How to Dress Well Live Review – Thekla, Bristol 19 May 2013 When I was a kid I listened to Michael Jackson a lot. I loved his music and the way he sang. One of my favourite songs back then was ‘Dirty Diana’. I...
Category - Live
Sunday 21st April When I first heard Matthew E White’s Big Inner I got over-excited. It had been a while since I’d heard a man whisper so sweetly over such seriously soulful grooves. I listened to it some more and the hooks...
Back in the Autumn of 2011, I went to a gig in one of Beijing’s historic Hutongs. It was a remarkable gig for many reasons and I don’t know why it took me so long to revisit the notes I wrote that night. Here are...
Kanda Bongo Man Live Review – Tunnels, Bristol I am ill. Indulging a slight tendency for the dramatic, I would even say I can hear a death rattle in my chest. The Bristol wind, keen with moisture, cuts right through me. My...
Gigs of the Year 2012 Here are my top ten gigs of the year 2012. Live music is still one of the most mesmerising, emotional and thrilling experiences. I have danced, cried, shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, swooned at a whole...
The Cube Microplex, Bristol, November 25th Nostalgia isn’t an easy pursuit. It requires you to remove yourself from the now, disengage from a cynical default and make emotional connections across the aeons of time. For our...
Trinity Centre, Bristol, November 28th, 2012 Watching the shaman-like figure of Warren Ellis spouting forth dream fragments in his distinctive Antipodean purr is a rare pleasure: he recollects sneaking into Chris Martin’s hotel...
Darren Hayman Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 9th March 2012 I was filled with a strange pang of realisation watching Darren Hayman perform last night in Cheltenham. It was the painful but semi-comforting realisation that Hayman was...
Best Albums 2011 1. Bill Callahan – Apocalypse 2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver 3. Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact 4. tUnE-YaRds – whokill 5. Zun Zun Egui – Katang 6. The Antlers – Burst Apart 7. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring...
Sleigh Bells, Digital, BrightonTuesday 15th February Every gig should be like this. On stage for just 40 minutes, Brooklyn-based duo Sleigh Bells deliver a short sharp shot of adrenalin that leaves ear bones rattled, muscles...