Courtney Barnett
Two albums likely to feature in ‘best of’ lists later this year are those recently released by Courtney Barnett and Laura Veirs. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett has attracted much praise. We found it “a wonderfully curated record, which manages to be both cynical and whimsical at the same time” and London gets a chance to hear it at the Roundhouse on Wednesday. The Lookout by Laura Veirs meanwhile sees her at her softly melodic best (“instantly recognisable and comforting” we thought) and she plays Union Chapel on Friday. An artist who has made an even greater impact over the last decade is Laura Marling. She’s just about to release an album with Mike Lindsay from Tunng as LUMP – they’ll be appearing at Oslo on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This week is also notable for the trio of shows taking place across London by The The. Matt Johnson and band will be at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, Brixton Academy on Wednesday and the Troxy on Thursday. On Thursday the Royal Albert Hall will host the Arctic Monkeys who will be promoting their opinion-splitting new album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (read our review here).
Thom Yorke plays a rare solo show at the Roundhouse on Friday, while over at the Barbican on Saturday you’ll find Microdisney performing their seminal album The Clock Comes Down The Stairs. Another Saturday gig to watch out for is Ty Segall at the Kentish Town Forum. All being well, reviews of all three will be on musicOMH in the following days.
No-One Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin’ Hedge Cut by Half Man Half Biscuit is currently in pole position to claim album title of the year (the album itself is excellent – read our thoughts here). Half Man Half Biscuit shows are always hugely enjoyable affairs, drawing from their 33 year career and they play the Kentish Town Forum on Friday. A band with a history that stretches back even further is The Art Ensemble Of Chicago and the legendary jazz outfit play the Jazz Café on Monday. Finally, a trio of appealing gigs take place on Tuesday – you’ll find The Sea And Cake at Moth Club, Jenny Hval at St John on Bethnal Green and Giant Sand at Under The Bridge.
New announcements
Young Fathers are developing a reputation as one of the best live bands in the UK at the moment and they have announced a date at Brixton Academy on 11 December. MGMT are already due to appear at Somerset House in July but as that show has sold out they’ve added another at Hammersmith Apollo on 13 December.
DRINKS is the name adopted by Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley (White Fence). They released their album Hippo Lite last month and they’ve announced a show at Oslo on 6 November. Finally, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo celebrate their 50 year anniversary with a gig at the Jazz Café on 15 June.
Courtney Barnett MP3s or CDs
Courtney Barnett on Spotify
