London band TEETH take to the stage at approx. 12.20am in Dalston.  Power Lunches is a small cafe/bar with a basement.  Despite how dark and small this venue is, many people are packed in tonight and waiting patiently to see the band, who, from the buzz I have heard, promise to be fantastic live. Continue reading Jaw-dropping TEETH →

With six members, SHEEN are usually squashed onto a stage, but here is a stage at the Amersham Arms in New Cross London not only big enough to fit them, but big enough for them to throw themselves (and their instruments) around.

This “Occasional Love” night encourages new bands to play south of the river, and the crowds seem more impressed by the live music than crowds in East London Continue reading SHEEN go south of the river for occasional love →

In 1984, I was 16 when THE BLOW MONKEYS released their debut album “Limping for a Generation.”  Their second album “Animal Magic” was released in 1986 and it is these two albums that make up the two sets tonight.  To be honest, The Blow Monkeys barely registered in my musical aesthetic at that time.  I was listening more to bands like Van Halen, Prince and Big Country (and latterly, Iggy Pop, The Cult and Peter Gabriel).  The Blow Monkeys always seemed a bit too slick and safe, but I suspect this had more to do with my wanting to distance myself from fashion clones who did like them than the actual band itself. Continue reading Digging the scene with THE BLOW MONKEYS 30 years on →

Down the stairs and tucked away into the corner of one of Manchester’s best small venues – the Soup Kitchen – there is a bubbling sense of anticipation and an air of consensus that the sizeable crowd are going to witness something special.  This is because the couple of hundred patrons that have crammed themselves into this fantastic space have gathered to see FINDLAY. Continue reading FINDLAY becomes Manchester’s Sweetheart →

THE JOY FORMIDABLE‘s performance at Rough Trade East is best described as a frenzy, and that is meant in the best possible way.  It’s a rare thing to see a band sustain such a high level of energy throughout a 45-minute set, but Ritzy, Rhydian and Matt make it look easy. Continue reading Jumping for THE JOY FORMIDABLE →

Here on a Tuesday in East London, Brighton band ESBEN AND THE WITCH transform the record shop environment of Rough Trade East into their own dark gothic cathedral with their sound and presence alone.  There is an intensity in the air that is visible in the faces of the audience, who are transfixed, almost hypnotically, on the band. Continue reading ESBEN AND THE WITCH summon the dark spirits to Rough Trade →

The Tabernacle in Notting Hill is quite comfortably filled this evening with a mix of ages who remember TOM ROBINSON from his 1970s heyday and those who learn about their new favourite bands from his BBC 6 Music show. The atmosphere is incredibly welcoming, and the crowd’s enthusiasm for this criminally under-celebrated, humble and satisfyingly gravel-voiced champion of music is infectious. Continue reading Still loving you, TOM ROBINSON… →

Hidden away from plain view on a rubbish-strewn industrial estate, Manchester’s Fuhrer Bunker would easily be missed by the untrained eye. However, once you’ve negotiated your way there, you realise that it’s one of the best-kept secrets in the city. The Bunker is a shell of an old Victorian-era industrial building – its most arresting feature the wooden cage sat in the middle of the main room. This is where the bands play. There’s no stage, barely any lights, and nothing between the crowd and the performers but a latticework of wooden beams. Continue reading PINS bust open the Fuhrer Bunker cage once again →

So how did you spend the last few hours of the 13^th Baktun? Given the likelihood of the impending destruction of the Earth, I chose to kick start this season of Festivus a little early at London’s Scala and there is nothing that expresses this better than zombies.

If you are not aware of the works of EMMA-LEE MOSS and TIM WHEELER, both are recording artists in their own right. Continue reading Mistletoe and zombies with EMMY THE GREAT & TIM WHEELER →

Walking along Brighton seafront, past Steak on Sea and a few other shops with names to make you smile (and not know why), you come to The Brighton Centre. Inside, I’m reminded of the London Roundhouse and it’s just as vast.

The standing area fills up early on, and the crowd is remarkably diverse – members of all ages and, judging by the way some dress, of all interests, too.

A white sheet hides Romy, Oliver and Jamie aka THE XX from the crowd. Continue reading THE XX bring beautiful mystery to Brighton →

“We’ve gone industrial!” exclaims Sophie Gug, one half of Salford goth-pop duo DIE HEXEN who on this particular afternoon have found themselves tucked into a corner of Manchester’s Travelling Man comic book shop. No need, however, to fear that they’ve undergone a massively unexpected change in direction. The reason for this peculiar statement is purely technical – the speakers are crackling and fizzing… an unfortunate side-effect of the PA setup.

Continue reading DIE HEXEN: experimental ambition at its very best →

Tucked away from the bitingly cold streets and playing host to the sun-soaked sounds of MOLOTOV JUKEBOX, Manchester Club Academy promised to offer respite from the bleak winter descending outside. And with a packed 4-band line-up, it was a promise that had every chance of being kept.

Continue reading Manchester laps up MOLOTOV JUKEBOX’s festive juices →

“Ladies and Gentlemen” seems a good way to start this off since that’s how we were addressed at the Roundhouse when Swedish band THE HIVES returned to London.

I’d heard so much about this band and their live shows for a long time now, and felt silly for not having seen them yet.  Having heard the albums in passing and only really recognising the singles, the completely packed show did indeed prove to me that I’d been missing something.

Continue reading THE HIVES charm the London crowds →

MIKA (aka Michael Holbrook Penniman) has been touring his ‘Origin of Love’ album for a couple months now, and is showing no signs of getting tired. Ever one for theatrics, his stage set resembles a highly-decorated Stonehenge, covered with symbols like snakes, apples and fire, and he walks onstage under a hail of seasonal fake snow.

Continue reading MIKA brings rays of musical delight and snow showers to Roundhouse →

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, DRAGONETTE bring their fierce, synth-heavy brand of electro pop to London’s Cargo, deep in the heart of Shoreditch. It’s one of the coldest nights of the year so far, but fans of the band are out in force tonight, packing out the small venue from front to back, and it’s not long before Dragonette warm up their crowd’s frozen joints and have the whole room moving.

Continue reading DRAGONETTE turns up the heat at London’s Cargo →