London Gigs Diary: 25 June - 1 July

It’s a slightly quieter week in terms of gigs in London but there is the Back2Black festival which takes place over the weekend at Billingsgate Old Market.

Billed as a celebration of African roots in both music and culture, it boasts an impressive array of artists. The line-up for Friday features the long awaited return of Macy Gray alongside a set by Vieux Farka Touré, Saturday has performances from Roots Manuva, Hugh Masekela, Fatoumata Diawara and Mulatu Astatke before finally concluding on Sunday with appearances from Gilberto Gil, Toumani Diabaté and Amadou & Mariam. There’s also a programme of talks, debates and workshops. Full details can be found here.

The stand-out gig this week comes from inspirational polymath Erykah Badu, who brings her wide-ranging neo-soul to Hammersmith Apollo on Wednesday. This week also sees the rescheduled show by Saint Etienne who will play the Palladium on Monday. Read what we thought about their latest album here. Wednesday has a pair of shows worth checking out – Real Estate play the Electric Ballroom (read what we thought of their London show from last year) and Howling Bells play an intimate date at the Lexington.

Also taking place this week:

Monday

The Chapman Family – Macbeth

Tuesday

Thomas Lehn – Café Oto

Wednesday

Casiokids – Barfly – Wed

Thomas Lehn  – Café Oto

Friday

Bis – Lexington

The Rockingbirds - Windmill

Saturday

Bis – Buffalo Bar 

Just announced:

Childish Gambino – XOYO – 4^th July

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard – Borderline - September 5th

Tori Amos – Royal Albert Hall – 3^rd October

Cold Specks – Union Chapel – 10^th October

Lianne La Havas – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 11^th October

Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds & A Winged Victory For The Sullen – Hackney Empire – 18^th October

Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Forum – 5^th November

Kindness – Heaven – 7^th November

Bon Iver – Wembley Arena – 8^th November

Diagrams – Cargo – 6^th December

London Gigs Diary: 18-24 June 2012

London will be treated to something of a rare occurrence this week – namely three female artists who will each play on three occasions in the capital.

Malian singer Rokia Traoré (look out for our interview with her) plays three special shows ahead of the release of her album later in the year. On Monday she’s at Wilton’s Music Hall before she heads to the Barbican on Friday, finally ending up at Village Underground on Saturday (each show will have its own theme – dream, sing and dance). With her band containing John Parish and Seb Rochford this should be a fascinating trio of shows.

Also playing a hat-trick of shows in the capital is the mildly mysterious Cold Specks - aka Canadian singer Al Spx (still not the name you’d find on her passport). She plays three dates at Hoxton Hall on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can read what we thought about her debut album I Predict A Graceful Explosion here.

Finally, Amanda Palmer plays three shows at Village Underground (from Monday to Wednesday) with support from Jherek Bischoff.

Back at the Barbican on Saturday you can catch esteemed American songwriter (and Beach Boys/Brian Wilson collaborator) Van Dyke Parks who marks the imminent re-release of three of his seminal albums on Bella Union with a special show that will also feature Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and the Britten Sinfonia.

Elsewhere, KOKO will be the setting on Thursday for a show by Bloc Party, who return after an absence of 4 years to play in support of forthcoming album Four whilst Jack White follows up his recent show at the Forum with a bigger date at Hammersmith Apollo on Friday. Expect to hear much of latest album Blunderbuss. Best Coast are also in London this week, playing a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Thursday to coincide with the release of second album The Only Place.

In more experimental territory Sun Araw & M. Geddes Gengras combine with Jamaican reggae-dub outfit The Congos for a show at Village Underground on Friday. It follows the release of their excellent collaboration earlier this year. Meanwhile, on Thursday parts of east London will have a distinct kosmische feel to them as two gigs featuring ex-members of legendary Krautrock bands Can, Cluster & Harmonia. Hans-Joachim Roedelius plays Café Oto on Thursday while Damo Suzuki appears at the Shacklewell Arms on Friday with support from the Sonic Cathedral-signed Yeti Lane.  Finally, Will Dutta promotes current album Parergon with a show at the BFI on Wednesday that will also feature Plaid and Max de Wardener.

Also taking place this week:

Monday

Being There – Lexington

James Ferraro - Birthdays

Tuesday

Mara Carlyle - Lexington

Exlovers – Waiting Room

Man Without Country – Madame Jojo’s

Wednesday

Grasscut – Shacklewell Arms

Ben Kweller – Electric Ballroom

Thursday

Melodica, Melody & Me – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Friday

Rachael Dadd – Kings Place

Just announced:

Afghan Whigs – KOKO – 19^th August

People Under The Stairs – Scala – 25^th September

Yeasayer – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 27^th September

Dub Colossus – 27^th September

Nada Surf – Scala – 15^th October

Bat For Lashes – Forum - 29^th October

The Fall – Islington Assembly Halls – 5^th December

London Gigs Diary: 11-17 June 2012

It’s a case of another week, another festival this week in London as Lovebox returns to Victoria Park (to celebrate its 10th anniversary, no less).

It’s another reliably strong line up that features Hot Chip, Friendly Fires and a post-Jubilee Grace Jones headlining with Crystal Castles, Chaka Khan, Lana Del Rey, Bobby Womack, Holly Johnson, Kelis, The Rapture and Azari & III also on the bill. There’s also an equally impressive line up of DJs on other stages. Get further details here.

Stand-out gigs this week include Hot Chip promoting excellent fifth album In Our Heads with their own show at Heaven on Wednesday. Liars do likewise with latest album WIXIW at XOYO on Tuesday whilst The Walkmen also appear at Village Underground on Tuesday in support of Heaven (you can also read our recent interview with the band here). For matters supremely poptastic, Bright Light Bright Light's album launch gig for Make Me Believe In Hope is on Wednesday at CAMP Basement. 

Elsewhere, Citizens! appear at Hoxton Square Bar + Kitchen on Tuesday in support of Here We Are, Gabby Young & Other Animals will be at the Scala playing from The Band Called Out For More with support from Revere on the same evening, whilst you can also catch Future Of The Left at XOYO following the release of The Plot Against Common Sense.

There’s a trio of appealing gigs taking place on Saturday also. Norwegian electro-jazz-prog outfit Jaga Jazzist play a show at the Barbican with the Britten Sinfonia, Gonjasufi plays from lates album MU.ZZ.LE at Village Underground & Café Oto hosts an evening of experimental electronic music courtesy of Shoeb Ahmad and Leverton Fox.

Also taking place this week:

Tuesday

Civil Civic – Macbeth

Sunn O))) & Nurse With Wound – KOKO

Wednesday

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Garage

Sparks – Bush Hall

Suzanne Vega – Union Chapel

Thursday

Justin Townes Earle – KOKO

NCZA/LINES – Birthdays

Saturday

Cud – Garage

Just announced:

Laetitia Sadier – Scala – 9^th July

The Cornshed Sisters – St. Pancras Old Chruch – 19^th July

Grizzly Bear – Brixton Academy – 22^nd October

Francois & The Atlas Mountains – Village Underground – 25^th October

Tame Impala – Brixton Academy – 30^th October

Pulled Apart By Horses – Forum – 13th November

Wye Oak – Scala – 11^th December

London Gigs Diary: 4-10 June 2012

It’s another week in London that has a lot to offer on the gig front – not least on Wednesday which boasts an impressive pair of double-bills.

Arguably the best comes at XOYO where you can catch Wisconsin duo Peaking Lights play a show with support from Julia Holter. The former gained many admirers last year with their widely-lauded 936 album, whilst Los Angeles based Holter has released two wonderful albums in as many years in Tragedy and Ekstasis. Both arrive fresh from appearances at this year’s Field Day festival.

On the same night, just a short distance away Village Underground welcomes the return of Neon Indian with support from Chromatics (read our 5 star review of their debut album here). The previous night (Tuesday) sees Chromatics play their own headlining show at Madame Jojo’s.

Last weekend at I’ll Be Your Mirror, Australian trio Dirty Three showed that they have not lost any of their intensity or ability to thrill and they play a more intimate show at Cargo on Thursday. It provides another chance to experience latest album Toward The Low Sun in a live setting, as well as the enigmatic showmanship of frontman Warren Ellis.

Meanwhile, it’s also a good week in London for hip-hop shows. You can catch the return of Cypress Hill at the Forum on Tuesday, whilst hip-hop man-of-the-moment A$AP ROCKY plays a pair of shows at the Electric Ballroom on Tuesday and Wednesday. Finally, THEESatisfaction follow up their recent show at Madame Jojo’s with an appearance at Birthdays on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Give You The Ghost the debut album by Minneapolis outfit Poliça has caused modest-sized waves over recent months and they play from it at two small shows at CAMP Basement on Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, fellow Americans Friends follow up their last London show at XOYO with a date at Dingwalls on Wednesday in support of debut album Manifest! (you can also catch them play a free show at Rough Trade East on Monday).

Richard Hawley promotes current album Standing At The Sky’s Edge at the Forum on Friday, whilst on the same night Maxïmo Park appear at Heaven ahead of the release of fourth album The National Health.

Finally, music of a more international flavour can be found at Kings Place from Wednesday to Saturday as it hosts the Songlines Encounters festival.

Also taking place this week:

Tuesday

Steve Noble / Alex Ward / Oren Marshall - Cafe Oto

Wednesday

Esser - Shacklewell Arms

Lee Ranaldo & The Men - Scala

Wavves - Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Crocodiles - Hotel Street

Thursday

Stealing Sheep / Sea Of Bees / Rough Fields - Lexington

O Children & Savages - Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

2:54 - Scala

Saturday

Bass Clef - Shacklewell Arms

Just announced:

Saint Etienne - Palladium - 26th June (rescheduled date)

M. Ward - KOKO - 2nd July

Jonathan Wilson - Lexington - 18th July

The Necks - Village Underground - 17th September

Dirty Projectors - Roundhouse - 17th October

Dirty Three - Shepherd's Bush Empire - 28th November