were local heroes The Godwits, who failed to do Suffolk proud with their wet and uninspired indie balladry- much more impressive were London three piece The Joy Formidable, whose angular rock is backed up with an arresting energy that may secure them some mainstream success. Rosie and The Goldbug didn’t bode well with their self-consciously quirky, irritating electro pop but a talent for working a crowd really served them well and they managed to have half the audience dancing by the end.

But the day belonged to hotly-tipped Edinburghers Broken Records, who commanded the beautiful Sunrise Arena with a performance that surely made a fan of all who witnessed it. Previously hamstrung by a nervy, static stage presence, a punishing touring schedule has seen them finally gain the confidence to give their excellent Arcade-Fire-meets-Beirut material the edge to make them an unmissable live proposition, and rollocking closer A Good Reason stands out as one of the musical highlights of the whole weekend. Slow Club weren't quite on the same level, but nonetheless put on a delightful set, their lovely boy-girl harmonies married to whimsical but refreshingly unpretentious lyrics. It’s a shame Bearsuit didn’t take notes- Slow Club’s simple charms were much more fun than the messy, overegged pudding of the Norwich eccentrics (nice costumes though.)

Liverpudlian mentalists a.P.A.t.T were typically great, barnstorming through every genre conceivable like Akron/Family on crack, and even though they attracted one of the smaller audiences of the festival I saw few people without big grins on their faces, which is more than I can say for the oddly disappointing British Sea Power. The wonderfully triumphant All In It was neutered by an inexplicable lack of volume, and not even the inspired contributions of an Bulgarian woman’s choir could save a set that was too quiet for its own good. The Go Team were a lot of fun thanks to Ninja’s irrepressible energy and an up-for-it crowd, and even though the instruments are still too low in the mix (a flaw they haven’t rectified since I first saw them three and a half years ago) they were actually one of the most enjoyable acts of the day. Death Cab For Cutie’s phoned-in set was lacklustre, with the exception of the slow-burning, lighter-waving climax of Transatlanticism and Franz Ferdinand were exactly how you’d expect- great singalongs (I’d forgotten just how great their debut was), passable showmanship with a sprinkling of promising, synth-driven new songs. A perfectly enjoyable way to wind up this most eclectic of days.

Saturday didn’t start well. The unusual falsetto-heavy grooves of Wild Beasts captured my imagination, but otherwise I was treated to a parade of pleasant but uninspiring fare- tame indie poppers Fanfarlo, up-and-coming songstress Beth Rowley and venerable Belgians dEUS. Thankfully, this state of affairs was to prove short-lived, with a triumvirate of pure brilliance that was to blow me away. First off, American bluesman Seasick Steve- although he may not be quite the just-off-the-streets hobo he portrays himself to be (nowadays he’s actually a Norway-based record producer), he’s one hell of a charmer. An impeccably charismatic performer, he’s got the musical chops to back up his fantastic story-telling- whether playing a banjo, a three-stringed guitar or a plank of wood (!) he never less than impresses. Guest appearances from Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the impromptu dragging up of a pretty young lady to serenade were memorable, but it never distracted from the basic premise of an old country fella singin’ the blues and was all the better for it. Definitely my most unexpected treat of the weekend.

Guy Garvey may have been a less accomplished raconteur than Steve, but he still delivered the goods as frontman of superior British indie-merchants Elbow. They’ve long skirted the edge of mainstream acceptance, but it’s only now that they seem to have finally crossed over- and deservedly so. For although they vaguely occupy the same genre space as dullards like Coldplay, their songwriting elevates them far above their peers. A deft hand in instrumentation is another point in their favour, giving them more substance than your average guitar balladeers and a phalanx of hardcore fanboys at the front enhance the atmosphere of an already very impressive set. But not even they could hold a candle to the utterly phenomenal Sigur Ros. Even as a dedicated fan, I had serious doubts they’d be able to recreate their otherworldly magic in a setting as vast as Latitude’s main stage but dear God did they prove me wrong. Without wanting to sound like a hyperbolic fanboy, it was the best festival set I’ve seen in my life and one of my top three performances I’ve seen full stop; perhaps it was the starlight, perhaps it was being surrounded by fellow fans but it was a majestic, magical performance from start to finish. For the first time, Hoppipolla was as dazzling as it’s always threatened to be and their ineffectual attempts at getting the audience to sing along to Med Blodnasir showed that the glacial demeanour of old is starting to melt, and as for the twenty metric tonnes of confetti they unleashed during Gobbledigook…well, that’s a moment I’m going to savour for a very long time.

And although Sunday was always going to struggle to live up to what I’d experience the previous night, the first show of the day almost gave Sigur Ros a run for their money. Delivering a special midday set before her evening performance at London’s Somerset House, the mesmerising Joanna Newsom enchanted all that witnessed her. Comfortable enough to try out a few new piano-based numbers (which, for the record, all sounded pretty excellent) she shone most when sticking to her trademark harp- Emily was tear-inducingly sublime, Peach Plum Pear and Bridges and Balloons breathtaking in their intricate prettiness. Even when she completely forgot the words to Sawdust and Diamonds the crowd forgave her- her infectious, unassuming charm made even her mistakes endearing. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

The rest of the festival inevitably seemed a bit anticlimatic in comparison. Patrick Watson’s shambles of a set was upsetting, Glasvegas sounded great if a bit samey, Those Dancing Days were moderately entertaining and provided much late night fodder for the middle-aged male photographer crowd. Flavour of the month Noah and the Whale underwhelmed me with their forgettable whimsy; Okkervil River suffered from sound problems galore but managed to win the audience thanks to Will Sheff’s admirably concerted efforts to win over the crowd. Blondie, if truth be told weren’t very good by any objective standards- the embarrassing gyrating of an OAP purporting to be erstwhile sex object Debbie Harry plus plodding renditions of old hits can’t really be construed as the epitome of live music- but there’s just no resisting the singalong potential of classic songs like One Way Or Another and Atomic. I’m embarrassed to say it, but they were actually much more fun than festival closers Interpol whose snappy dressing and cool NY style is counteracted by the fact they only have one song, which they proceeded to play seventeen times in succession. They were actually so dull that I sought solace in the Uncut tent where Tindersticks proved a far more worthwhile experience, their understated, lushly orchestrated ballads actually distinguishable from one another. But neither band had the ‘oomph’ a final-night headliner should have; certainly, neither was in the same league as last year’s brilliant Arcade Fire set.

But all things said and done, I had a fantastic time. The atmosphere was lovely (if a bit genteel), the intimate scale of the festival makes it less stressful than the likes of Glasto, it’s bursting from the seams with hidden treats for those willing to look (a 3am piano rendition of Don’t Stop Me Now in the middle of the woods with a hundred folk singing along was pretty much the best thing ever.) The musical quality was less consistent than 2007, but it had more genuine highlights- Sigur Ros and Joanna Newsom were much better than anything last year. If there’s one major criticism, it’s that the line-up is a bit too indie-centric for its own good- some more left-field choices could spice things up a bit. Apart from that, can’t find much to fault- same time next year, I suppose!

(Photos: John Gleeson)

MICAH P. HINSON (London Bush Hall, 16/07/08)

A Texan country-folk singer associated with the fantastic Earlies, ex-jailbird Micah P. Hinson has lead a pretty colourful life; unfortunately that’s not always apparent in his rather pedestrian music. It’s difficult to get infused about the content of his par-for-the-course songwriting, although there are a couple of gems there- what’s far more praiseworthy is the intensity of his performance. Hinson wails, screams, bellows like a man possessed, filled with rockabilly fervour and his superb backing band only accentuate his energy; a duelling banjos interlude is genuinely astonishing. The venue is warmer than Satan’s crotch, but the effort he puts into his show is laudable and the audience spare no pains in showing their appreciation. It’s just a shame the songs themselves aren’t that much cop…

(Photo: Andy_Sheppard (Flickr))