London Gigs Diary: 27 February - 4 March 2012

This week sees some of the most talked about ladies of alternative music treat London to a series of shows.

Tramp, the third album Sharon Van Etten has attracted much attention so far this year and you can catch her play from it at Cargo on Thursday. If you weren’t quick enough to secure a ticket she also plays a free in-store show at Rough Trade East the night before. It’s unlikely she’ll be playing venues of this size next time she’s in town. Elsewhere, Monday sees St. Vincent play her biggest London show to date at Shepherd’s Bush Empire whilst Azealia Banks follows up her involvement in the NME Awards tour with her own solo show at Heaven on the same night. Shows by high profile female musicians seem to be a recurring theme throughout the week, with Kathleen Edwards promoting debut album Voyageur at the Islington Academy on Tuesday, whilst on Friday Liz Harris plays a show as Grouper at the Swiss Church in Covent Garden.

Django Django’s self-titled debut album has impressed many since its release earlier this year, not least us here at musicOMH, our review proclaiming it to be a “a striking blend of understated electro groove and top shelf singles”. You can catch them play from it at XOYO on Monday. Another notable album released this year has come from alt.country favourites Lambchop. Mr M is the 11th offering of their elevated career and they play a show at the Barbican on Thursday with support from Cortney Tidwell. Two acts that featured highly on albums of 2011 lists also hit London this week. The War On Drugs appear at Electric Ballroom on Tuesday, while KOKO is the setting for SBTRKT’s soul-tinted, electro-infused dubstep on Thursday.

Meanwhile, two performers with more in the way of hard-earned experience and extensive back catalogues also find themselves in London this week. American proto-punk songwriter Jonathan Richman has a busy few days, playing a trio of shows across the capital. He’s at Bush Hall on Wednesday, the Tabernacle on Thursday and Union Chapel on Friday while Randy Newman plays a rare show at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday.

In jazzier territory, Mercury Prize-nominated outfits Portico Quartet play York Hall on Wednesday (in support of excellent eponymous third album) while the Kit Downes Trio appear at the Vortex on Saturday.

Also taking place this week:

Scroobius Pip – KOKO – 27^th February

The Drums – Roundhouse – 27^th February

Grouplove – Garage – 28^th February

Keiji Haino – Cafe OTO – 28^th/29^th February

Atari Teenage Riot – Garage – 29^th February 

Benoit Pioulard – Cafe   OTO – 1^st March 

Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny – Hoxton Square Bar +Kitchen – 1^st March

Sleigh Bells – Electric Ballroom – 1^st March

Just announced:

Willy Mason – Hoxton Square Bar + Kitchen – 27^th March

Lee Ranaldo – Scala – 6^th June

2:54 – Scala – 7^th June

Richard Hawley – Forum – 8^th June

Cud – Garage – 16^th June

Blur, New Order and The Specials – Hyde Park – 12^th August

Field Music – Electric Ballroom – 17^th October

Fatoumata Diawara – Village Underground – 15^th November

BRIT Awards 2012: The Morning After

Some six million people watched the BRIT Awards on ITV1, ITV2 and, let's face it, Twitter. There was music, of a sort. There was James Corden, hosting again. There was a schedule to keep to, but it fell apart, much like George Michael's link speech. And there were suits. Many, many suits.

Controvery was restricted to a matter of timekeeping. Blur's Damon Albarn waffled a speech of thanks that went on for several epochs. Adele won some things that Ed Sheeran didn't, but was cut off mid-flow during her second speech due to late running. She flicked the bird.

Blur still played five songs in sequence - a new interpretation of the word 'medley' - including Tender, with the London Community Gospel Choir, but half of their set was shuffled off to ITV2 and the 10 O'Clock News started late anyway. So far, so racy.

musicOMH's features editor Ben Hogwood was in the O2 Arena. Here's his account of how things looked off camera...

It's always a matter of varying opinion as to how relevant the BRIT awards are these days. Is it the musical equivalent of watching the bankers get their bonuses (substituting the major record companies for the likes of RBS) or is it really an accurate round up of the year just gone?

In truth, the 2012 version - with James Corden at the helm again - was better than expected. And, on the day they were announced as headliners for an Olympian closing ceremony concert, Blur accepted a lifetime achievement award to give a timely reminder that 'indie' is so often where the great music starts, even if it isn't always where it ends.

There were two genuine goosebump moments in the O2. First of these was Adele's voice. On a night where lightshows dominated the likes of Florence (we don't really see the Machine these days), and the voting power of the fans held sway for One Direction and Coldplay, all Adele had to do to win her audience over was stand there and sing. Which she did. She deserved her ovations, but not the 'Cordening' off she suffered at the hands of ITV, instructing their host to cut her off in the middle of an acceptance speech. It was yet another own goal from a broadcaster still on very shaky ground when it comes to covering live events.

At least they cut to Blur, though a 'refreshed' Damon Albarn took a while to find his voice in Girls And Boys, complete with a giant image of a kebab. Phil Daniels - now 'that man from Eastenders'  - roused the pigeons with Parklife, but the best was saved for post 10 o'clock and sweeping accounts of Tender and This Is A Low.

They crowned an event where tributes to Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse, smuggled in to the schedule, made for awkward asides to the live music. Some of this was impressive, with Rihanna and perhaps surprisingly Noel Gallagher leading the field. Some was routine in the extreme - Coldplay, with added fireworks - while some was wildly misplaced, with Ed Sheeran getting an inevitable mention. His music surely belongs more in the bedroom than in these cavernous surroundings.

The BRITs isn't what it used to be for controversial incidents, but this is good since it means more people talk about the music itself. And here, thanks mainly to five true Brits, our faith was reassured. 

(Picture of Damon Albarn not quite falling over courtesy of John Marshall Enternational/DawBell.)

Blur to play Hyde Park... again, play BRITs tonight

In what seems curiously close to a sense of deja vu, Blur are not only being written about on this blog twice in one week, but they're also set to play London's Hyde Park again, this time with The Specials and New Order tagging along for the ride in an Olympics-closing celebration of 'The Best Of British'. Tickets? A snip at £55. Gawd bless Britannia, guv'nor.

The news broke last night with a Metroland-tastic poster on the band's Facebook page, announcing that the sometime Britpoppers have accepted an invite to headline a gig festooned in sponsorship, which will commemorate the end of the sponsorship-festooned Olympics.

This, as many a Londoner will tell you, will be cause for celebration indeed, not least as ambulances carrying the sick and injured will again be able to use roads which, during the games jambouree, will be reserved for the chauffeur-driven Pooh-Bahs of the Olympics movement, saving them the horror of having to use TfL's assortment of public transport with all the little people.

After Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon's short War Child pre-BRITs show earlier this week at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, where they debuted a new track called Under The Westway, the full band get together for the BRIT Awards ceremony tonight at the O2 Arena. There they will receive an award for their Outstanding Contribution To Music... nearly a decade after they last released an album. They're set to play Tender with an orchestra, we hear; we'll have a blog from the ceremony, though you can watch it on ITV1 if you're in need of a televisual take.

Blur perform new song 'Under The Westway'

At last night's War Child benefit gig at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire, Blur's Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon debuted a new song, entitled 'Under The Westway'.

The piano-led number formed part of a short five-song set performed by the duo, who reunite with rhythm section Dave Rowntree and Alex James at the BRIT Awards tonight to receive an Outstanding Contribution To Music award.

Have a peek at an audience recording, below. (Photo: rehearsal pic from Blur's Facebook page.)

London Gigs Diary: 20 February - 26 February 2012

Ritual Union by Swedish electronic-soul-R&B collective Little Dragon occupied its own little place in the world of music last year, sounding fresh, vibrant and distinct from much else released during 2011. On Friday they play a show at the Kentish Town Forum. Friday also sees Field Music promote fourth album Plumb at a show at Kings College and Mexican duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela continue their ascent to popularity with a show at Brixton Academy. Phenomenal Handclap Band also return to the live scene on Friday, with a show at Village Underground ahead of the release of second album Form & Control.

Elsewhere, Tindersticks play four intimate nights at the Soho Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday in support of fine ninth album The Something Rain. Meanwhile, over at Café OTO on Wednesday (former?) Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon plays a show with Bill Nace under the name of Body/Head. Expect much in the way of challenging, experimental-noisescapes.

Earlier in the week Loney Dear appears at Bush Hall playing from last year’s beautiful Hall Music album on Monday, while emerging American duo Gauntlet Hair play from their excellent Animal Collective-esque self-titled debut album at the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston on Tuesday.

The NME Awards shows continue across London this week – Metronomy and Azealia Banks being the pick of the headline tour that hits Brixton on Saturday. Kurt Vile and Real Estate play a show at KOKO on Tuesday and Danish songwriter Nanna Øland Fabricius appears at Heaven as Oh Land on Thursday.

Finally, in the realm of electronic music veteran techno-maestro Richie Hawtin appears at Village Underground on Thursday whilst Tycho (San Francisco based musician Scott Hansen) treats those at Cargo on Saturday to the ambient soundscapes of debut album Dive.

Also taking place this week:

Thomas Truax – Power Lunches – 21^st February

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 22^nd February

Oberhofer – Lexington – 22^nd February

The Deep Dark Woods & The Arlenes – Windmill – 22^nd February

First Aid Kit – Kings College – 23^rd February

The Jezabels & Dry The River – 23^rd February

Pulled Apart By Horses – Electric Ballroom – 23^rd February

Baxter Dury – XOYO – 24^th February

S.C.U.M – Bush Hall – 24^th February

Marina & The Diamonds – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 26^th February

Imogen Heap – Roundhouse – 26^th February

Just announced:

The Futureheads – Union Chapel – 4^th April

The Cribs – Troxy – 8^th May

Saint Etienne – Palladium - 28^th May

Norah Jones - Royal Festival Hall - 1st & 2nd June

A$AP Rocky - Electric Ballroom - 5th June

Hugh Laurie – Hammersmith Apollo – 2^nd July

Grant Lee Buffalo – Kentish Town Forum – 14^th August

Dry The River – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 1^st November