Scissor Sisters w/ Little Boots, London, Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Scissor Sisters

By Nia Thomas

May 16, 2012

Scissor Sisters returned to the stage at Shepherd’s Bush (or “Shepherd’s Minge” as Ana Matronic lovingly referred to it) last week to preview songs from their new album Magic Hour.

Support act Little Boots kicked off the evening with a set of old singles alongside songs from her next album. Opening with the song that brought her to early attention, ‘Stuck on Repeat,’ and first single ‘New in Town,’ both receive an enthusiastic response from the audience. It’s a shame that the crowd’s enthusiasm is not matched. Little Boots, known for her skills as a songwriter as much as a pop star, doesn’t seem to be completely comfortable with herself onstage which is where so many of her contemporaries excel. She then performs two new songs ‘Headphones’ and ‘Every Night I Say a Prayer,’ the latter sounding like a great Kylie song with handclaps galore. Both showcase a more disco direction. Songs like ‘New in Town’ and ‘Remedy’ remind the crowd that Little Boots knows her way around a great song even if she doesn’t make an original mark on them. She closes with ‘Shake,’ similar, in many respects, to ‘Stuck on Repeat’ in its icy electro flavour, which suits her more than the pure pop she co-writes so well. … Continue Reading

In Pictures: Bombay Bicycle Club, London, Alexandra Palace

April 28, 2012

A few beautiful snaps from Bombay Bicycle Club’s recent headline show at London’s Alexandra Palace. Support on the night came from Lianne La Havas and Rae Morris. All photos by Alex Kavanagh. More of Alex’s work can be found at http://www.alexkavanagh.com.

… Continue Reading

Lloyd Cole, Amsterdam, Amstelkerk

Lloyd Cole

By Matt Brown

March 15, 2012

When referencing back pain and disappointing t-shirt sales as the enduring memories of this tour, Lloyd Cole tends to perpetuate the perception of a ‘grumpy old man’ persona. However with a bucketful of charm and self-deprecation he treads effortlessly on the right side of endearing without veering off into self-pity. … Continue Reading

In Pictures: The Black Keys / Band Of Skulls, Edinburgh, Corn Exchange

The Black Keys by Julia Stryj

By Julia Stryj

February 4, 2012

Last Saturday I woke up with a huge smile on my face in anticipation of what should be a fantastic gig by The Black Keys and Band Of Skulls in the evening. When it started snowing just before lunch time I was getting worried I might not make it up to Edinburgh for the evening, but gladly the snow stopped and I set off early to get there in time for doors opening. … Continue Reading

D’Angelo, London, Brixton Academy

D'Angelo

By Joel Stagg

February 3, 2012

Back last autumn when I purchased tickets to see D’Angelo at the slightly generous price of £40 a pop, the normal feelings of excitement and anticipation rubbed shoulders with some less usual ones. D’Angelo’s so-called sabbatical since the year 2000 when he dropped Voodoo, inhabited by well-publicised dalliances with drugs, alcohol abuse, rehabilitation in Antigua and dalliances on the wrong side of the law, led to a certain morbid curiosity and also a sense of trepidation. It seemed I wasn’t alone when the comedian Kojo, who hosted the evening, asked of the audience – “How many of you came just to see if he still looks the same?” … Continue Reading

Owen Pallett, Eindhoven, Catharinakerk

Owen Pallett

By Stef Siepel

Eindhoven is radiant due to all the city lights that have been placed for the Glow festival. Massive amounts of people are ant-like finding their way through the city center, which is bending if not breaking. In the midst of it a huge church is crowded by a throng of people, who see light coming from the House of the Lord and think, Well, maybe there is something in the church that has to do with Glow. So people hoard around the entrance, most of them being told that, in fact, this is a ticketed event. A gig, no less. It is, namely, the end of Owen Pallett’s two-and-a-half year world tour, which he concludes with orchestra. … Continue Reading

Twin Sister, Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s

Twin Sister, By Kenny McMurtrie

By Kenny McMurtrie

Keen as mustard to be on stage for the capacity crowd here tonight Twin Sister delivered note perfect renderings of such numbers as ‘Champy’ and set closer ‘All Around And Away We Go’, along with a couple (including the encore) of duets between just Andrea (looking a tad over-dressed for the event) and Eric. Undoubtedly a nice bunch, their music comes across well in a live setting but one couldn’t help but feel that it would be even better appreciated without having the band actually visible as a point of reference. … Continue Reading

Sigur Ros – Inni

Sigur Ros - Inni

By James Blake

Sing along with Sigur Ros is a game enjoyed by friends and I. You play the track of your choice and try to keep up with frontman Jonsi’s angelic, soaring vocals. Admittedly, the game is often short lived. Primarily because Icelandic isn’t any of our first languages, but also the fun almost instantly fades into silent appreciation for the etherial quality the band possesses.

With Inni, our game becomes impossible. In a move away from the jaw dropping expanses of Icelandic scenery of 2007’s Heima, this live double album and film captures the raw essence of the band during a show at Alexandra Palace in 2008. The performance consists of the four original members without the usual accompaniment of strings and brass, revealing their emphatic energy in an analogue black and white. … Continue Reading

EMA, London, Cargo

EMA

By Russell Warfield

September 14, 2011

As much as I’ve loved EMA’s debut record over the last few months, I must admit to having had some worries about whether the album’s dank, crawling atmospherics would result in the live concert equivalent of being tossed off by a freezing cold fist. In the event though, I wasn’t stood with such a tense wince across my face as that, and that’s because EMA’s live performance necessarily translates through a lateral move into more of an organic incarnation of instrumentation and delivery.

This is made instantly clear by the opening performance of album highlight ‘Marked’ – a song which, on record, proudly boasts the shrill squeaking of fingers sliding between frets as its loudest ingredient in the mix. Tonight, however, the predisposition towards cultivating a sense of creeping dread through production and mixing tactics is replaced by a far simpler (in a subtle sort of way) vocal-guitar-drums rendition of the song. Sure, we lose something in the menacing vocal filters which originally sold her gravelly drawl of ‘marrrhrhked’ so perfectly, but – as a live performance – the simpler arrangements, and the more human feel, allows the song to breathe in a more suitable way for the occasion. … Continue Reading

Chad VanGaalen, Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s

Chad VanGaalen, by Kenny McMurtrie

By Kenny McMurtrie

August 19, 2011

Forsaking the Canadian backwoods for a road trip in support of the recently released Diaper Island album, proceedings tonight kick off with the final track from it – ‘Shave My Pussy’ – delivered solo with ukelele by Chad VanGaalen who, it turns out, is a veritable man mountain at something close to six foot six. … Continue Reading