London Gigs: 8-15 August 2016

John Grant is on the bill for Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary celebrations

Announcement Of The Week

This year marks 40 years since Geoff Travis first opened his west London record shop. Four decades on, the name Rough Trade is synonymous with independent music culture, and through the record company and distribution company of the same name, the company has brought us the likes of The Smiths, The Strokes, The Libertines, The Fall…the list goes on. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, Rough Trade are working with venues across the capital to pull together a mighty impressive series of gigs. On 22 October, the Barbican hosts A Night of Collaborations, which will see The Pop Group and Protomatyr play, as well as collaborations between Scritti Politti and Alexis Taylor, and John Grant and Wrangler – Stephen Mallinder’s new project. On 3 November, Islington Assembly Hall plays host to The Raincoats and Angel Olsen and, with an eye to the future, there will be new band showcases at Rough Trade East, The Shacklewell Arms and Moth Club. Definitely one for the diary.

Gigs Of The Week

Cult Scottish indiepop band The Just Joans play a rare London gig at Shacklewell Arms night, Scared To Dance, on Friday 12 August. Expect sing along choruses and tear jerking tales that go beyond the usual sentiment of their genre mates. Support comes from The Understudies and Suggested Friends.

Heavenly’s Psychedelic synth-guitar twiddlers TOY are also stopping off at Dalston’s Shacklewell Arms this week, with a show on Wednesday 10 August. Their last album, Join The Dots, was released in 2013 (other than their collaboration with Natasha Khan on their Sexwitch project) so it’s a reasonable guess that they might be bringing some new songs

to this show.

Matthew Herbert brings A Nude to the Roundhouse this week, as part of a series of immersive gigs in and around Ron Arad’s 360 degree installation, A Curtain Call. It’s based around Herbert’s new album, A Nude (The Perfect Body), comprised entirely of recordings of the sound of a naked body recorded in a room over 24 hours. Support comes from Lail Arad, who promises to “submerge the audience into a virtual undersea environment, inviting them to dive into the music”. Find out what it all means on Wednesday 10 August.