London Gigs Diary: 15-21 October

This week                                

It’s a chocka week for live music in the capital, with Wednesday looking particularly tempting. It sees Field Music call in at Electric Ballroom, where they’ll be playing tracks from the Mercury-nominated Plumb, as well as their new covers album, Field Music Play…, which sees the Brewis brothers reinterpret tracks by Roxy Music, Pet Shop Boys, John Cale and Syd Barrett, amongst others. 

Also on Wednesday, This Many Boyfriends officially launch their long-awaited self-titled indiepop debut at Lexington, while Dirty Projectors play at Electrowerkz. 

On Monday, Mike Skinner’s post-Streets efforts get an airing at XOYO. He’s teamed up with former The Music frontman Rob Harvey to form the d.o.t. and while it might sound a bit familiar, their first single, You Never Asked (with vocals from Clare Maguire and Danny Brown) is a welcome return to form. 

Erased Tapes celebrates its fifth anniversary with a night at Hackney Empire on Thursday, as part of a short European tour. The London/Berlin based label, which fuses classical and contemporary music, will be marking the occasion with a show featuring three of its biggest artists – Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds and A Winged Victory For The Sullen. 

Hackney Empire also hosts Squarepusher, on Saturday. An electro pioneer since 1994, his latest project, Ufabulum, is an album generated purely from digital programming.He’ll be recreating the record with what we’re promised will be his largest ever light show, in a pretty special setting.

Here's our pick of the best of the rest... 

Monday 15 October

the d.o.t. – XOYO

Johnny Hallyday – Royal Albert Hall

Nada Surf - Scala 

Tuesday 16 October

Liars – Scala

Shonen Knife – Cargo

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart // Echo Lake – Dingwalls

Fear of Men – The Old Blue Last

Wednesday 17 October

The Gaslight Anthem // Blood Red Shoes – Brixton Academy

Field Music – Electric Ballroom

This Many Boyfriends // Evans  the Death – Lexington

Dirty Projectors // Callers – Electrowerkz

Nadine Shah – Victoria, Dalston 

Thursday 18 October

Erased Tapes Anniversary Tour – Hackney Empire

King Krule – Electrowerkz

Rachel Zeffira – St Andrew’s Church

MyTigerMyTiming – Shacklewell Arms

Portico Quartet – Roundhouse

Friday 19 October

Hot Chip // Django Django – Brixton Academy

Gallows  - Underworld

Courtney Pine – Islington Assembly Hall

We Were Promised Jetpacks - Dingwalls 

Saturday 20 October

The Cribs // Edwyn Collins // Mazes – Forum

Chilly Gonzalez – Barbican

GREATWAVES – Seabright Arms

Teengirl Fantasty and PY - Birthdays

Squarepusher – Hackney Empire

Sunday 21 October

Beak> 

Just announced

Another band have announced they’ll be fitting in a London show while they’re over here for The National’s All Tomorrow’s Parties in December. This week Mission Of Burma confirmed they’ll be playing at Birthdays, in Dalston, on 6 December.

Night Works – aka Gabriel Stebbing, formerly of Metronomy and Your Twenties –  will debut his live show, The Eveningtime, at Sebright Arms on 31 October. New single Modern
European, released on 12 November, recalls his past incarnations with a nostalgic pop wash – expect this and more at the free show.

Walk The Moon released their debut album last week but the Ohio band have already announced a UK tour. They’ll play at Scala on 27 February.

The 2013 festival season might feel a long way off but the folks at Primavera are keen to remind us of sunnier climes; they’ve confirmed Blur will play at the festival in Porto and Barcelona in May. If you can’t wait that long for your fix of music by the seaside, The Big Reunion has announced the acts to top the bill at Butlins in Skegness this November. Sub Focus, Katy B, Pigeon Detectives, Lethal Bizzle, Sway, Judge Jules and DJ Fresh are lined up to play over two weekends.

London Gigs Diary: 8-14 October

This Week  

Didn't get Glastonbury tickets on Sunday? Console yourself at the rather more affordable, less muddy and long-drop-free Southbank Centre, whose celebration of musical innovation, technology and experimentation, the Ether festival, returns for an 11^th year. It kicked off last weekend, with shows by The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble and Ghost Poet and Soap&Skin, and there’s plenty going on throughout the week. Highlights include a celebration of John Cage’s centenary led by Darragh Morgan and John Tilbury on Monday. On Tuesday Tyondai Braxton, formerly of Battles, performs Central Market with London Sinfonietta and the following day iamamiwhoami plays for the first time in the UK. Saturday’s a busy day, with John Cale headlining at the Royal Festival Hall and, in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, a bill featuring Mount Kimbie, Raime and Bass Clef. 

One of the most talked about bands of the year, Savages, play at Electrowerkz on Wednesday. We’ve loved every show we’ve seen them play – we even gave their gig at Shacklewell Arms in May an almost unheard of four-and-a-half-stars. 

If you’re after something a bit gentler and more melodic, Rough Trade have some great instore guests this week, with Tall Ships (Monday) and Philco Fiction (Tuesday) leading the way. 

And finally, WHY? bring their blend of hip hop infused college rock to Electric Ballroom on Tuesday. Their new album Mumps, etc is released on Monday, so expect plenty of high-energy new tracks.

Here’s our pick of the best of the rest… 

Monday 8 October

Radiohead – O2 Arena

Angus Stone + Luke Sital-Singh – Lexington

Tall Ships – Rough Trade East (free)

Tuesday 9 October

Carolina Chocolate Drops – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Kyla La Grange – Scala

Why? – Electric Ballroom

Philco Fiction – Rough Trade East (free)

Devon Sproule – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Van She – The Old Blue Last

Wednesday 10 October

Aphex Twin – Barbican

…and you will know us by the trail of the dead – Scala

Theme Park – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Savages – Electrowerkz

Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Upstairs at Garage

Iamamiwhoami – Queen Elizabeth Hall 

Thursday 11 October

Marina and The Diamonds – Forum

Lianne Le Havas – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Micachu and The Shapes – XOYO

Egyptian Hip Hop – Corsica Studios

Friday 12 October

Azeaia Banks – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Show of Hands – Cecil Sharp House

Two Wounded Birds – Lexington 

Saturday 13 October

John Cale – Royal Festival Hall

Seth Lakeman – Cadogan Hall

Mount Kimbie – Queen Elizabeth Hall 

Just announced

Kate Nash this week announced two teeny tiny dates in London ahead of the release of her third album. The record’s still under wraps, but her label promise it’s going to “fuse elements of punk, rock and shoegaze to create a distinctive and unique soundscape". If it’s anything like the last thing we heard from her, Under Estimate The Girl, it’s going to be quite unlike her last two albums. Kate plays at Hackney Picturehouse on 31 October and Shacklewell Arms on 1 November.

Deerhoof will call into the capital while they’re in the country for All Tomorrow’s Parties in December. The band are scheduled to play at the event, curated by The National, and they’ll also play at Garage on 4 December.

Two charity events were announced this week. The first, a fundraiser for Save The Children, sees Lauren Laverne curate an evening of festive-themed music, comedy, poetry and literary readings at Union Chapel on 14 December. Fyfe Dangerfield and Kodaline have already confirmed, with plenty more due to be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for Mencap’s annual Little Noise Sessions go on sale on 8 October. This year they’re taking place at St John at Hackney church from 20-25 November and the line-up includes Richard Hawley with support from First Aid Kit; The Maccabees and Noah and The Whale with Villagers, Lucy Rose and Daughter. More names will be added over the next few weeks.

Eugene McGuinness will bring his quirky, off-kilter pop to 100 Club on 14 November. Riding on the success of his debut, The Invitation To The Voyage, it’ll be a great setting for the end of his mini-UK tour.

London Gigs Diary: 1-7 October

This Week

This week sees Nas return to the capital to play three surprisingly small shows across. But this intimacy comes at a price - tickets are an eye watering £32 for the shows at Village Underground, XOYO and Under The Bridge. 

Elsewhere Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble call in at Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday. Unlikely as it sounds, German trio Brandt Brauer Frick’s first
album You Make Me Real merged techno with classical music, blending lush pianos
with warm synth bass.  They’ve now swelled to 10 members, rebranded at the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble and ditched the computers to play their handcrafted grooves completely live. 

Jesca Hoop plays at the Borderline on Tuesday. The Californian may have been taken under the wing of Guy Garvey and made Manchester her home these days, but that’s done little to change her other-worldly vocals. Tom Waits’ former nanny will play tracks from her recent third album, The House That Jack Built. 

Over in east London, Scandinavian duo Nude On Sand will bring their understated blues, spoken word and fragmented pop to Café Oto on Monday.  Singer/songwriter/artist Jenny
Hval and guitars Havard Volden promise to “rip apart the idea of how a guitar/voice
duo should sound”. 

Here’s our pick of the best of the rest… 

Monday 1 October

Shonen Knife – Cargo

Nude On Sand – Café Oto

Echo Lake – Lexington

The Hysterical Injury – Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

Tuesday 2 October

Aiden Grimshaw – Scala

Jesca Hoop – Borderline

Nas – Village Underground

Wednesday 3 October

Richard Hawley – Brixton Academy

Tori Amos – Royal Albert Hall

Man Like Me and Mike Skinner – Electric Ballroom

Thursday 4 October

The Temper Trap – Hammersmith Apollo

Claudia Aurora – Green Note

Ultrasound – Scala

Lisa Marie Presley and Ed Harcourt – Bush Hall

Friday 5 October

The Lovely Eggs and Shrag – London Palladium

The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble – Queen Elizabeth Hall

Jacques Greene – XOYO

Filthy Dukes and Ylhscd – 93 Feet East

Saturday 6 October

Soap&Skin and Ghost Poet – Royal Festival Hall

Sunday 7 October

Serj Tankian – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Cheryl Cole – 02 Arena

Just Announced 

Award-winning music director Woodkid, or Yoann Lemoine to his mum, is best known for producing videos for the likes of Moby, Mystery Jets, Katy Perry, Lana Del Ray, Drake and Rihanna, but he’ll soon be taking centre stage himself.

Legend has it that he was inspired to try life on the other side of the lens after guitarist Richie Havens gave Lemoine a banjo during a video shoot.  His debut EP, Run Boy Run, showed he’s not left his eye for breath-taking visuals behind. His only UK show of the year, to mark the release of his first album, The Golden Age, will be in the grand setting of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, on 15 November. See the video for Iron here.

Beak>, featuring Geoff Barrow of Portishead, have announced they will play a second show at Lexington on 22 November after a first, the night before, sold out. The band will again be hand-picking their support acts, so expect a genre-bending night of music.

Mercury-nominated Jessie Ware will take to the road for a full UK tour next spring, following a string of sold out dates in November. It kicks on in Cambridge on 6 March, and calls in at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 13 March.

Fierce Panda/Label Fandango signing Dingus Khan have announced their first headline tour. Channeling the energy of the late Dananananaykroyd, the Essex eight-piece boast three drummers, three bassists, and an electric ukulele and make a helluva noise. They’re supporting Underworld at the Scala on Wednesday, but will be back in London, at Dingwalls, on 31 October. See the video for Made a List here.

London Gigs Diary: 24-30 September

This Week

Oxfam’s annual month-long fundraiser, Oxjam, launches this week. The event sees thousands of local gigs taking place up and down the country, launched with a week of higher profile shows at the charity’s Dalston shop. Kicking off on Monday with a set from Graham Coxon, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Lucy Rose, Theme Park, Kyla La Grange and Hot Chip will also be putting in appearances.

Staying in Dalston, Birthdays will be hosting Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on Wednesday – it’s a tiny venue for someone lined up to play the Electric Ballroom in a couple of months so expect a super sweaty, highly charged set.

Following a residency at Café Oto, an expanded Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen, play at the Barbican on Saturday. The legendary cosmic jazz orchestra will swell to 20 members for this special show, which will include a specially-commissioned light show from Mystic Lights. 

Monday 24 September

Graham Coxon // Theme Park – Oxfam, Dalston

James Yorkston, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Lucy Rose – Rough Trade East (free)

Tuesday 25 September

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Oxfam, Dalston

Race Horses - Lexington

Neil Halstead – Bush Hall

People Under The Stairs - XOYO

Choir of Young Believers - Rough Trade East (free)

Capital Cities – Water Rats

Wednesday 26 September

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Birthdays

Beth Jeans Houghton – KCSU

Dan Deacon – Scala

Cosmo Jarvis – Borderline

The Charlatons // DJs Norman Jay, Don Letts, Terry Hall – Garage

Lucy Rose – Oxfam, Dalston

Thursday 27 September

The Pooh Sticks – Buffalo Bar

Peace – Barfly

Carina Round – Bush Hall

Beans on Toast – Scala

Lights – Islington Academy

Hot Chip – Oxfam, Dalston

Friday 28 September

Mina Tindle – St Pancras Old Church

Beach Boys – Wembley Arena

The Miserable Rich – Kings Place

The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing – Lexington

The Pictish Trail – London Palladium

Tender Trap – Buffalo Bar

Saturday 29 September

George Michael – Royal Albert Hall

Eliza Carthy – Cecil Sharp House

Sun Ra Arkestra – Barbican

Death in Vegas // Toy – Electric

Sunday 30 September

Oneohtrix Point Never – St Luke’s

Just announced

Mike Skinner unveiled the first single from his new project, The D.O.T, this week. His post-Streets project sees him teaming up with Robert Harvey from The Music, and their first effort, You Never Asked will be released on 8 October. The pair also hit the road next month, calling in at XOYO on 15 October.

The curators of next year’s spring and summer ATP festivals at Camber Sands have been announced as TV On The Radio, who take over the event in May, and Deerhunter, who’ll be picking the acts in June. Tickets went on sale on Thursday.

Ultraísta’s debut album is just weeks away – it’s set to hit the shelves on 5 November - and they’ve announced their first tour, that takes in Dalston’s Birthdays, the month before. The multimedia trio are best known for the Four Tet remix of their single Smalltalk, but expect big things from their self-titled release.

A series of live shows will showcase the acts up for this year’s Mercury Music Prize. The gigs will be free to competition winners and the first one, on 26 September will include Field Music, Lianne La Havas and Jessie Ware. More will be announced in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on theticketfactory.com for details of how to win tickets.

The Association of Independent Music (AIM) have joined forces with Club Fandango for a month of gigs in the run up to the AIM Independent Music Awards in October. The month-long Labelled with Love festival is a series of shows curated by indie labels including Fortuna Pop!, Fierce Panda and Too Pure at the Bull & Gate, The Victoria in Dalston and Dingwalls. Bands lined up include Ultrasound, Darren Hayman, Pseudo Nippon, Best Friends and Joyland. Find out more at theaimsocial.com

London Gigs Diary: 17-23 September

Herewith, musicOMH’s London gigs of the week...

Calexico @ Forum, Tuesday 18 September

A week after their sixth studio album was released, Calexico call in at the Forum on Tuesday. After a four-year wait, Algiers was eagerly anticipated, and didn’t disappoint.  Evoking the rolling tumbleweed of the American south west, we called it “endlessly listenable”.

This Many Boyfriends @ Old Blue Last, Thursday 20
September

This Many Boyfriends have been making noises on the indiepop
scene for what feels like forever. Their album is finally scheduled for release
on 8 October, but you can get a sneak peek at their free show, ahead of a UK
tour which starts next month.

Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson @ Cafe Oto

Dalston’s Café Oto has bagged itself a huge gig – hosting Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson for two nights this weekend. Sonic Youth founder Moore needs little introduction, and he’s joined by Swedish saxophonist Gustafsson, who toured with Sonic Youth several times over the years. Expect the unexpected.

Also playing this week...

Monday 17 September

Saka – Café Oto

A Place To Bury Strangers – Dingwalls

Motion City Soundtrack – Heaven

Dntel – Borderline 

 

Tuesday 18 September

Frightened Rabbit - 93 Feet East

Best Coast – Borderline

Silver Apples – Lexington

Matchbox Twenty – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Casablanca – Old Blue Last

Hey Sholay – Lock Tavern

 

Wednesday 19 September 

Kimbra – Union Chapel

The Futureheads – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Rosie Taylor Project – Zigfrid von Underbelly

Goldheart Assembly – Sebright Arms

Quadron – Jazz Cafe

 

Thursday 20 September

Disco Ensemble – Barfly

Jens Lekman – Hackney Empire

Cult of Youth - Birthdays

 

Friday 21 September

Simone Felice – Union Chapel

Flying Colours – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Finley Quaye and Mica Paris – Islington Assembly Hall

Elton John – Wembley Arena

The History Of Apple Pie – Palladium

Fever Dream – Victoria, Dalston

She Makes War – Half Moon, Putney

 

Saturday 22 September

Ultrasound – Scala

Withered Hand – Bull & Gate

Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson – Café Oto

Beardyman – KOKO

Wiley – Proud2

We Are The Psychics – Old Blue Last

Dignan Porch, Omi Palone and Old Forest – Windmill

 

Sunday 23 September

Alphabet Backwards – Windmill