Live Music + Gig Reviews

The Heavy @ Oslo Hackney, London

by Neil Dowden

Soulful garage rockers showcase tracks from forthcoming album with a joyous set full of sharp riffs and deep grooves



William Basinski @ Attenborough Centre For The Creative Arts, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Acclaimed sound artist’s waves of repetition and decaying noise makes for a truly momentous evening

No Age @ Patterns, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Californian duo mix squalls of escalating distortion and ambiguous drifts of electronic noise on the south coast

Self Esteem @ Hammersmith Apollo, London

by Nicoletta Wylde

Rebecca Lucy Taylor shows herself to be a new icon, continuing to build on the success of Prioritise Pleasure in a joyous declaration of sapphic sensuality

The Murder Capital @ Mill, Birmingham

by Ross Horton

Showcasing bona fide Big Album and rebirth of sorts Gigi’s Recovery in a modest space makes for a heady, packed house, experience

Andrew Bird @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

by Steven Johnson

The multi-instrumentalist showcases the bijou arrangements and transparent beauty of latest album Inside Problems

Mogwai @ Dome, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Scottish post-rockers play cuts from across their ten studio albums to form a pile driving wall of sound

Titus Andronicus @ Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

by Ross Horton

A career spanning set from New Jersey indie rockers makes for a relentless and thrilling experience in the Midlands

M(h)aol, Sprints + Thus Love @ Komedia, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

A trio of new acts combine for a joyously chaotic and rambunctious show on the south coast

The Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Concorde 2, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

The first of three nights on the south coast

The Cool Greenhouse @ Patterns, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Tom Greenhouse and co bring their idiosyncratic didacticism, haughty sarcasm and meaningful cataloging of social perversities to the south coast

The Delgados @ Concorde 2, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Prodigal Glaswegians return after a hiatus of seventeen years with a truly wondrous and magical show

Plaid @ Komedia, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Expressive, dramatic and illustriously patterned 30 years into their career, Ed Handley and Andy Turner remain blessed with limitless drive and horizon defying scope

Stereolab @ Concorde 2, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

It’s testament to the impact of the groop’s songs over 30 years later that they still sound altogether futuristic, keenly nostalgic and utterly otherworldly

TV Priest @ Green Door Store, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

London-based foursome reveal an endearing vulnerability while mustering a battalion who would happily take their lead anywhere

Saint Etienne @ Old Market, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Cult London pop trio steal hearts on the south coast with a snuggly smorgasbord of hits for old times’ sake

The Damned @ Hammersmith Apollo, London

by Neil Dowden

Playing together for the first time in over 30 years, the punk survivors’ founding line-up focuses on their early material rather than gothic spectacle

Grandbrothers @ Islington Assembly Hall, London

by Steven Johnson

Versatile, crossover sounds of German piano/electronics duo ultimately prove to be a striking proposition

Caterina Barbieri @ Barbican, London

by Steven Johnson

Italian synth composer presents a deeply atmospheric, captivating set that conjures the sounds of distant, futuristic worlds

Gilla Band + Mandy, Indiana @ Chalk, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell

Dublin four-piece bring the buoyant volume and the rhythmic muscle of latest album Most Normal to the south coast

Franz Ferdinand @ Alexandra Palace, London

by Neil Dowden

The Glaswegian band’s ability to entertain an audience 20 years on is in no doubt in this dynamic performance, showcasing greatest hits compilation Hits To The Head