The Hold Steady Show London A Really Good Time
The Hold Steady wanted to do something special to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their breakout album Boys And Girls In America. So, in December 2016, they played a run of four shows at an intimate Brooklyn venue. Fans travelled from as far afield as New Zealand...
Elbow Fill The O2 With Warmth And Joy
Arenas like The O2 are built for one purpose: to pack in as many people as safely possible. Comfort, atmosphere, and certainly a sense of intimacy aren’t exactly high on the checklist. So musicians capable of selling a small town’s worth of tickets a night have to...
The Guitar God Robin Trower Plays Hometown Show @ Islington Assembly Hall
As London braved snowmageddon and getting anywhere was a case of determination and luck, a living legend, Robin Trower, was headlining a sold-out gig at Islington Assembly Hall. Despite the weather, or should I say, transport conditions, the fans came out in their...
Shakey Graves and Cat Clyde Live @ The Garage Highbury Corner
I agreed to review this gig without listening to either band and using the old school method of just really liking Shakey Graves name and imagining him as a young blues singer with dark troubled lyrics, yes I had been sent a couple of songs to listen too but chose to...
Man With A Mission: The Wolves From Japan Devour London’s Dome
Japanese chart-topping band Man With A Mission recently visited London for a sold-out headline gig at The Dome. Straight from Shibuya, Tokyo, the five-piece compromising of Tokyo Tanaka (vocals), Jean-Ken Johnny (guitar and vocals), Kamikaze Boy (bass), DJ Santa...
Legendary Mod Icon Paul Weller Delivers A 31 Song Set In Leeds
What can I say about spending over 2 hours in the company of a British Music legend, spanning more than 40 years of music history, it was such an accomplished performance of some of the best music from the 70’s right through to his present record. That’s the...
The Temperance Movement Live Are A Deeper Cut Above The Rest
I was lucky enough a few weeks before Christmas to see The Temperance Movement during their ‘Small Rooms New Tunes’ tour – you can read about that here. The small room was Soho institution The Borderline. The new tunes were first public outings for tracks that would...
Jamie Lenman Is A Bright White Blaze Live @ Academy Islington
It is a rare musician who can escape being labelled. There is no simple description for an artist like Jamie Lenman. He has created whole albums of folk and blues, of hardcore (especially with his former band Reuben) and, most recently electro-pop. What kind of...
The Amazons Conjour Up Black Magic At Cambridge Junction
The Amazons have had a busy 2017, releasing their debut album, being included in the BBC Sound of 2017 and MTV Brand New 2017 lists, and being named a band to listen to in 2017 by NME, The Independent, and Radio 1. 2018 looks just as busy, they're in the middle of a...
Natalie Imbruglia Delights Union Chapel
When a 22-year-old Natalie Imbruglia broke onto the music scene in 1997 following her departure from hit Australian daytime soap Neighbours, the UK set their expectations firmly in the Kylie camp. But as big a hit as her debut single Torn was, Imbruglia’s style was...
Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind Rise Above The Chaos @ Dingwalls
I don’t like to start any review by moaning about things outside the bands control but sometimes it can’t be helped and this gig was one of those occasions due to the venue not handling the swap over between the early and late gig they had on at all well. Also Camden...
Dirty Sister Stir Up Water Rats
Showcase nights that throw together different groups of musicians spanning a mix of styles are always fun to go along to, opening your ears to a range of talent. And so tonight we bounced from the rocking tones of Doctor Da Vinci to the growling screams of metalers...
Tyler Childers Is A Burning Ember On A Cold Night Live @Omeara
If you are fortunate enough to catch this Kentuckian singer songwriter during his pass through the UK, you are ahead of the curve. As is typical of this brilliant South East London venue Omeara are championing new talent on verge of a big break. Tyler Childers is a...
This Is The Kit Are Engagingly Enigmatic At Shepherd’s Bush Empire
There aren’t enough songs with whistling. Maybe that’s because most end up sounding either cloying (Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry Be Happy) or downright irritating (The Scorpions’ Winds Of Change). So when somebody does get it right, the effect is spellbinding. Like...
Laurence Jones Reveals The Truth At Borderline
Laurence Jones is 25, which makes him just an infant in Blues years. But he plays with the talent and conviction of a veteran. Turns out, he is. He first picked up the guitar at 8, discovered Eric Clapton at 12, and released his debut album at 20. Over the course of...
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