The stunning Old Royal Naval College, the centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, plays host to the Greenwich Summer Sessions this week. The sequence of events are aimed at the Hampton Court/Kenwood House crowd with regular middle-aged survivors Status Quo and Squeeze among the headliners.
Tuesday however offers up Neil Hannon (pictured) appearing in solo, but as The Divine Comedy with Swedish cover version expert, José Gonzalez offering support through the power of his ambient guitar-plucked melodies.
Mark Ronson, mourning the loss of close friend, working and sparring partner, Amy Winehouse, will be playing Wednesday’s set, while The Pogues and The Buzzcocks offer an intriguing double bill of throwback rebellion on Friday.
Squeeze’s Chris Difford returns for another set on Sunday, with Songs In The Key Of London. When he curated a similar gig at Barbican Hall in March 2010, it leant itself to songs including Waterloo Sunset and The Pogue’s A Rainy Day In Soho. This time around, we’re assured guest spots from the likes of Gary Kemp, Ali Campbell, Clare Teal, Nerina Pallot and a beatboxing Shlomo.
More details here.
Gig Of The Fortnight: 25 July – 31 July 2011
Apparat + Ghosting Season – Scala, London – 25 July
Berlin electronic maestro Sascha Ring returns to his Apparat guise after a bit of time collaborating with Modeselektor as Moderat. Now he’s in town and touring as part of a four-piece band for the first time. Apparat will release a new album, The Devil’s Walk, on Mute Records later in the year. Support comes from Ghosting Season whose mix of epic drone and jagged pop beats has impressed at earlier live shows.
More details here.
Also Recommended:
Wolf Gang – Barfly, London – 25 July
Patricia Vonne – Borderline, London – 26 July
YACHT – Hoxton Squre Bar & Kitchen – 26 July
Nathaniel Rateliff + Abigail Washburn – Cargo, London – 27 July
Steve Mason + Dennis Bovell – Shacklewell Arms, London – 27 July
Francis Neve – Bull & Gate, London – 27 July
Cashier No 9 – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen – 27 July
House Of Pain – Scala, London – 28 July
Pretty Lights + My Panda Shall Fly – CAMP Basement, London – 29 July
Barb Jungr – Vortex, London – 30 July
Just Announced:
Veronica Falls – Dalston Roof Park, London – 17 August
Promoters The Allotment continue with their inspired series of “See Hear gigs”, on a decorated rooftop in Dalston where the artist gets to choose a film for everyone to watch once the music’s ended. This time, new recruits to Bella Union Records, Veronica Falls, will be playing material from their forthcoming debut album, a record fizzing with spiky lo-fi retro pop tunes and boy/girl vocals. And then. Then. As if that’s not enough, once they’re done, we all get to watch Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, because that twisted Bette Davis/Joan Crawford psychological drama is what they’ve decided we should all watch from the comfort of a blanket, under the dark skies. Perfect.
More details here.
Laura Marling – Westminster Central Hall, London – 26 October
The Westminster Central Hall, previously host to visits by the Suffragettes in 1914, and Mahatma Gandhi in 1932, now welcomes incumbent BRIT Award winner Laura Marling as she sets about promoting her third album, A Creature I Don’t Know. It’s part of a lengthy series of October gigs, most of which will take place in cathedrals around the country on a tour that also includes stops at big churches in Winchester, York, Sheffield, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
