This week
Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør plays at the beautiful St Pancras Old Church on Monday. Her recent album The Silicone Veil – the first she’s released in the UK – wowed us into awarding it four-and-a-half stars, claiming: “[Its] unrepentant magic realism is visionary and enriching.”
If folk-leaning ladies are more your bag, you’ll be spoilt for choice on Wednesday, as Thea Gilmore and Marika Hackman both call in to the capital. Thea’s just 32-years-old but has an impressive 13 albums under her belt. The last two - Don’t Stop Singing with Sandy Denny and a recording of Bob Dylans John Wesley Harding album – should tell you most of what you need to know about her direction. Hackman on the other hand is just starting out. We caught her single launch gig in Dalston earlier this year and were impressed
with her haunting, Nico-ish voice.
The legendary Bobby Womack will play the second of two nights at the Forum on Tuesday. It’ll see him reunited with Damon Albarn and Richard Russell, who produced his recent album, The Bravest Man in the Universe, his first in nearly two decades.
Fresh from supporting The Walkmen on tour, Wild Nothing bring their brand of 80s jangly guitar indie to Lexington on Wednesday. We said of their recent album Nocturne: “One
listen…is like stepping into a dream - and not one of those strange, unsettling dreams where you wander around a shopping precinct naked while carrying a goat's head"...
Here’s our pick of the best of the rest...
Monday 26 November
Susanne Sundfør – St Pancras Old Church
The Human League – Royal Albert Hall
Menomena – Cargo
Martin Rossiter – Borderline
Dawn Hunger - Birthdays
Tuesday 27 November
Bobby Womack – Forum
Dan Mangan – Scala
Let’s Wrestle + Tigercats – Lexington
Hollie Cook – Cargo
Kodaline – Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
Evans The Death – Madame JoJo’s
Wednesday 28 November
Dirty Three – Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Sarah Macdougall – Green Note
Thea Gilmore – Union Chapel
Wild Nothing – Lexington
Marika Hackman – Monto Water Rats
Thursday 29 November
The Revival Hour – Village Underground
Ben Howard – Brixton Academy
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Forum
Ghostface Killah - Garage
Friday 30 November
Mystery Jets – Royal Festival Hall
The View – Electric Ballroom
Darren Hayman – Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre Pub
Mouth of Ghosts – Vibe Bar
The Ex 33 1/3 years anniversary – Café OTO (also 29 November and 1 December)
Saturday 1 December
Keane – 02 Arena
Gemma Hayes – Bush Hall
Glasvegas – Garage
Kate Nash – Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sunday 2 December
Martha Wainwright – Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Marisa Anderson – Café OTO
Just Announced
Willy Mason has announced a show at KOKO on 7 March, as part of his UK tour next spring. The troubadour’s third album, Carry On, has been five years in the making and is due for release on 3 December. Catch him supporting Ben Howard at Shepherd’s Bush Empire this week.
Summer might seem impossibly far away, but it’s already time to start thinking about 2013’s festivals. They’ve not given any hints about the lineup yet, but earlybird tickets for Womad have just gone on sale. The festival, which celebrated its 30th birthday this year, will take place on 25-28 July and costs £125 for the weekend.
We loved Matthew Dear’s Beams – in fact we awarded it five stars, calling it: “An uncompromising, forceful and darkly beautiful album from a formidable musical talent.” See for yourself at Dear’s one-off show at FABRIC on 5 December.
Clinic will embark on a four-date UK tour in March, including Corsica Studios on the 7th. It’ll be their first live shows since the release of their seventh album, Free Reign.
