Live Reviews

Erland & the Carnival @ Exeter Phoenix 05.04.11
Noble Exeter sees its comers and goers lifting its pompous nose above the weak and those that leave the town so abruptly. Three dark coated travellers drive into the town (a classic choice would be a horse and cart) bearing instruments readying themselves to play a night of witchcraft tunes and mystic songs at The Phoenix.
Posted on Apr 13th, 2011
Dum Dum Girls @ Dingwalls, London 05.04.11
With the release of new EP ‘He Gets Me High’, which has been praised for its greater emphasis on pop sensibility in relation to the ultra-lo-fi debut full-length ‘I Will Be’, the hype surrounding Dum Dum Girls has grown extortionately. With recent positive reviews of the group cropping up left, right and centre, it has become difficult not to become interested...
Posted on Apr 10th, 2011
Daniel Martin Moore @ Birmingham Town Hall 10.03.11
We saw Daniel Martin Moore performing, with celloist Ben Sollee, his understated folk music in December, supporting acclaimed punk-poet Billy Bragg, and we were swayed to say the least. In Birmingham, supporting cult folk heroes Iron & Wine, Daniel treats us to a very different experience – a new four-piece band of talented multi-instrumentalists who provide the authentic folk arrangements that many of the tracks require.
Posted on Mar 29th, 2011
Flashguns @ The Lexington, London 23.03.11
The Lexington has seen many a band over the years rocking up to their mic stands with gratuitous confidence boiling over into arrogance and endless nights of drug-fuelled partying etched onto their city-boy faces. Flashguns on the other hand consist of three clean-cut, fresh-faced lads in their early-twenties, only two years on from boarding school. They have recorded a video and an EP in the wilderness of Somerset’s Exmoor and their modesty coupled with a grounded attitude towards their music makes a refreshing change. In comparison to the aforementioned stereotype, they are worlds apart.
Posted on Mar 27th, 2011
Seefeel @ Islington Mill, Salford 18.03.11
A break into industrial electrics before a loop appears, a crash and a sustained slice of distorted oscillation. The layers develop bringing in more shattering noise, a succinct retraction with a drone remaining. A fine overture.
Posted on Mar 22nd, 2011
Arbouretum @ Jam, Brighton 18.03.11
There's an air almost of a secret gathering in Jam's tiny low-ceilinged basement (why almost zilch local advertising?), but it all adds to the intimate feel as Arbouretum amble on stage, offer a laconic greeting from David Heuman ("Hello - we're Arbouretum from Baltimore, USA") then dive gloriously into ‘Waxing Crescents’ from new album The Gathering, culminating in a blistering drum finale from Buck Carey.
Posted on Mar 21st, 2011
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros @ The Old Vic Tunnels, London 13.03.11
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros concluded their string of five shows in the heart of the vast underground labyrinth that is The Old Vic Tunnels on Sunday night. Curated by the band themselves, the event was a haberdashery of audio and visual wonderment: Psychedelic spacesuit clad performers greeted guests at the arched doorway offering space sweets, and "searching" surprised passersby. While Les Enfants Terrible, a trio of deranged, burlesque girls contorted their way around the vaulted venue in a both grotesque and hypnotising manner. One pocket of the tunnels was screening a psychedelic Western with a four piece band providing its subtle, Hispanic soundtrack while at another, a Texas themed saloon bar offered beverages and momentary respite from the mayhem.
Posted on Mar 20th, 2011
Dog is Dead @ The Thekla, Bristol 10.03.11
Described by the band themselves as “Louis Armstrong lost in disco”, Nottingham indie five-piece Dog Is Dead have moved from strength to strength with a growing fan base and even a stint on TV’s ‘Skins’. Quite surprising it was then that tonight’s gig was to be held in the pokey top room of the Thekla, with the band awkwardly stood on a small stage surrounded by Christmassy light decorations.
Posted on Mar 20th, 2011
British Wildlife Festival – Day 2 @ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 06.03.11
Situated in a cramped basement somewhere in Leeds sat the dedicated few who had made it out to the final day of the British Wildlife Festival. People whose dedication would be rewarded with another full day of music, headed up by the clean discordant metal of Nitkowski. Yes the first band on today put on a hectic show of heavy music with only two guitars and a drum kit. The clean guitars really carved out the detail and complexity needed in this hard rock and fans of bass need not be afraid for the lower frequencies were added sporadically by a trusty octave pedal.
Posted on Mar 18th, 2011
Team Me @ Hammersmith Apollo, London 14.03.11
Warm waves of silky spring air evoke that European charm that has flooded the UK of late.
Posted on Mar 17th, 2011
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