Archive | Live Reviews

The Sword - Underworld, London, 03/04/08

Posted on 10 April 2008 by John Skibeat

The need for a beer at The World’s End pub above the venue has delayed us albeit briefly, yet as we descend into the tight little grotto that is the Underworld we see that Invasion have set off proceedings with their stylish take on psych-thrash. This unique trio of floppy-haired guitarist, feisty skin-basher and vocal hellraiser are belting out the decibels but don’t seem at all happy with the sounds they’re producing. There’s continual input from the sound-desk as a guy races back and forth across stage changing microphones.

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The Long Blondes - The Junction, Cambridge, 06/04/08

Posted on 09 April 2008 by Valerio Berdini

Valerio Berdini was wooed by The Long Blondes distinctive take on electro-pop.

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GZA performing ‘Liquid Swords’ – The Independent, San Francisco, CA, 31/03/2008

Posted on 04 April 2008 by Kyle Lemmon

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Looking back at GZA’s 1995 East Coast hip hop renaissance masterpiece, Liquid Swords its obvious that its dark samples and varying subject matter still retains the power to yank you head-first into its insular and matchless soundscape. The Genius’ rabbit hole of subject matters (ranging from chess, inner-city crime, philosophy, and the Asian cinema cult film Shogun Assassin) serve much more than pop culture detritus, so its no wonder that All Tomorrow’s Parties and Pitchfork Media asked GZA to play Swords during last year’s Don’t Look Back event. Though I didn’t attend, I’m sure Swords’ dense and idiomatic eclecticism fit well in its position at the festival - sandwiched between Slint’s Spiderland and Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation. The Independent show this week was part of Genius’ own revisiting of the album on his own tour.

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The Twilight Sad - 100 Club, London 27/03/08

Posted on 03 April 2008 by Ama Chana

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“I hope you all enjoyed the 2 opening bands. They were great I thought, weren’t they?”.

It should be noted that James Graham says this opening statement with his tongue very much in his cheek. There were no support acts this evening and although the crowd were pretty patient, it feels somewhat odd to see the band take to the stage without a warm-up act or two.

Not to worry. It’ll be an evening of pure unadulterated Twilight Sad and I knew exactly what to expect. I think it’s safe to say that the Fat Cat released Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters was without doubt, one of my (and The Line Of Best Fit’s) favourite records of 2007. When I caught them at Bush Hall (with Nina Nastasia and Welcome) and Hoxton Bar & Grill last year, they were amongst my pick of shows from the year. I found myself particularly enchanted by their menacing guitars that shimmer and grind created by Andy MacFarlane, where the epic sorrow cranks up to one monumental wall of noise after another, all pinned down by James Graham’s anguished howl, reminiscent of a more violent and passionate Aiden Moffat, but who can actually hold a tune. Continue Reading

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Be Your Own Pet - Scala, London 01/04/08 [Photos]

Posted on 02 April 2008 by Jacob Saunders

Scala sure are putting on some fantastic shows of late. Our photographer, Jacob Saunders, had a wander on down to the Kings Cross venue on a cool, breezy Spring evening to catch a raucous set from Tennessee quartet Be Your Own Pet. Their new album Get Awkward is out now. ‘Tis goooooood. BYOP’s tour continues throughout Europe and the States. Check their myspace for details. Continue Reading

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Black Dice - Roadhouse, Manchester, 15/03/08

Posted on 31 March 2008 by John Brainlove

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No genre can be quite as transcendental or quite such an ordeal as noise music. In self indulgent hands, a noise gig can be an endurance test; an interminable, chronically limited spectacle of musicians blowing their load through a rack of effect pedals. But when creativity is applied, noise music can break through the glass ceiling of anger-channeling and sonic nihilism and blossom into something more.

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Eels - Corn Exchange, Cambridge, 24/03/08

Posted on 28 March 2008 by Rich Hughes

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An Evening with Eels“. That’s what was on my ticket. However, it might have been better marketed as “A Night with Mark Everett” or “E” to his mates. This was a stripped down and quite personal evening. No support act, just the recent BBC Four documentary about E’s father, the originator of the theory about parallel universes. A nice idea but it’s hard to believe that any Eels fan hasn’t already seen it.

I was a little concerned with E strode onto the stage, in a rather fetching boiler suit, by himself and no band. “This could be a very quiet and dark evening” I thought to myself. However, after the opening pair of songs, including a thread bare version of ‘It’s a Motherfucker’, The Chet joined the stage. This multiple instrument playing genius, and later book reader, helped add a certain something to the songs. No longer just an electric guitar or piano, the songs were still stripped back to their dark, cold and sinister hearts, but the extra elements of Saw, guitar and drums just gave the songs the sufficient twist they needed to break out of the mundane. Continue Reading

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The Long Blondes + Kid Acne - The Cavern, Exeter, 25/03/08

Posted on 27 March 2008 by Simon Gurney

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Exeter Cavern’s low black ceiling, brick walls and brick arches was the subterranean setting for tonight’s gig, a pre album release headline tour for The Long Blondes. The crowd were mostly made up of 20 somethings, somewhat unsurprisingly about 80% were going with the librarian look, tight fitted cardigans, jumpers, jeans and t-shirts, all in various pastel shades, which didn’t really match up with the opener, Kid Acne.

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Explosions in the Sky – Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA. 20/03/2008

Posted on 26 March 2008 by Kyle Lemmon

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Austin post-rockers, Explosions in the Sky’s sound is akin to a meteor shower during its histrionic peaks. In equal fashion their white blasts of sound perk up the ages in quixotic fashion, resembling a shimmering and tranquil river, curving underneath all of Explosions’ celestial turmoil. Both sides played a part in the band’s first night of three sold-out nights at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. The band’s always-effervescent guitarist, Munaf Rayani, prefaced the band’s career spanning set by saying he was quite disgruntled about playing three nights in a row but he assured the audience that regardless of his stormy temperament the band would try their hardest. “We’re gonna try to give you our hearts so close your eyes and we’ll take off to the stars.” And of course they did just that.

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Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - The Luminaire, London 20/03/08

Posted on 23 March 2008 by Ama Chana

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I’m not going to make any bones about it. I completely love Casiotone For The Painfully Alone (known to his mother as simply Owen Ashworth). His minimal rickety plonks, lo-fi fuzz and personal lyrics break my heart. And even though I’d caught him live a couple of weeks prior at the sold out Bush Hall show, the thought of seeing him play his touching brand of two-minute Casio keyboard-spun pop songs in the cosy, snug space of The Luminaire (“This is much nicer than Bush Hall. It’s like a living room with all your friends” - as claimed during the gig) was a far more tantalising prospect. It didn’t disappoint. Continue Reading

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Beach House – Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA. 15/3/2008

Posted on 19 March 2008 by Kyle Lemmon

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Photographs by Joshua Uziel

A late night concert (10 pm) at Bottom of the Hill’s intimate setting proved to be an apt time and place for the Baltimore duo Beach House. The two disco balls churning on their axes inside wooden boxes alongside Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally pooled red, blue, and green lights on the short ceiling. It looked like how the moon can reflect off the ocean onto creaky docks jutting out from the shoreline. The pooling swirls of changing lights coalesced on the roof as the droning organ sounds coming out of Legrand’s keyboard. Papercuts’ creator, Jason Quever, accompanied the duo on drums. Continue Reading

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Supergrass - The Junction, Cambridge, 13/03/08 [Photo Review]

Posted on 18 March 2008 by Valerio Berdini

With their new album imminently being releasing (look out for a review on TLOBF soon), what better time to catch a rejuvenated Supergrass on their comeback trail.

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Colleen - The Union Chapel, London 16/03/08

Posted on 17 March 2008 by Ama Chana

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It all feels very much a formal occasion this Sunday evening in the Chapel. Whilst the lights are dimmed down, candles flickering all around above on the balcony. The crowd are hushed, frightened to make even a clap once a song is complete as to disturb the ambience. And the opening “acts” could have you mistaken that you’ve accidentally walked into a Christmas vigil or some private function. Continue Reading

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Laura Marling w/ Johnny Flynn - Glee Club, Birmingham 05/03/08

Posted on 09 March 2008 by Matthew Silver

Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling drew in a full house at the Glee Club, all waiting with an excited anticipation of both acts drawing a visual backdrop to the sounds that have been heard from the artists recently released single and album, respectively. Continue Reading

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Sarabeth Tucek - The Glee Club, Birmingham 30/02/08

Posted on 05 March 2008 by Stuart Scott

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Photographs by Matthew Silver

The intimacy of Birmingham’s Glee club provides the perfect setting for a Sarabeth Tucek show. A touch bigger that your average bedroom, it’s the sort of place you can smell last night’s whisky on the performer’s breath. Despite little in the way of press hype, the excitement in the air is tangible. Rightly so, Sarabeth comes with a well-rounded CV: collaborations with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Smog and Weezer’s Brian Bell tell their own story of her place in the heartland of alternative American music. Continue Reading

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Islands - Hoxton Bar & Grill, London 26/02/08

Posted on 02 March 2008 by Ama Chana

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Now Islands are a band I’ve been waiting to see again for quite some time I have to say. The first and only time before was during the summer of 2006 and I confess, I saw them completely unaware of their material because of my undying love for The Unicorns through the Nick Diamonds connection (I know I’m not the only one…). They played the rather dingy but charming and completely out of the way (well for me anyway) venue, Barden’s Boudoir, and the lasting memory I have of that evening was just how sweltering uncomfortable the heat was and the fact they came on stage at around 10.45pm (meaning this poor sucker had to leave early to catch the last westbound Silverlink train.) Continue Reading

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Band Of Horses - Koko, London 26/02/08

Posted on 28 February 2008 by Rich Hughes

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So I’d never been to Koko’s in Camden before. What a lovely venue. I’d heard plenty of grievances about poor sound, but none of that was in evidence tonight as the NME Awards Shows hit the capital. Tonight’s line-up saw the relative new comers of MGMT, followed by the more established Sons & Daughters and finally, headlining, the wondrous Band Of Horses. Continue Reading

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Stephanie Dosen - The Glee Club, Birmingham 24/02/08

Posted on 26 February 2008 by Matthew Silver

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The small town girl from Wisconsin, Stephanie Dosen, walks on stage and instantly you can see the aura that surrounds her. Whether it‘s the white 1920’s dress or the pale skin that captivates her mystic innocence, she wins the affection of the audience before she opens her mouth.

The flutter of her eyes, the quiet apologies and the plucking of strings introduced the opening lullaby ‘Somerset’. From then on the hearts of both males and females alike have melted and stay transfixed all the way through to her thank you and goodbyes. Drifting through tracks from last years debut A Lily For The Spectre, she provides an instrumental sound that, although not particularly original, is as comfortable as your favourite chair on a Sunday afternoon. It is her lyrics and voice though, that provides the individual touch. ‘Owl in the Dark’, her most nerve wracking track to perform, she informs us, draws her wide range of vocals out in harmony with the violins that are supporting her. Continue Reading

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Nada Surf w/ Rogue Wave - Scala, London 21/02/2008

Posted on 25 February 2008 by Matthew Silver

Nada Surf and Rogue Wave may represent similar genres in their classing, but each represent different stages in their careers. Nada Surf have been known for some time, Rogue Wave are only just starting to surface their heads. Pretending I didn’t know this, it still stood out like a sore thumb.

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The Kissaway Trail - Bush Hall, London 20/02/08 [Photos]

Posted on 21 February 2008 by Rich Thane

Photographs by Jacob Saunders.

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