Live Music Reviews
by Matt Cotsell
Life is filled with a monotonous stream of inevitabilities and constants. A cavalcade of unalterable situations and circumstances that play out ad infinitum through history,…
by Steven Johnson
Baltimore musician Dan Deacon has gained a reputation for playing gigs that don’t really follow standard live music norms. Tonight’s show at the Scala in...
by Steven Johnson
Ma, the latest album by Devendra Banhart arrived last year with little in the way of fanfare or noise, appropriate given the hushed, gentle direction...
by Daniel Paton
This superb double performance will remain memorable for many more reasons than its coinciding with the UK leaving the European Union. Now a much more...
by Matt Cotsell
Tonight Algiers are in a combative and performative mood. Front man Franklin James Fisher, normally the focal point due to that voice, risks being overshadowed by...
by Matt Cotsell
Wire have always been semi-unwilling participants in the circuitous narrative of rock history. Dispensing with the extraneous flourishes of the then prevalent progressive and jazz...
by Matt Cotsell
Brighton has always had a soft spot for John Grant. Not only has local label Bella Union put out his five albums but last time...
by Matt Cotsell
The first month of this new decade is nearly over, and with it comes an ominous period of weighty national change and emotional loss. That...
by Steven Johnson
A small neon green rectangle pulses in the top left corner of a large black screen at the rear of the Barbican stage, eagerly awaiting...
by Steven Johnson
Recent years have seen a range of bands from the ’90s reform and return to the live arena. Many have been nostalgia-driven, focused on reprising...
by Matt Cotsell
Front and middle is a sword, dull, silvery and old. No explanation is given to its significance (although devotees may well recognise it from the...
by Matt Cotsell
As they take their places onstage, front man Sevi Landolt sardonically proclaims “Yeah, it’s Klausy baby” to the delight of fans. Perhaps we should add...
by Steven Johnson
The songs of Hayden Thorpe’s former band Wild Beasts were famed for their sensuous chronicling of desire and lust and Diviner, Thorpe’s first solo album...
by Andy Baber
Time can be a cruel mistress, especially when it comes to music. While anniversary tours often sound like a good idea on the surface, the...
by Matt Cotsell
Who wears tartan shorts in England in December? Nic Offer, he of New York punk funk inspired disco iconoclasts !!! (Chk Chk Chk), does and...
by Ben Hogwood
It has been another stellar year for The Chemical Brothers. On the 20th anniversary of one of their best and most enduring albums Surrender, they...
by Steven Johnson
When former Talk Talk frontman Mark Hollis died in February earlier this year there was a public outpouring of love for his music despite it...
by Matt Cotsell
Omni are, as always, present and potent. They don’t say much between numbers to the Brighton crowd, certainly nothing of note, instead preferring to hurtle...
by Michael Hubbard
A decade ago, Victoria Hesketh had all stars aligned and was set to join them. Little Boots’ monster single Stuck On Repeat announced her arrival,...
by Daniel Paton
As always, the EFG London Jazz Festival offers up such a range of exciting and challenging music that negotiating its contours can be quite demanding....
by Mark Newington
2019 has been significant for Scottish post-punkers The Twilight Sad. Having released their fifth album It Won/t Be Like This All The Time, their first...
