Live Reviews

Juffage @ Leftbank Centre, Leeds, 26.04.13
Rarely is a venue in Leeds so justified in its anticipation. Juffage's only gig of the year had seen the timelessly divine home of the Leftbank Centre church at his disposal for practice and preparation with his chosen clan for the preceding weeks. On Bearded's arrival, he was still padding around the space, ears to speakers and hand affixed to a cup of tea. Who's still asking questions?
Posted on May 13th, 2013
Matthew E White @ Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 26.04.13
Matthew E White seems a happy man. He spends a large part of tonight's gig beaming, repeatedly thanking the crowd in the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall for their attendance, in between a bunch of (genuinely) amusing anecdotes from the band's European tour, of which tonight's show marks the final date. He has every reason to be chuffed: the album he is touring (2012's mellow, soul music-indebted Big Inner, which was quietly released in the UK back in January) is a slow-burning, word of mouth success; one that gives every impression of a star in the ascendancy.
Posted on May 13th, 2013
Arc Festival @ Eastville Park, Bristol 27.04.13
Adam Corner went along to Bristol's new dance festival
Posted on May 7th, 2013
Minus the Bear @ Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff 24.04.13
Following the release of their excellent fifth studio album Infinity Overhead in 2012, Seattle based experimental rockers Minus the Bear made their way to a sold-out Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff to begin their longest UK headline run since 2005. Stuart Knapman headed down to see if it’s been worth the wait.
Posted on May 7th, 2013
Truckfighters @ Electric Ballroom, London 29.04.13
Swedish stoner rock trio tear it up at Desertfest 2013
Posted on May 3rd, 2013
A Hawk and a Hacksaw @ The Lexington, London 17.04.13
From Albuquerque via Budapest to Islington on a Wednesday night, it has been a long steady road for this accordion and violin duo who have quietly established themselves as purveyors of some of the finest Eastern European-styled folk that one is likely to hear this side of the Danube.
Posted on Apr 29th, 2013
Little Comets @ Oxford O2 Academy 14.04.13
Little Comets have a pots and pans approach to playing their music live. This isn’t to say that it’s a little clumsy and chaotic, as the saying would suggest. Rather, to make their lives easier, they have percussion instruments resembling saucepans dangling from a piece of string drawn across the middle of the stage for the three-piece from Sunderland to rattle and thump when necessary.
Posted on Apr 24th, 2013
And So I Watch You From Afar @ The Garage, London 16.04.13
And So I Watch You From Afar are the most incredible band this writer has ever seen live. Ever. As far as post rock bands are concerned, no one else even matters any more.
Posted on Apr 24th, 2013
Anna von Hausswolff @ Oxford O2 Academy 18.04.13
Oxford’s Cowley Road is, for better or worse, the epicentre when it comes to live music for the city. On the plus side, rooted in the centre of this musical ebullience is the excellent Atomic Burger restaurant.
Posted on Apr 24th, 2013
Pere Ubu @ Fibbers, York 16.04.13
In the film 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil', it is rightly and continuously recognised that persistence and a strong sense of identity and purpose go a long way to providing a band with credibility regardless of what they're wailing. Perhaps a step up from those hairy thrashers, it is no less of a wonder how Pere Ubu survives. Priding themselves on being almost anti-profit and sticking to their guns to the point of taking pop-shots at others from the safety of nowhere, the band have just released their fifteenth studio album, this time choosing dance music as their, presumably uncaring, enemy. So with the supporting tour all set, we picked up our tap shoes and travelled to York to throw some shapes.
Posted on Apr 23rd, 2013
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