2012 Gig Highlights (August and September)

AUGUST

Although August was a relatively quiet month, on a balmy summer evening, we were treated to the fantastic lineup of YES SIR BOSS, DISRAELI AND THE SMALL GODS and MOLOTOV JUKEBOX at Spiegeltent at London’s Southbank Centre. We’d been tracking Molotov for some time and fell in love with their brilliantly fiery live shows as well as the sparkling charisma and talents of lead singer Natalia Tena (of “Game of Thrones” TV series, “Harry Potter” movie series). Continue reading 2012 Gig Highlights (August and September)

2012 Gig Highlights (July)

July was a peak month for classic gigs headed by strong females, starting with the return of the one-and-only Shirley Manson and GARBAGE, with support provided by hit Australian band THE JEZABELS and its powerful vocalist Hayley Mary. You would be hard pushed to find two bands who perform better live. Although Wolverhampton civic hall was no ideal venue, Garbage blew the stage, topped with chants of “Shirley!” resounding round the hall. Dominating the stage from the moment she first comes eye to eye with her audience, Manson oozes pure charisma, her no-nonsense presence sealing her once again as a music legend. Continue reading 2012 Gig Highlights (July)

2012 Gig Highlights (June)

June was a great month in the North of England for brilliant performances by bands from the other side of the pond.

I had seen Toronto band AUSTRA the previous September at the Deaf Institute where they blew me away. Since then, they have firmly stayed my favourite band and many are on tenterhooks for the arrival of their imminent second album. Their follow-up Manchester show at Soup Kitchen was also spectacular. Hypnotic and majestic on stage, every member of the six-piece excel at what they do. Continue reading 2012 Gig Highlights (June)

2012 Gig Highlights (May)

May Day saw the dawn of a very special venue indeed. The SAVAGES/PINS gig at Manchester’s Fuhrer Bunker is one for the history books, primarily for revealing the bunker’s now-legendary cage setting. Playing to a limited capacity crowd, the electricity in the air was tangible from the moment you located the building in the middle of the deserted rubbish-laden landscape to the moment the bands stepped inside the restrictive wooden structure. Continue reading 2012 Gig Highlights (May)

2012 Gig Highlights (March and April)

MARCH

Already widely known in the US since their double-Grammy win last year, THE CIVIL WARS have since stormed the UK. Joy Williams and John Paul White were a picture of perfection, a delight to watch and listen to, and the Manchester Academy crowds couldn’t get enough of the tracks off their hit album “Barton Hollow.” It’s difficult to fault such iconic songs as the beautiful “Poison & Wine” and “I’ve Got This Friend.” Their harmonies are sublime, the partnership seemingly made in heaven Continue reading 2012 Gig Highlights (March and April)

2012 Gig Highlights (January and February)

As you can see from our list of TOP 30 LIVE ACTS OF 2012, we saw some amazing musicians in the year 2012, in Manchester, London, Glasgow, Brighton, Leeds, Liverpool, York and Tokyo. Here are just some of our highlights and stories:

JANUARY

We started the year off brilliantly with three back-to-back ANI DIFRANCO shows, at Brighton’s Concorde and twice at London’s Union Chapel Continue reading 2012 Gig Highlights (January and February)

Top 30 Live Acts of 2012

2012 was a good year for live music in the UK, and we’re not talking about the massive overgrown and overpriced festivals (sigh), but the day-to-day gigs in the cities.  Despite the heavy saturation of the music industry, we managed to dig out some gems, experiencing a massive array of talent from the UK, Japan and beyond.  Notably, the UK continues to produce some fantastic female musicians, and it’s just a matter of time and evolution before the industry matures sufficiently to recognize this surge and make the most of it, hopefully encouraging further diversity in both the music itself and the industry overall Continue reading Top 30 Live Acts of 2012

SHEEN go south of the river for occasional love

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

Digging the scene with THE BLOW MONKEYS 30 years on

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

FINDLAY becomes Manchester’s Sweetheart

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

ESBEN AND THE WITCH summon the dark spirits to Rough Trade

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

Still loving you, TOM ROBINSON…

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…