The Bluetones always knew what to do with a four day weekend - spend it in bed with a short term fling waiting to see who comes up for air first. But for those of us without a short term fling to enjoy, a better idea might be to spend the long weekend celebrating the Gaymer's Camden Crawl, which returns this Saturday and Sunday for another two day trawl of the area's finest venues.
The challenge as ever remains to see the bands you love, check out the bands you've heard good things about, while remembering to have a good time despite the queues, the crowds, and the constant suspicion that there's a better gig happening somewhere where you are not.
A typically excellent and diverse line-up features headliners including The Lemonheads and Killing Joke, and other "must catch them" acts such as recent SXSW talking point Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All who will be making their debut UK appearance, plus Saint Etienne, Guillemots, Simian Mobile Disco and Villagers. Keep an eye out for smaller acts like Lulu And The Lampshades, Rainbow Arabia and SBTRKT. Or ignore the recommendations, find a comfy seat in a quiet venue, and just hang on to discover the latest must-see band that nobody else saw because they couldn't get past the frenzy for Tinchy Stryder.
Spooky Canadians Timber Timbre quickly consolidated on the late UK release last year of their self-titled album with its follow up Creep On Creepin' On. Steeped in creepy atmospherics but with moody soul at its core, it both relaxes and tingles the psyche. The band will be playing at the ICA before heading up to the Deaf Institute, Manchester on 28 April.
Faris Badwan's career continues to skip around expectations. Not only did his band The Horrors come back with a mature and focused second album in 2009, but now he's teamed up with Rachel Zeffira, a respected soprano, for an altogether surprising project. And it's been a total success. Playing around with the current trend in boy/girl partnerships (She & Him, Summer Camp), the contrasting shades of dark and light over a backdrop of Phil Spector-esque pop accessibility turned out to be addictive and creative - an ethereal, classical Shakespears Sister. In town recently to support Primal Scream, they're back, and this time they're centre stage.
Land Of Kings - Venues Around Dalston, London - 28, 29 April
Venues including The Alibi, The Nest, Rio Cinema and Vortex Jazz Club will be hosting an eclectic selection of acts for this two day event. Thursday's highlights should include My Tiger My Timing, Gwilym Gold and D/R/U/G/S while keep an eye out on Friday for sets from 2ManyDJs, Mums Of Death and Ghostpoet. Two day passes are £19.
I Need A Dollar has been hanging around on the fringes for over a year now, but Aloe Blacc (real name Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III) looks to be stepping it up now. Borrowing from the classic soul of Marvin Gaye or Ray Charles and throwing in a chunk of funk and a whazz of jazz, it's a tune that's going to be hard to escape this summer. He'll be back for what could be one of the highlight gigs of the Somerset House Summer Series, but for now he's touring the UK with other destinations including Manchester, Leeds and Brighton.
Thomas Tantrum – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London – 27 April
Diplo - Koko, London - 28 April
Mount Kimbie - Heaven, London - 28 April
Rayographs + The Haxan Cloak + Warm Brains – CAMP Basement, London – 28 April
Made In Japan: Squarepusher + LFO + Fuck Buttons – Forum, London – 28 April
Chromeo– Brixton Academy, London – 29 April
Best Coast – Scala, London – 29 April
Ron Sexsmith – Barbican, London – 30 April
Alessi's Ark - The Vortex, London - 30 April
Billy Bragg + The Agitator– Queen Elizabeth Hall, London – 1 May
Just Announced:
Tom Vek
Tom Vek was one of the darlings of the indie scene around the release of his debut album, We Have Sound, in 2005. But all that excitement over his leftfield glitchy pop tunes like I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes and C-C (You Set The Fire In Me) seemed to lead to nothing when no follow up appeared. Instead his lead was followed by the likes of Friendly Fires and Metronomy who produced their own takes on his intelligent and quirky dancefloor-friendly pop style. And now, seemingly out of nowhere, he's reappeared, with a new single, A Chore, a new album, Leisure Seizure, and a tour in June that will include a date at Heaven.
Hard Rock Calling– Hyde Park, London – 24, 25, 26 June
The Killers have been announced as top of the Hard Rock Calling bill on Friday 24 June, meaning that the headliners are now all confirmed. They join Bon Jovi on the Saturday and Rod Stewart (just ahead of Stevie Nicks) on the Sunday. The Las Vegas band are in the early stages of work on a fourth studio album, so expect the setlist for this show to be taken from their back catalogue.
It is widely known amongst the hoi polloi who dwell north of Old Father Thames that dragon lairs exist in South London. This is why North Londoners point at maps of South London and shriek fearfully: "HERE BE DRAGONS!" In their naivety/ignorance they fervently believe that culture ceases to exist beyond Southwark due south. The dragons scorched it, so the theory goes. Apparently.
I've have yet to witness any large, scaly, flappy sights in the South London skies. For sure, occasionally there are police helicopters, but only when occasion calls for it.
Beyond the South Bank Centre, Brixton and the O2 Arena complex, it's true that the perceived lack of viable transport has so far stymied development of anywhere south of the river to rival Shoreditch/Hoxton and Camden, despite New Cross's best efforts. We hear that The Amersham Arms, where we've seen everybody from Crystal Castles to The xx, is up for sale. And the spectacular Rivoli Ballroom at Crofton Park ought to be used much more often; The White Stripes and Florence And The Machine both played special event gigs there. A consistent programme would surely be better than its current moribund status, but is there the will to bring one about?
On the flipside, The New Cross Inn defies all trends, booms and busts and benefits from the recently opened Overground line running either side of it. Corsica Studios at Elephant & Castle remains one of our favourite venues - we dropped by to catch the amazing Austra again last week, and still vividly recall Dan Deacon's insane set there a few years ago. And the Eat Your Own Ears and Upset The Rhythm operations have brought an exciting range of artists to venues from The Grosvenor in Stockwell (we caught No Age there) to the Bussey Building in Peckham (Darkstar, anyone?). There's a sense of occasion about gigs in these places; they're not staging gigs night in, night out. And all these venues enjoy excellent transport links, whatever North Londoners would have you believe.
So does one of the longest running music venues in South London, the Half Moon at Herne Hill. As with the Amersham Arms, it's a place I occasionally ventured to as a teenager to see bands formed at my school. It had dropped off my radar recently, but its longevity was matched a couple of weeks ago by an eyecatching bill promoted by one of the longest running independent music websites, Penny Black Music. They've been around just about as long as musicOMH, with founder John Clarkson still at the helm. Fitting the venue and promoter, the acts booked have also been around awhile, though they've not lately been seen in London - South or otherwise.
Nick Garrie, whose 1969 album The Nightmare Of JB Stanislas was finally given a full release last year (we reviewed it here), sat on stage with a guitar and played songs he wrote 40-odd years ago. "Wheel Of Fortune on the album had a 52 piece orchestra, but they couldn't get it in," he drawled. In the intervening years he ran a ski school in the alps. Introducing another song, he announces "I wrote this on the ski train". Not one you hear often, that.
Sometime musicOMH scribe Anthony Reynolds (pictured) headlined the evening, his first London gig since 2003. The Jack and Jacques founder is using his own name these days, but his set was a carefully chosen selection spanning his earliest works and later numbers. White Jazz, Filthy Names and F.U. from The Pioneer Soundtracks were welcome treats, though there were no Jacques tracks at all. He was joined by a hotch-potch assortment of musicians on violin, guitars and keyboards - though curiously no drums - to tease out the moodswings of his work. But as befitted his headliner status, twice in set closer Biography Of A First Son he let the microphone fall and revealed that voice; unamplified, his sonorous baritone still reached every corner of the room.
This was an evening which, like the best of Eat Your Own Ears and Upset The Rhythm's forays across the land south of the Thames, felt unique, both for the artists billed and the location in which it was staged. Artists beyond the mainstream matched with venues below the radar? There's an idea in there somewhere, and not a dragon to be seen.
The Glastonbury line-up was fleshed out last week just ahead of the remaining tickets being snapped up. In some strange scheduling, Morrissey will be warming the Pyramid Stage crowd up ahead of U2 and Pendulum will be rocking up as Beyonce's support. As ever some of the best acts have been scheduled for the West Holts Stage, which will host old timers like Jimmy Cliff and Duane Eddy, alongside Big Boi, Janelle Monae and Kool And The Gang. Meanwhile Hertfordshire's The Big Chill festival announced its Kanye coup, by signing Mr West up for what is so far his only festival appearance in the UK this summer.
Gigs Of The Week: 18 – 24 April 2011
Nerina Pallot– Bloomsbury Theatre, London – 20 April
Jersey girl Nerina Pallot might not have quite reached the heights that her songwriting deserves, but four albums in she's not short of inspiration or drive. Since The Graduate came out in in 2009, she's been writing for others, including a certain Kylie Minogue, she's acquired a dog and given birth to her first son Wolfgang, who lends his name to her new album, Year Of The Wolf. New single, the infectious Bernard Butler-produced Put Your Hands Up shows that she's still handy with a pop hook. A natural raconteur, she shines in the live setting. Support comes from Bright Light Bright Light.
When this run of dates was announced, few could have known how Adele's (pictured) year was going to turn out. But here she is, newly anointed national treasure since releasing her all-conquering 21 album, crying at the BRIT Awards and cackling on Alan Carr's sofa. One of the rare artists not cropping up on this summer's festival schedule, these dates will be one of the few opportunities to see her sing this year. She's playing the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 21 April.
With Moderat, their collaborative work with Apparat, a certified success that took them through the last couple of years, Modeselektor are now back as themselves. A powerhouse in electronic music, their glitchy sounds top this bill put together by promoters Black Atlantic, as Modeselektion makes its London debut. Other acts on this limited information all nighter (somewhere in London) include dubstep pioneer Mala and German DJ Siriusmo.
Lone Pigeon +The Pictish Trail – Bush Hall, London – 20 April
Battles– ICA, London – 20 April
Liam Finn– Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London – 21 April
Friska Viljor– Bush Hall, London – 21 April
Strummerville Spring Sessions featuring Frank Turner - Hearn Street Car Park, London - 21 April
R Kelly– Hammersmith Apollo, London – 22 April
Kitsuné Maison vs Ponystep– Heaven, London - 24 April
Dean Wareham plays Galaxie 500– XOYO, London – 24 April
Just Announced:
Stag And Dagger - Various Venues in Shoreditch, London - 19 May
Shoreditch's main multi-venue gigathon is back, this time bringing in XOYO and Village Underground to its already heaving supply of hosting bars. An evening that always leaves you dizzied by the insane choice, the Stag And Dagger offers a platform for a huge number of bands swirling near the radar. Familiar names this year include Wire, New Young Pony Club and James Yuill. Emerging talent includes Big Deal, Echo Lake and Cocknbullkid.
Rinse FM's poster girl Katy B has emerged in the wake of her collaborations with Magnetic Man and The Count & Sinden, before finally breaking through on her own with debut album On A Mission. Mixing her underground influences in with a fairly straightforward pop manifesto has turned out well as it stormed to number 2 in the charts. She'll be playing an impressive 16 dates starting in Ipswich on 8 October, and including a night at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 24 October.
The Low Anthem (pictured) - Queen Elizabeth Hall, London - 11 April
The Bella Union record label must be bracing themselves for the coming months as their flagship band Fleet Foxes gear up for the release of second album Helplessness Blues. In their wake we've seen the label triumph with a series of excellent acts proving that success can breed success. One of the finest has been Rhode Island four-piece The Low Anthem, who put out their fourth album, Smart Flesh, earlier this year. Blending folk and country with rock and gospel, they may just be the best of the current wave of all that can be filed under that strange Americana category.
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – Royal Festival Hall, London – 13 April
When Nigerian master of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, died in 1997, it was his youngest son Seun who took over his band Egypt 80. In the UK for his first full tour of the country, he'll be playing some of the tracks from his recently released album From Africa With Fury: Rise, an album that finds him following his father's lead but in a more digestible way. Support comes from Malian act Donso, for an African Soul Rebels lineup that will continue to Northampton, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Basingstoke and Poole.
Jose Gonzalez with The Gothenburg String Theory – Barbican, London – 11 April
Young Rebel Set – Lexington, London – 12 April
Architecture In Helsinki – XOYO, London – 12 April
Cloud Control – XOYO, London – 13 April
The Brute Chorus – Lexington, London – 13 April
Marcus Foster – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London – 13 April
Ben Howard – Borderline, London – 14 April
J Mascis – Relentless Garage, London – 14 April
Saint Saviour – Hoxton Hall, London – 14 April
Raghu Dixit – Royal Festival Hall, London – 15 April
Ghostpoet – XOYO, London – 16 April
Metronomy – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 16 April
Just Announced:
Battles- Heaven, London - 8 June
Four years after they wrapped the hype machine around their skittish fingers and became the figureheads for everyone's favourite non-genre mathrock, Battles are back with their second album, Gloss Drop, due for release on 6 June. Taster track Ice Cream (downloadable from their website) finds Matias Aguayo taking over the vocals where Tyondai Braxton left off, all rushed glitchy rhythms and distorted melodies. Having sold out their gig on 20 April at the ICA in an hour, they'll be back for another headline gig at Heaven in June, as well as sets in Brighton, Manchester, Dublin, Leeds and Glasgow.
It's never been difficult to spot where Beirut's influences have come from. Whether its Balkan folk, Mexican mariachi or French chanson, the band play up their debt to whatever they, or presumably frontman, Zach Condon, has been obsessing over recently. But with a third full-length album being released later this year, there are few clues as to what we can expect this time around. Their recent cover version of Caetana Veloso's O Leãozinho, recorded for the Red Hot & Rio 2 compilation raising money for the Red Hot Organisation, might suggest a shift towards Brazilian tropicalia, which would be no bad thing. They'll be in London and in Manchester this September.
BBC's digital radio station 6Music has seen quite a turnaround in its fortunes since it was threatened with closure last year. The station's audience mobilized to protest against the decision, and five months after the original proposal to close the station, it was rejected by the BBC Trust.
It was an episode that demonstrated how strong an audience bond can be - and this weekend, that was demonstrated again with Tom Robinson's new show, Now Playing.
Stemming from the 'listener takeover' back in August, Now Playing is a show with a playlist put together by listeners, based around a common theme of what's been discussed on the 'blogosphere'. It's a fully interactive show, where you can tweet suggestions for the show during the week.
There's also weekly contributions from various websites and blogs each week - which is where we come in. On the debut show, I contributed a short piece about the wonderful new album by tUnE-yArDs (read my five-star review here and look out for our interview with Merrill Garbus next week) and introduced a couple of tracks from what I think will be the album of 2011.
Have a listen on the Beeb's 'Listen Again' feature here (my contribution is approx 1 hr 24 mins in, but I'd recommend you listen to the whole show, as it really is a great listen), and you can also read more about the show here, read their blog or tweet suggestions to @bbc6music , using the hashtag #nowplaying.
