Live Music + Gig Reviews

Laurie Anderson @ Barbican, London

by Steven Johnson

The art provocateur mixes avant garde sounds, surrealist monologues and tai chi in an extraordinary, unclassifiable outlier of a show


José González @ Barbican, London

by Steven Johnson
Swedish-Argentinian singer songwriter celebrates 20th anniversary of his debut album Veneer in gentle, sensitive style
José González @ Barbican, London

Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 review: part 4 – Rosalía, Laurie Anderson, John Cale

by Michael Hubbard
The closing day of the festival wasn’t quite the end, local megastar trumps superstar DJ, and the spirit of Lou Reed was amongst us
Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 review: part 4 – Rosalía, Laurie Anderson, John Cale

Mighty Hoopla 2023 review: first-rate pop in a safe space makes for a powerful combination

by Nicoletta Wylde
London’s premier pop weekend returns for its fifth year and once again proves a riotous success that shows no signs of slowing down
Mighty Hoopla 2023 review: first-rate pop in a safe space makes for a powerful combination

Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona review: part 3 – Depeche Mode, Sparks, Christine A...

by Michael Hubbard
Basildon’s finest, charting septuagenarians and startling new material featuring Madonna play out in Day 2 of Barcelona’s big music weekend
Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona review: part 3 – Depeche Mode, Sparks, Christine A...

Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona review: part 2 – Blur, Sudan Archives, Emeralds

by Michael Hubbard
With all the stages now open, the festival’s first day proper presents clashes and variety alike at the seaside Parc del Fòrum venue Following the days of city centre and free show build-ups, the 21st...
Primavera Sound 2023 Barcelona review: part 2 – Blur, Sudan Archives, Emeralds

Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 review: part 1 – Pet Shop Boys, The Waeve, The Com...

by Michael Hubbard
A free show on site and city venues performances warm up for the returning Catalan behemoth, in the first part of our coverage
Primavera Sound Barcelona 2023 review: part 1 – Pet Shop Boys, The Waeve, The Com...

Blur @ City Hall, Newcastle

by Steven Johnson
A warm up show ahead of bigger events over the summer proves a joyous and emotional occasion that confirms the four piece are still one of the most loved bands of their generation
Blur @ City Hall, Newcastle

Wide Awake Festival review: Caroline Polachek and Viagra Boys head up gender-balanced a...

by Michael Hubbard
London’s Brockwell Park plays host to the great and good of indie, with Polachek’s first festival headline spot and a strong and diverse down-bill
Wide Awake Festival review: Caroline Polachek and Viagra Boys head up gender-balanced a...

Alison Goldfrapp @ Here at Outernet, London

by Michael Hubbard
With her live debut for solo album The Love Invention, here is an artist saying ‘why the hell not, let’s do it’; and setting her controls for the stars
Alison Goldfrapp @ Here at Outernet, London

Erland Cooper & Scottish Ensemble @ Barbican Theatre, London

by Steven Johnson
Scottish composer’s new climate change themed album Folded Landscapes is performed live to profoundly moving effect
Erland Cooper & Scottish Ensemble @ Barbican Theatre, London

Steve Mason @ Electric Ballroom, London

by Ben Hogwood
Taking flight towards interesting musical and lyrical directions that respect immigration and collaboration, he makes subtle but probing points in songs that become underground protest anthems
Steve Mason @ Electric Ballroom, London

Altın Gün @ Electric Brixton, London

by Michael Hubbard
Already too big for venues of this size, much bigger things await these international sensations, a band who are assembling around them a soundworld entirely of their own
Altın Gün @ Electric Brixton, London

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
The Heavy @ Oslo Hackney, London

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
William Basinski @ Attenborough Centre For The Creative Arts, Brighton

No Age @ Patterns, Brighton

by Matt Cotsell
Californian duo mix squalls of escalating distortion and ambiguous drifts of electronic noise on the south coast
No Age @ Patterns, Brighton

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
Self Esteem @ Hammersmith Apollo, London

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
The Murder Capital @ Mill, Birmingham

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
Andrew Bird @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

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
Mogwai @ Dome, Brighton

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
Titus Andronicus @ Hare & Hounds, Birmingham