This Week
Last week was a hectic one here at musicOMH, as a seemingly endless stream of bands descended on the capital and we bolted across London to descend upon them. There’ll be a bit more of a chance to catch up on some zzzs this week, but there’s still plenty going on – here’s out pick of the bunch.
Band of the moment Grizzly Bear roll into Brixton Academy on Monday. The New Yorkers have been together for nearly a decade but their most recent album, Shields, released in September, really got people excited. So much so that we gave it four-and-a-half stars – we’ll see you down the front.
The future financing of music is never far from the front of industry execs’ minds, and one lady who might be able to tell them a thing or two about it is Amanda Palmer. Long considered a “cult” artist, she hit the headlines earlier this year when she raised an astonishing US$1.2m through internet pledges to record her album, Theatre Is Evil. Expect a typically flamboyant show from the Dresden Dolls singer at KOKO on Tuesday.
Crime and The City Solution play their only UK date on Friday, as part of their world tour to mark the release of a new series of compilations on Mute Records. Formed in Sydney in 1977, they went through several incarnations before finally splitting up in 1990. The band’s members went on to form the likes of Woven Hand, Dirty Three and 16 Horsepower, but they’ll be taking it back to the beginning at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
For something a little more sedate, the folky Benjamin Francis Leftwich will be at KOKO on Thursday, with support from the brilliant Marika Hackman. We caught her single launch show at Servant Jazz Quarters back in September and were completely smitten by her Nico-ish voice.
The best of the rest…
Monday 22October
Grizzly Bear – Brixton Academy
The Tallest Man on Earth – Forum
Tuesday 23October
Tall Ships – XOYO
Villagers – Borderline
Amanda Palmer – Koko
The Twilight Sad – Dingwalls
Everything Everything - Village Underground
Wednesday 24 October
Scissor Sisters + Bright Light Bright Light – Roundhouse
Toy – Heaven
Breton – Scala
Benjamin Francis Leftwich + Marika Hackman – Koko
Actress – Village Underground
Tim Burgess – Union Chapel
Thursday 25 October
Left Boy – XOYO
Echo Lake + The Proper Ornaments + Omi Palone – Shacklewell Arms
Francois & The Atlas Mountains – Village Underground
The Jim Jones Revue – Electric Ballroom
Friday 26 October
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Shacklewell Arms
Sparks – Barbican
Fossill Collective – Old Queen’s Head
The Unthanks – Purcell Room
Crime and The City Solution + Savages – Queen Elizabeth Hall
Saturday 27 October
Simian Mobile Disco – Fire
Muse – O2 Arena
Just Announced
All Tomorrow’s Parties are known for calling on some of the best bands from across the world for their holiday camp festivals. They’re usually of a more serious nature, with The National lined up to curate their next get together in December, and now they’re casting their net a little wider, hosting up-and-coming bands at a new night at Sebright Arms. The line-ups for the first few shows have been announced, with Coves playing on Monday 29 October, followed by Young Wonder and Serafina Steer – and best of all, tickets are just £4.
As this piece of news reached us, somewhere, in a parallel universe, Girls Aloud were announcing their comeback tour to the world’s media. Ten years after Pop Stars The Rivals, the girls are planning to stop glaring at Cheryl and sweep away the tatters of their solo careers for long enough to play two nights at O2 Arena next March. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday.
Frightened Rabbit have announced a UK tour for February, fuelling speculation about the release date of their fourth album, which is still scheduled for “early 2013”. In London they’re upgrading venues, from 93 Feet East - where we saw them put on a great show last month - to the Forum. Tickets are on sale now.
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