London Gigs Diary: 28 November - 4 December 2011

Wednesday sees KOKO host a celebration of the 13^th anniversary of indie label Memphis Industries. They have treated us to a selection of excellent releases over the years and this night is headlined by arguably their highest profile act The Go! Team and also features appearances by Field Music, Dutch Uncles and Colourmusic.

Elsewhere, on Thursday M83 plays a small, sold-out show at Heaven in support of current double album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Should be pretty amazing to hear tracks like this, at high volume, in such a relatively small venue.

Thursday has more in the way of eye-catching gigs as Panda Bear plays from current album Tomboy at the Electric Ballroom, A Hawk And A Hacksaw perform a live soundtrack to cult art-house film Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors at the Barbican, Clock Opera appear at Electrowerkz and Cafe OTO is the setting for an evening of lo-fi, leftfield psych-folk courtesy of Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Samara Lubelski and Hush Arbors.

Meanwhile, Sonic Youth man Thurston Moore plays two shows in the capital this week, firstly at Union Chapel on Friday, and secondly at the Electric Ballroom on Saturday (where he will play Psychic Hearts in full). Other highlights include Roll The Dice promoting excellent current album In Dust at Corsica Studios on Wednesday and James Blake appearing at the Forum on the same night.

Also recommended:

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – XOYO – 28^th November

Being There - Shacklewell Arms - 29th November

Peggy Sue – Bush Hall – 29^th November

Outfit - Cargo - 29th November 

Puressence – Bush Hall – 30^th November

Lisa Hannigan - Shepherd's Bush Empire - 30th November

Halls - Corsica Studios - 1st December

The Memory Band – Vortex – 1^st December

Jad Fair – Lexington – 1^st December

The Unthanks – St James Church, Piccadilly – 2^nd December

Ritchie Hawtin / Plastikman – Brixton Academy – 2^nd December

Little Dragon – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 4^th December

Just announced:

Hundreds – Borderline – 13^th December

Lanterns On The Lake – Cargo 12^th January

Jonathan Wilson – Scala – 31^st January

Jonathan Richman – Bush Hall – 29^th February

Jonathan Richman – Tabernacle – 1^st March

Jonathan Richman – Union Chapel – 2^nd March

Sharon Van Etten – Cargo – 1^st March

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Scala – 8^th March

Inspiral Carpets – KOKO – 16^th March

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – Hyde Park - 14^th July

London Gigs Diary: 21 November - 27 November 2011

2011 has witnessed the striking musical rehabilitation of Josh T. Pearson as he emerged from a period of personal difficulty to deliver one of the most talked about and lauded albums of the year in Last Of The Country Gentlemen. He caps it off in quietly triumphant style this week with a show on Saturday at the Barbican. Expect moments of irreverent humour to feature alongside the introspective darkness and emotionally wounded nature of his music.

Elsewhere, it is a pretty stunning week for gigs, even by London’s standards.

The pick of Monday’s shows sees Battles play from second album Gloss Drop at Kentish Town Forum. On the same night you can catch Other Lives appearing at St Giles-in-the-Fields and Explosions In The Sky playing an intimate show at the Prince Charles Cinema (the band have also chosen to have the Chris Smith directed documentary film American Movie screened before they play their 45 minute set). Can we have more gigs in cinemas please?

Monday also sees Jonathan Wilson play from debut release Gentle Spirit at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, The Twilight Sad call in at the Borderline whilst Loney Dear also performs the first of two London shows this week at St Pancras Old Church (the second takes place on Wednesday). We reviewed his show supporting John Vanderslice at the Lexington earlier in the year.

The Lexington is also the venue for what should be a great show on Tuesday by Newcastle-upon-Tyne based outfit Lanterns On The Lake who showcase the snow-covered, pristine musical landscapes of debut album Gracious Tide, Take Me Home. Tuesday also sees Baltimore grungy alt-rock duo Wye Oak play from excellent second album Civilian at XOYO whilst Canadian husband and wife combo The Besnard Lakes play the Scala with support from Suuns. 

Gillian Welch brings the authentic, bluegrass-toned alt-country of current album The Harrow & The Harvest to Hammersmith Apollo on Wednesday on the same night as Gang Gang Dance & About Group play ULU. Wednesday also has Wild Beasts playing the first of two consecutive nights at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Zola Jesus appearing at Heaven whilst two seminal alternative rock acts play smaller shows on the same night – namely Urge Overkill at the Borderline and Wire at XOYO.

Thursday sees no let up in the standard as Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Brooklyn-based musician Daniel Lopatin) promotes his impressive second album Replica at St Giles-in-the-Fields. Icelandic singer Ólöf Arnalds performs at St Pancras Old Church on the same night whilst Friendly Fires and SBTRKT play a show of a much bigger nature at Brixton Academy. Recent gigs by The Fall have been rather erratic and have seen Mark E. Smith on what could be described as “interesting form” and they appear at the IndigO2 in support of current album Ersatz G.B. on Thursday.

Friday features arguably the highest profile leftfield gig of the week at the Barbican as veteran German electronic outfit Mouse On Mars perform their eagerly awaited orchestral piece Paeanumnion with help from musikFabrik, Andre de Ridder and Oval. The following evening sees an equally impressive line up of experimental electronica acts at Dalston’s Cafe OTO, with Jan Jelinek, AM/PM and Inch-Time all making appearances, the latter possibly offering tracks from latest album The Floating World a live airing.

Crossover contemporary classical also features in the London live circuit this week as the music of Steve Reich is celebrated at Wathen Hall on Saturday with the help of The London New Music Ensemble. The great man himself is also due to make an appearance. Meanwhile, Kings Place is the setting for a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the genre of minimalism as Katia & Marielle Labèque (amongst others) play three concerts that will feature the music of composers and artists such as Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, La Monte Young, Brian Eno, Terry Riley, Aphex Twin, Sonic Youth and Radiohead. The shows takes place from Thursday to Saturday and you can read more here.

Finally, this week also sees the Little Noise Sessions take place at St. John’s Church in Hackney. You can see the likes of Elbow, Chris Martin, Goldfrapp, Sinead O’Connor and King Creosote amongst others appear over the course of the week.

Phew, I think I’ll go for a lie down now.

Just announced:

St. Vincent – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 17^th February 2012

Lambchop – Barbican – 1^st March 2012

Summer Camp – Scala – 21^st March 2012

Low – Royal Festival Hall – 3^rd April 2012

The Magnetic Fields – Royal Festival Hall - 25^th April 2012

The NME also announced their full set of shows to tie in with their 2012 awards. London dates are as follows:

Charli XCX - Lexington – 8^th February

Slow Club - Heaven - 9^th February

Pure Love - Bush Hall – 14^th February

Band Of Skulls - XOYO – 15^th February

tUnE-YarDs - Shepherd's Bush Empire – 15^th February

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Heaven - 16^th February

The Big Pink - Garage – 20^th February

Kurt Vile - KOKO – 21^st February

Alabama Shakes - Boston Arms – 22^nd February

Oh Land - Heaven – 23^rd February

Little Dragon – Kentish Town Forum - 24^th February

Marina And The Diamonds - Shepherd's Bush Empire 26^th February

The Drums - Roundhouse - 27^th February

London Gigs Diary: 14 November - 20 November 2011

The Roundhouse witnesses something of a celebration of the modern alt-country genre on Wednesday as The Low Anthem play a show with strong support from William Elliott Whitmore and Simone Felice. The Rhode Island outfit played an impressive show at the QEH earlier this year and this show should see them cement their position as one of the genre's leading lights.

Wednesday also boasts several other wide-ranging gigs for London-based live music fans to contemplate. Neon Indian plays Heaven in support of latest album Era Extraña, Tom Vek makes a keenly-anticipated return with a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire with support from Esser whilst Death Cab For Cutie play Hammersmith Apollo. Other notable gigs include girl-of-the-moment Lana Del Rey playing a show at the Scala, the hotly-tipped Niki & The Dove appearing at Cargo and Esben & The Witch playing from latest album Violet Cries at Corsica Studios. Meanwhile, The Smashing Pumpkins play two shows at Brixton Academy on Tuesday & Wednesday. If reports of other recent shows are anything to go by expect Billy Corgan’s new material to heavily outweigh selections from the band’s back catalogue.

Monday sees Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks promote current album Mirror Traffic at KOKO on the same night as Grizzly Bear frontman Chris Taylor gives the first London show by his new project CANT at Cargo. Later in the week fellow Americans Barn Owl play from excellent current album Lost In The Glare at Hoxton Bar & Grill on Saturday.

Introducing have gained many admirers over the last year for their live performance of DJ Shadow's seminal Endtroducing album and you can catch them play it at Village Underground on Friday. Meanwhile, Friday also sees French electronicist Mondkopf bring his darkly atmospheric sounds from latest album Rising Doom to XOYO. We spoke to him earlier in the year and you can read the results here.

Otherwise, the London Jazz Festival dominates the gig diary this week. The highlight is arguably Ornette Coleman returning to the scene of his 2009 Meltdown Festival curation to play a show at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday. Other stand-out gigs from stars of the contemporary jazz scene include Mancunian trumpeter Matthew Halsall playing a show at the Barfly on Monday, the Gwilym Simcock Trio performing at the 606 Club in Chelsea on Tuesday, Phronesis calling in at the Purcell Room on Wednesday on the same night as Kit Downes appears as part of Troyka at the Green Note in Camden.

Elsewhere the Barbican hosts a show by Jerry Dammer’s Spatial A.K.A Orchestra on Friday whilst Australian jazz-improvisers The Necks play two shows at the Bishopsgate Institute on Friday and Saturday. It’s safe to say there’s quite a lot going on. Read more in our preview and from the official website.

Also recommended:

Cults - XOYO - Tuesday 15th November

Ladyhawke - 100 Club - Tuesday 15th November

Islet - Lexington - Wednesday 16th November

Colourmusic - Hoxton Bar & Grill - Thursday 17th November

William Fitzsimmons - Union Chapel - Thursday 17th November

Foster The People - Shepherd's Bush Empire - Sunday 20th November

Just announced:

ATP announced details of their next London-based I’ll Be Your Mirror event this week. Alexandra Palace will see headline performances from Slayer, Guided By Voices and event-curators Mogwai over three nights in July 2012. At this stage other bands confirmed to play are Codeine, Melvins, Mudhoney and Yuck. Expect more to be added over forthcoming weeks. Full details here.

Other gigs announced this week include:

Felice Brothers – Macbeth – 5^th December 2011

The Maccabees – Brixton Academy – 26 January 2012

NME Awards Tour 2012 featuring Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy, Tribes & Azealia Banks - Brixton Academy - 25th February 2012

Feist & M. Ward – Royal Albert Hall – 25^th March 2012

London Gigs Diary: 7 November - 13 November 2011

Annie Clark released Strange Mercy, her rather fine second album under the St Vincent name, earlier this year and she plays arguably the standout show in London this week at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Thursday. Previous St Vincent gigs have shown Clark to be a captivating, confident performer and her biggest show to date on the South Bank should cement her reputation further.

Another album sure to be nestling alongside Strange Mercy in end of year lists is Burst Apart by The Antlers. It is a powerful combination of heartfelt lyricism and emotive guitars and you can expect to hear much of it when they play KOKO on Thursday. The following evening at KOKO sees a performance of an album released 10 years ago that shares this heady mix of qualities, namely The Optimist by Turin Brakes. It provides a chance for London gig-goers to escape the onset of winter by immersing themselves in the warmth and acoustic beauty of an album that still sounds great in 2011.

Saturday sees Nils Frahm perform from his critically acclaimed album Felt at Cafe OTO, whilst gigs by legends of country and jazz take place at bigger venues on the same night. Alison Krauss & Union Station play the first of four shows at the Royal Festival Hall, whilst the McCoy Tyner Trio appear at the Barbican.

Elsewhere indie-popsters Los Campesinos! play a show at KCLSU on Monday whilst Wednesday sees Belle & Sebastian guitarist Stevie Jackson play a solo show at Heaven.

Other highlights are William Fitzsimmons playing an intimate show at the Barfly on Monday, Malian kora master Toumani Diabate playing Union Chapel on Friday and Braids and Exitmusic both appearing at an ATP-sponsored show at XOYO on Wednesday.

Also recommended:

Kathleen Edwards – Rough Trade East – 8^th November

The Chap – Madame Jojo’s – 8^th November

Waters – Shacklewell Arms – 8^th November

Fountains Of Wayne – Scala – 9^th November

Girls – Electric Ballroom – 9^th November

The Good, The Bad & The Queen – Coronet – 10^th November

Amon Tobin – Hackney Empire – 11^th November

Ane Brun – Scala – 11^th November

Trophy Wife – Nest – 12^th November

Just announced:

The Barbican announced their Spring/Summer 2012 Contemporary events this week and it contained a mouthwatering selection of shows to look forward to.

The show featuring premieres and new collaborations between Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner on 9^th April may have received the most publicity but no less exciting is Muhly’s show on 16^th March alongside Owen Pallett and the Britten Sinfonia.

Equally exciting is the live performance of Big Star’s seminal Sister Lovers album by a band including The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and R.E.M.’s Mike Mills in what is sure to be a deeply moving show on 28^th May.

Other concerts include appearances by alt-country legends The Jayhawks , Norwegian avant-electro-jazz trailblazers Jaga Jazzist,  American forward-thinkers Bang On A Can Ensemble and esteemed chamber-classicists Kronos Quartet. Well done The Barbican. Read more here.