When bassist Peter Hook formed The Light after leaving New Order acrimoniously in 2007, it felt primarily like a two-fingered gesture; a crass attempt to wring a few extra quid out of the band’s legacy. A decade later, though, the project is still selling out venues thanks to a loyal band of hero-worshipping 50-somethings. A … More Peter Hook & The Light, Concorde 2, Friday, 22 February, 2019
Appraising a Jimothy live show feels worthy of an academic thesis. On one hand it’s a theatrical manifestation of the narcissistic online culture that spawned him. The stage is decorated with a large Jimothy portrait and a backdrop of Jimothy photos as he announces: “I am the king, I am the best.” Everyone – including … More Jimothy Lacoste, Concorde 2, Wednesday, 13 February 2019
1. Let’s Eat Grandma – I’m All Ears 2. SOPHIE – OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES 3. Helena Hauff – Qualm 4. A.A.L. (Against All Logic) – 2012-2017 5. Sons of Kemet – Your Queen is a Reptile 6. Kali Uchis – Isolation 7. Shopping – The Official Body 8. Neneh Cherry – Broken Politics 9. Yves Tumor – Safe in the Hands of Love 10. Rival … More Albums of the Year 2018, 1-30
If not for the glitter, sparkly shoes and theatrical blue dress, you’d be forgiven for assuming Jane Weaver had wandered onto the stage as a sound technician, not the headline act, such is her down-to-earth aura. The alt-kraut-synth-pop veteran of eight albums was performing at Komedia as part of her Loops in the Secret Society … More Jane Weaver: Loops in the Secret Society, Komedia, Thursday, 8 November 2018
There is a comforting familiarity to Kurt Vile’s hazy, cosmic brand of rock and roll. Since 2011 breakthrough Smoke Ring for my Halo, the Philadelphian singer songwriter has delivered an impressively consistent run of records, rooted in classic American guitar music and carried by his distinctive vocals and offhand lyrics. Bottle It In, the 38-year-old’s … More Kurt Vile & The Violators, Concorde 2, Monday, 5 November 2018
There is no denying the significance of Wolfgang Flür’s role in the development of electronic music. As chief percussionist in Kraftwerk during the synthesiser pioneers’ heyday, the 71-year-old shaped some of the genre’s most influential records as an engineer, composer and performer. Flür’s appearance in the relatively modest surroundings of the Haunt, then, represented something … More Wolfgang Flür, The Haunt, Saturday, 29 September 2018
Over the last decade, Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds has established himself as one of the most ambitious and in-demand composers of film and television scores around, winning a BAFTA in 2014 for his Broadchurch soundtrack.But it was his solo work and, specifically, latest album Re:member, that was the focus of this show at a bustling … More Ólafur Arnalds, Brighton Dome, Wednesday, 26 September 2018
DIY minimalists Vital Idles have quietly grown a reputation as one of the UK’s most promising new post-punk bands. Freshly-released Left Hand, the four-piece’s debut album, is an irreverent and confident slice of taut, punchy guitar-pop that speaks to outsiders and awkward dancers alike. Formed in Glasgow in 2015, the band’s origins lie in the … More Vital Idles, Sticky Mike’s, Friday 13 July 2018
Anyone over 30 will recall the ubiquity of Travis’s The Man Who album at the turn of the millennium, a serendipitous performance at Glastonbury securing it a special place in the canon of Brit Pop’s fag end. This show saw the Glaswegian four-piece perform it in full at the Brighton Dome as part of a … More Travis, Brighton Dome, Wednesday, June 20
1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. 2. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory 3. Kelela – Take Me Apart 4. Jlin – Black Origami 5. Blanck Mass – World Eater 6. Forest Swords – Compassion 7. Slowdive – Slowdive 8. Richard Dawson – Peasant 9. Actress – AZD 10. LCD Soundsystem – american dream 11. Liars … More Albums of the Year 2017, 1-100
