London Gigs Diary: 31 October - 6 November 2011

This appears to be the week where several artists have decided one show isn’t quite enough and have opted to play multiple shows in the capital. Tori Amos released her 12th studio album Night Of The Hunters earlier this year and, as you would expect, it is a work of impressive scope, ambition and beauty. When she spoke to us earlier in the year she talked about how the album was a 21st song cycle inspired by themes found in classical music and this week she plays selections from it both at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday and Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday.

Elsewhere Malian duo Amadou & Mariam play three special shows at York Hall on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. These are concerts with a difference however in that they will be played entirely in the dark (both Amadou and Mariam are blind). Entitled Eclipse, the show will tell the story of Amadou and Mariam’s life and work together and should be rather special evenings.

Elsewhere, two-tone ska legends The Specials play Brixton Academy on Monday followed by Alexandra Palace on Thurday. Nitin Sawhney plays two nights at Union Chapel on Thursday and Friday in support of ninth studio album Last Days Of Meaning, whilst PJ Harvey plays her second night at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday following her earlier show there last week.

Meanwhile, the Scala is the location for the three day-long celebration of British indie label Fortuna Pop’s 15th birthday. You can catch shows from the likes of The Primitives, Crystal Stilts, Allo Darlin’, Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern and The Ladybug Transistor amongst others from Tuesday to Thursday. Get full details here.

Tuesday sees Anna Calvi play from her widely-lauded self-titled debut album at Shepherd’s Bush Empire whilst Lykke Li plays her radiant, assured pop from latest album Wounded Rhymes at the Roundhouse on the same night. Indie favourites Throwing Muses return to the live circuit in support of their recent career-spanning Anthology with a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday, providing fans with a chance to hear their gloriously off-kilter power-pop songs once again. On the same night American alt-folk artist Charlie Parr also plays just along the road at Bush Hall.

Fucked Up play the extravagantly subversive rock of latest album David Comes To Life at the Scala on Monday whilst Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard promote their new album A Turn In The Dream-Songs at a show at Heaven on Wednesday. Svelte French chanteuse Camille plays from current album Ilo Veyou at Hackney Empire on Thursday whilst her sometime producer and collaborator Majiker (British musician Matthew Ker) plays his own show on Monday at Servant Jazz Quarters. His second album The House Of Bones is inspired by ghost stories and haunted house movies from the 1940s and will, appropriately, get its first London live airing on Halloween.

The Lexington has four notable smaller gigs this week. Ex-Black Box Recorder vocalist Sarah Nixey appears on Tuesday, indie dream pop purveyors Young Galaxy play Wednesday, Californian guitar-pop five-piece Gardens & Villa play from their eponymous debut album on Thursday whilst Siskiyou (featuring ex-members of the wonderful Great Lake Swimmers) wind things up on Sunday.

The Ryucihi Sakamoto Trio play a special show at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday performing a selection of pieces from Sakamoto’s album 1996, which collects music taken from his soundtracks to films like The Last Emperor, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky and High Heels. The RFH is also the setting for a show on Saturday by iconic singer songwriter Roy Harper who celebrates his 70th birthday with support from the excellent Jonathan Wilson.

Finally, Saturday sees two notable shows in north London.  German electro duo Digitalism play from current album I Love You, Dude at the Kentish Town Forum, while down the road in Camden the Roundhouse hosts a night of hip-hop courtesy of MF Doom and Ghostface Killah.

Other highlights:

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Roundhouse – Monday 31st October

Submotion Orchestra – XOYO – Monday 31st October

Led Bib – Vortex – Monday 31st October & Tuesday 1st November

Dry The River – Regent Street Apple Store – Tuesday 1st November

Fixers – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen – Tuesday 1st November

Gotye – King’s College – Tuesday 1st November

Timber Timbre – Union Chapel – Tuesday 1st November

Dustin Wong – Brixton Plan B – Wednesday 2nd November

The Rapture – KOKO – Wednesday 2nd November

Magazine – Kentish Town Forum – Thursday 3rd November

Deer Tracks – The Nest, Dalston – Thursday 3rd November

Patrick Wolf – Roundhouse – Friday 4th November

Hurts – Brixton Academy – Friday 4th November

Art Brut –Garage – Friday 4th November

The Antlers – Borderline – Sunday 6th November

Just announced:

Explosions In The Sky – Prince Charles Cinema – 21st November 2011

Iceage – Corsica Studios – 6th December 2011

Korallreven – Shacklewell Arms – 12th December 2011

AA Bondy – Lexington – 13th December 2011

Skrillex – Brixton Academy – 17th February 2012

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – O2 Arena – 26th February 2012

Orbital – Royal Albert Hall – 10th April 2012

Elvis Costello (The Revolver Tour) – Royal Albert Hall – 23rd & 24th May 2012

London Gigs Diary: 24 October - 30 October 2011

London gig-goers have somewhat of an embarrassment of riches to select from this week. Several elder statesmen (and women) of alternative rock stop off in the capital to play anticipated shows, whilst artists of lesser years also make welcome appearances. Jeff Tweedy-led heavyweights Wilco play two nights at the Roundhouse on Friday & Saturday in support of latest album The Whole Love, whilst New York alt-country troubadour Ryan Adams promotes his pleasant, if slightly lightweight new album Ashes & Fire at a show at Union Chapel on Thursday. Meanwhile, later in the week PJ Harvey celebrates her recent Mercury Music Prize win by playing the first of a pair of shows at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday. Laura Marling performs songs from her excellent third album A Creature I Don’t Know at Westminster Central Hall on Wednesday whilst Florence & The Machine reveal forthcoming second album Ceremonials at Hackney Empire on Tuesday.

The Barbican hosts Honest Jon’s second annual ‘chop-up’ event on Saturday, pulling together a stellar, disparate line up that features Damon Albarn, Flea, Tony Allen, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Shangaan Electro and Theo Parrish amongst others. It promises to be a genre-hopping night where you could end up hearing everything from Afrobeat rhythms to Detroit techno to breezy New York jazz. 

Meanwhile, enigmatic electronic visionaries (and previous Albarn collaborators) Silver Apples play a rare show at Corsica Studios on Thursday. Indeed, it is a strong week for the Elephant & Castle venue with American politicised scuzz-rock outfit White Hills appearing on Monday and prolific Anglo-Dutch experimentalists The Legendary Pink Dots closing the week with a show on Sunday. Elsewhere, The Vortex provides a handful of leftfield offerings with Swedish free-jazz supergroup FIRE! playing two shows with drone merchant Oren Ambarchi on Wednesday and Thursday, whilst the Marc Ribot Trio appear on Friday to cap an equally impressive week for the Dalston venue. Not to be outdone, Cafe OTO offers its usual selection of specialist, non-mainstream shows, the highlight possibly being the two day residency by Joe McPhee & Decoy on Saturday and Sunday, appearing as part of the London International Festival of Exploratory Music that opens this week. Seminal British reggae band (and John Peel favourites) Misty In Roots also help open the festival with a show at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green on Saturday.

Wednesday has a wide-ranging set of gigs to pick from. Touareg desert-rockers Tinariwen play KOKO, dazzlingly multi-lingual outfit Zun Zun Egui play from debut album Katang at the Shacklewell Arms whilst hoarse-throated, guitar sensations Wu Lyf play from their debut album at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Glasgow quartet Sons & Daughters play a show at  Dingwalls in support of latest album Mirror, Mirror and Three Trapped Tigers play from debut album Route One Or Die at The Garage.

The week also has a smattering of gigs by esteemed folk/country artists. English singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich plays Union Chapel on Wednesday in support of debut release Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, whilst Chris Wood appears at the Slaughtered Lamb on Monday and James Yorkston plays St Matthew’s church in Bethnal Green on Thursday. Lindi Ortega has already picked up several admirers with her alt-country toned songs and she plays the Lexington on Monday to coincide with the release of her debut album Little Red Boots. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum country legend Steve Earle plays a show at the Royal Festival Hall with his band The Dukes.

The 2011 Freeze Festival at Battersea Power Station takes place this weekend and features performances from Groove Armada, The Streets, Everything Everything and Azari & III amongst others.

Other notable picks this week include American trio Why? bringing their grand piano tour to Union Chapel on Monday and Real Estate and Twin Sister playing what should be an enticing double bill at The Garage on Tuesday.

Also recommended:

Bon Iver – Hammersmith Apollo – Monday 24^th October

Glasvegas – KOKO – Monday 24^th October

Ash – Kentish Town Forum – Tuesday 25^th October

John Foxx & The Maths / Gazelle Twin - XOYO - Tuesday 25th October

Envy - XOYO - Wednesday 26th October

Veronica Falls – Camden Barfly – Thursday 27^th October

The Jim Jones Revue – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Thursday 27^th October

Cut Copy – Roundhouse – Thursday 27^th October

The History Of Apple Pie –Under The Bridge, Fulham – Friday 28^th October

The Miserable Rich & The Real Tuesday Weld – Westminster Reference Library – Saturday 29^th October

Just announced:

Kami Thompson – The Bowery – Tuesday 15^th November

Niki & The Dove – Hoxton Square Bar & Grill - Wednesday 16^th November

Ólöf Arnalds – St Pancras Old Church – Thursday 24^th & Friday 25^th November

Roll The Dice – Corsica Studios – Wednesday 30^th November

Thurston Moore (playing Psychic Hearts in full) – Electric Ballroom – Saturday 3^rd December

Meg Baird – Cafe OTO – Monday 5^th December 2011

Plaid – KOKO – Wednesday 4^th January 2012

Lanterns On The Lake – Cargo – Thursday 12^th January 2012

The Stone Roses return to bang the drums

Ben Hogwood writes: In case you were caught up in a vacuum yesterday, you’ll have heard the news. The Stone Roses are getting back together. Are you slavering with anticipation, like the band’s thousands of fans, at your idols heading out on tour? This is a world tour, no less, with a sizeable carrot dangled in our direction with the promise of new material. Or are you completely indifferent to another big British band announcing a second chance of a cash windfall?

Either way, this is a second coming you will not be able to ignore. In their heyday The Stone Roses proved themselves as one of the most important bands of the last 30 years, British or otherwise. The combination of Ian Brown’s distinctive vocals - bursting with charisma and promise - and John Squire’s guitar counterpoints, saying without words what Brown was emoting, was irresistible. Add the low slung grooves given by Mani’s bass and Reni’s drumming, and you had a potent mix that not only gave us one of the greatest debut albums but started a legacy of British music. 

Oasis, Happy Mondays, The Charlatans - none of these groups would have turned out the way they did without the Roses’ influence. Nor, arguably, would more recent counterparts such as Doves, Kasabian or Reverend And The Makers. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

When musicOMH interviewed Ian Brown back in September 2005, he was pretty unequivocal in his rejection of a band reformation. On being offered £1million to reform, he said, "That was the latest offer, but I don't wanna cheapen what we had - it meant everything to us after five years on the dole. We always believed, we never stopped thinking. Now, it's like, I've got a nice house, I can have a chicken dinner every day, I've got two hundred pairs of trainers, electric gates. But it's never been about the money. I'm not saying I couldn't use a million, but I'm not gonna debase what we had."

So what’s changed? Have Brown and Squire really buried the hatchet? And what can we expect from the new material? Brown’s vocals have improved for sure, and he has an increasingly impressive solo canon that shows an artist continuing to develop and challenge himself. His most recent album My Way was his best. Contrasting with that are the fortunes of Squire, whose main concern until recently has been his admittedly wonderful, Jackson Pollock-influenced artwork. That it has enjoyed considerably more acclaim than his music says much for the impact of his own solo albums, coming as they did off the back of the largely flat Seahorses project. It may well be that the key to the Roses’ success this time round is not the presence and inspiration of Brown, but whether Squire can rediscover that sizeable mojo once again. If he does, then the world could still be there for The Stone Roses to take once again.

The Stone Roses play Manchester's Heaton Park on Friday June 29 and Saturday June 30, 2012. The dates will form part of an extensive world tour. Watch The Stone Roses reunification press conference now exclusively on www.thestoneroses.org

(Pic: Ken Mckay)

London Gigs Diary: 17 October - 24 October 2011

This particular week of live music in London is bookended by two of the highest profile gigs. Opening the week, Feist plays from her rather swoonsome current album Metals at a show at the Palladium on Monday, whilst Bon Iver closes the week with a highly anticipated gig at the Hammersmith Apollo on Sunday in support of his excellent self-titled second album.

A handful of lauded electronica outfits also appear across London this week. Flying Lotus appears at the Roundhouse on Saturday playing his distorted basslines, submerged electronic melodies and scattershot beats, whilst Hudson Mohawke promotes mini-album Satin Panthers at a show at XOYO on Wednesday. KOKO plays host to an impressive double bill on Thursday as Apparat showcase current album The Devil’s Walk, with able support coming in the shape of When Saints Go Machine. On Tuesday Camp Shoreditch hosts a more leftfield evening consisting of sets by uncompromising analogue/modular synth manipulator Keith Fullerton Whitman and experimental chamber-electronicist Rene Hell.

Scottish duo Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat may have released one of the best and most original albums of 2011 in Everything’s Getting Older and they play a show at Cargo in support of it on Wednesday. Elsewhere, fêted French soundtrack composer Yann Tiersen appears at the Roundhouse on Thursday showcasing his band-oriented seventh album Skyline. Support comes from Newcastle’s Lanterns On The Lake, playing from their impressive debut release Gracious Tide, Take Me Home.

A selection of guitar-centric bands also promote new albums this week. Swedish indie-pop starlet Jens Lekman plays a show at Heaven on Monday. His mini-album An Argument With Myself may have slightly disappointed after the heights scaled in his earlier albums but this gives London based fans a rare chance to see their hero in the flesh. Meanwhile, the NME Radar Tour draws to a close in London on Wednesday, as Wolf Gang, S.C.U.M, Niki & The Dove and DZ Deathrays play a show at KOKO. Male Bonding play their fuzzy, grungy rock at the Garage on Monday in support of sophomore album Endless Now, whilst Veronica Falls apprise their eponymous debut album alongside Echo Lake at a show at the Lexington on Thursday.

Also recommended:

Spectrals – Water Rats – Monday 17^th October

Roddy Woomble – Scala – Monday 17^th October

Chapel Club / Other Lives – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Tuesday 18^th October

Ultrasound – Borderline – Tuesday 18^th October

Sam Amidon – Cecil Sharp House – Tuesday 18^th October

Real Estate – Rough Trade East – Tuesday 18^th October (free show)

Babeshadow – Shacklewell Arms – Tuesday 18^th October

Evan Parker – Vortex – Thursday 20^th October

British Sea Power – East Wintergarden – Friday 21^st October

Arthur Jeffes – Purcell Room – Friday 21^st October

Architecture In Helsinki – Heaven - Sunday 23^rd October

 

Just announced:

Florence & The Machine – Hackney Empire – 25^th October 2011

Loney Dear – St Pancras Old Church – Monday 21^st & Wednesday 23^rd November 2011

Oneohtrix Point Never – St Giles-in-the-Fields – Thursday 24^th November 2011

Paul McCartney – O2 Arena – Monday 5^th December 2011

Real Estate - Scala - Tuesday 6th December 2011

Walls / The Field – XOYO – Thursday 8^th December 2011

Miracle Fortress – Hoxton Square Bar & Grill – Sunday 11^th December 2011

Cymbals Eat Guitars – The Garage – Thursday 5^th January 2012

Wild Flag – Electric Ballroom – Wednesday 1^st February 2012

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Thursday 2^nd February 2012

Roots Manuva – Roundhouse – Saturday 4^th February 2012

Nada Surf – KOKO – Wednesday 8^th February 2012

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Wednesday 8^th February 2012

London Gigs Diary: 10 October - 16 October 2011

In 1997 Spiritualized played a show at the Royal Albert Hall that was subsequently released as a live album. It captured the band at a defining point in their career, just after they had released their celebrated Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. Fourteen years and one day later, the band will return to play the same venue for what promises to be a career-spanning set, taking in their garage rock, feedback-driven instrumentals and strings/brass embellished, emotion-heavy melancholia. With a new album due for release early next year this should be an excellent show.

More bands/artists that rose to prominence in the 1990s appear in London this week, principally the respective frontmen of Suede and Super Furry Animals. Brett Anderson plays from his latest solo album at KOKO on Wednesday and Gruff Rhys plays at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the same night. Belgian indie-rockers dEUS also return to London to promote new album Keep You Close at KOKO on Tuesday.

Guitar bands of a more contemporary nature also play various shows across London this week. The Horrors play the Roundhouse on Wednesday, with Cloud Control appearing at the Scala on the same night. Elsewhere, Iron & Wine follow last week’s acoustic show at Hackney Empire with a full band electric set at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Monday, further showcasing this year's Kiss Each Other Clean album. Two gigs of a more lo-fi nature take place in the middle of the week with French duo Herman Dune playing Union Chapel on Wednesday and Scottish outsider-folk artist Withered Hand appearing at the Borderline on Thursday.

Happily, being London, there are also several gigs that encompass a wide variety of musical genres to choose from this week. On Saturday the Jazz Café hosts a birthday tribute concert for Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti, led by Dele Sosimi (the musical director of award winning musical Fela), while Grandmaster Flash makes an appearance at Corsica Studios on Friday. On Tuesday Chad Valley plays his elevated synth-pop at XOYO while Planningtorock plays from her latest album W at the Scala.

Thursday sees Ghostpoet perform his low-key, underplayed hip-hop at the Scala, while on the same night Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara plays the Jazz Café in support of her debut album Fatou (she also plays a free show at Rough Trade East earlier in the day). Thursday also features a gig by Jono McCleery who plays his soulfully shaded songs in his debut headline show at the Queen Of Hoxton, with a little help from Jamie Woon. Elsewhere, Emeralds man Mark McGuire plays his personalised electroacoustic soundscapes at the Shacklewell Arms on Friday. Cafe Oto also has (as usual) some interesting shows this week. On Tuesday Alexander Tucker leads an evening of experimental acts playing laudably ambitious music 'inspired by the five pre-telescopic planets' while on Friday and Saturday Bill Orcutt and Jessica Rylan headline shows featuring artists that recently appeared at the Tusk Festival in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Read more here.

Also recommended:

Still Corners - Cafe Oto - Monday 10th October

Mother Mother / Young Husband - Lexington - Monday 10th October

Little Fish - Camden Barfly - Monday 10th October

Mazes - Lexington - Thursday 13th October

Mary Hampton - Cecil Sharp House - Sunday 16th October

Just announced:

Honest Jon's announced details of their second 'chop up' event this week. Damon Albarn, Flea, Tony Allen, Phil Cohran, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Shangaan Electro amongst others will all appear at the Barbican on Saturday 29th October. Should be quite a night.

Elbow, Goldfrapp, Sinead O'Connor, King Creosote and Marina & The Diamonds are the highlights of the Little Noise Sessions that will take place at St John-at-Hackney in November. See full details here.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Coronet - Thursday 10th November 2011

Eleanor Friedberger - Bethnal Green Working Mens Club - Thursday 1st December 2011

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy -Hackney Empire - Wednesday 25th January 2012

The Civil Wars - Shepherd's Bush Empire - Monday 19th March 2012