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.