Live Reviews

Hawk Eyes @ Newcastle Academy 2, 09.12.11
Hawk Eyes or Chickenhawk... different names, same brutality!
Posted on Dec 19th, 2011
Art Brut @ Bull & Gate, London 07.12.11
With a (marginally) less bitter, southern equivalent of Mark E Smith as front man, Art Brut’s visceral punk sound is infectious and addictive. For two nights they brought their distinctive sense of humour and whimsical riffs to life at the famous Bull and Gate, Kentish Town. James Labous was there with his punk-o-meter.
Posted on Dec 15th, 2011
The Magic Band / The Wicked Whispers @ Kazimier, Liverpool 03.12.11
The second Butterfly’s Ball and Grasshopper’s Feast headlined by Captain Beefheart’s legendary backing band, with event organisers The Wicked Whispers in support.
Posted on Dec 13th, 2011
Blood Orange / Shields @ The Shacklewell Arms, London 03.12.11
The Shacklewell Arms is ideal for artistic intimacy. The dimly-lit bar houses a tiny dance hall with a miniscule stage set-up that can barely hold two players, and it is here that we revelled in the scantily-clad sensualism that is Blood Orange and introduced ourselves to one of the best-sounding new bands we'd heard of recent times, Shields. Cheers Dalston.
Posted on Dec 8th, 2011
Lisa Hannigan @ Komedia, Brighton 28.11.11
It has been an eventful musical journey that has brought Lisa Hannigan to be tonight's headline act at Brighton's Komedia, one that has seen her perform for many years alongside Damian Rice and make several high profile festival appearances. Tonight however is all about her and whether her songs really do stand up to the critical praise they have enjoyed.
Posted on Dec 5th, 2011
Battles @ Kazimier, Liverpool 18.11.11
The pressure on Battles over the last year must have been nerve-wrecking. Just how do you live up to the standards of the phenomenal ‘Atlas’ and Mirrored – the albums figure headed by the same singer (Tyondai Braxton) who left midway through your third LP? Any regular band would have surely been crushed by the weight. Luckily, Battles aren’t any regular band. Returning with one of the finest albums of 2011, Gloss Drop silenced all sceptics and with an equally enthralling live show to boot, Battles proved they can do fine without their old frontman.
Posted on Dec 5th, 2011
Steve Ignorant’s “The Last Supper” @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London 19.11.11
Punk is dead? We'd like to think not, but after this gig it's definitely hooked up to life-support. The Clash have long lain deceased, The 'Pistols should never have existed, and now, after an ear-bursting, gut-wrenching 35-year fight against evil, Steve Ignorant put anarcho-punk legends Crass to rest with a passionate, energised and incredibly emotional set of the hard-hitting atheist and anti-war anthems that have made this group some of the most adored anarchists in history.
Posted on Nov 30th, 2011
Okkervil River @ Sound Control, Manchester 20.11.11
Recreating the gargantuan number of contributors from I Am Very Far in a live setting can be a daunting task. Indeed, such a dense sound seems a distance from their first Manchester gig at the Star and Garter (they nostalgically reminisce about that tonight), but as the line-up proves tonight, Okkervil River can do it all in their original number.
Posted on Nov 29th, 2011
Elephant @ The Haunt, Brighton 25.11.11
Elephant hail from an unspecified part of London, but hey who doesn't these days? The word on the street however is that their sound really stands out from the crowd, a reputation that has tonight drawn a decent size crowd to one of Brighton's better live venues The Haunt.
Posted on Nov 29th, 2011
Josh T. Pearson @ Barbican, London 26.11.11
“This place sucks, I'm getting tired of these dives. One shit hole after the next”. An auspicious opening from the man who last time Bearded saw perform, was sitting under a glorified gazebo in a field outside a small village in Kent. A gig that, considering the surroundings of a country fayre endorsed by locally brewed 9% cider, was arguably the loudest folk music gig Bearded had ever been to, where Josh T. Pearson screamed down the mic and had his amp cranked completely to the top. It's true to say that expectation was fairly high for something big from tonight's performance, although after recently performing on the Jools Holland show, it was safe to assume the night would prove to be a more tranquil affair then the last time.
Posted on Nov 29th, 2011
< 1 2 3 4 > Last »