London Gigs Diary: 6 February - 12 February 2012

Monday sees Montreal sound artist Tim Hecker play two special shows at St Giles-in-the-Fields, where he will use the church pipe organ, channelling the sound into his laptop and running it through guitar distortion pedals to generate the kind of towering, decaying soundscapes most recently showcased on 2011’s much praised Ravedeath 1972 album.

On Wednesday the Barbican promises “an intimate evening of free-wheeling musical collaboration” for The Floating Palace, featuring appearances from curator Robyn Hitchcock, Howe Gelb, Krystle Warren, Martin & Eliza Carthy and KT Tunstall amongst others.

Elsewhere on Wednesday Still Corners play from their excellent second album Creatures Of An Hour at a show at Cargo and Anglo-American alt-country husband and wife duo The Arlenes return to the live circuit after several years away with an intimate show at the 12 Bar Club. Wednesday also sees Nada Surf play a show at KOKO in support of seventh album The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy while Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Meursault appear at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the same night.

Hotly-tipped Brooklyn outfit Friends play two shows in London this week, at the Lexington on Tuesday and XOYO on Wednesday, whilst The Black Keys plays two slightly larger shows at Alexandra Palace on Thursday and Friday (supported on both nights by Band Of Skulls). Finally, two acclaimed Malian singers appear in London this week. Vieux Farka Touré plays from latest album The Secret at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Sunday, whilst Fatoumata Diawara appears at the Jazz Cafe on Monday, promoting debut release Fatou.

Also taking place this week:

Gentle Friendly, Way Through & Peepholes - Cafe OTO - 7th February

Aidan Moffat - Old Queen's Head - 8th February

Slow Club - Heaven - 9th February

Niki & The Dove - Seabright Arms - 9th February

Danny & The Champions Of The World - Brixton Windmill - 11th February

The History Of Apple Pie - Barfly - 11th February

Alasdair Roberts - Lexington - 12th February

Michael Chapman - Vortex - 12th February

Just announced

The most exciting news last week was the announcement of the line up for the inaugural BLOC Festival due to take place in the London Pleasure Gardens in Royal Victoria Docks over 6/7^th July. Orbital, Flying Lotus, Gary Numan, Battles and Squarepusher are all due to appear. You can read full details here.

I Break Horses – Scala – 1^st April

Retribution Gospel Choir – Old Blue Last – 5^th April

Francois & The Atlas Mountains– Cargo – 18^th April 

Sunn O))) & Nurse With Wound – KOKO – 12^th June

New Order – Brixton Academy – 2^nd & 3^rd May

Garbage – Troxy - 9^th May

Happy Mondays & Inspiral Carpets – Brixton Academy – 10^th & 11^th May

Islet – Cargo – 30^th May

SBRTKT – Shepherd’s Bush Empire - 4^th October