Into the Pit: 156: Kraftwerk – Live at K20-Grabbe Halle Düsseldorf – 16-January 2013
There are your regular gigs, and then there are gigs that feel like something a little more special. Gigs that are worth going out of your way for.
Category: /Reviews
I’ve written a lot of reviews over the years. This is the home of pretty much all of them since about 2003.
Memory of a Festival: 017: BIMFest 2012
My second visit to Antwerp for BIMFest – I first went last year, which was reviewed here – was once again enormous fun, featuring a city I’m now familiar with, friends old and new (and the usual crazy connections close to home), and of course a whole load of music, of which only a few […]
Into the Pit: 155: Pulp – Live at Motorpoint Arena – 08-December 2012
After quite a few more gigs by reunited bands this year, I’m still in two minds as to whether they are a good thing or not. In some cases, they have undoubtedly resulted in bands getting the dues they should have had in the first place, others have revitalised careers, and frankly some others have […]
But Listen: 127: The Comet Line – The Comet Line
One of the joys of being back in London has been being able to immerse myself in the tons of live music that there always is on offer (I’m not sure I really want to count up exactly how many bands I’ve seen live in this city over the past three years, for the sake […]
Into the Pit: 154: Carter USM/Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Live at Brixton – 10-November 2012
Somehow, despite having been a fan of both Carter and Ned’s for many, many years, I never got ’round to seeing either of them back in their 90s heydays, and indeed I’d also managed to miss the various reunion shows in recent years too. So unlike just about all of my friends who also attended […]
Into the Pit: 153: Swans – Live at KOKO – 15-November 2012
It isn’t often that I’m left with a feeling of slight nervousness prior to a gig, but then, Swans aren’t really your average band. One of the most extreme “rock” bands to exist, perhaps – their extremity being being louder, more punishing mentally and physically than just about anyone else – were ended by Michael […]
Into the Pit: 152: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Live at Kentish Town – 05-November 2012
There are not many bands – particularly after fifteen years in and out of the public eye – that are able to generate the sheer level of mystique and reverence that GY!BE have managed. But then – and yes, it is a cliche nowadays, but one perhaps worth repeating – GY!BE are not your average […]
But Listen: 126: Dead When I Found Her – Rag Doll Blues
Many smaller labels in the industrial scene are lucky if they release one truly extraordinary album over a period of a few years, but I’m beginning to think that Artoffact are more than just lucky in picking their artists. In recent years they have released truly brilliant albums from Urceus Exit, Saltillo, v01d, and then […]
Into the Pit: 151: Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra – Live at KOKO – 23-October 2012
Amanda Palmer has been in the music news (and beyond) a lot this year, after smashing all kinds of records in terms of raising money by “crowdsourcing”, if you will, for her new album and tour, with all kinds of rewards on offer for those who wanted to offer more money than others, including sumptious […]
Into the Pit: 150: DOWN – Live at Roundhouse – 21-October 2012
My quest to apparently visit every possible London gig venue of appreciable size this year continues (this was my fortieth show this year, at twenty-nine different venues, with at least another ten shows to come during 2012), and this time it was to return to the impressive setting of the Roundhouse for the first time […]
Into the Pit: 149: Rebekah Delgado – Live at Bush Hall – 17-October 2012
I’ve always been intrigued by gigs that are structured as proper “events”. Not just a normal show given a fancy name (“festivals” that are basically an all-day indoor gig, for example), but the kind of show where the artist in question has really pushed the boat out, with more than just music, and actually attempts […]
Into the Pit: 148: Blindness – Live at Rattlesnake of Angel – 12-October 2012
It has been a while since I’ve been able to attend a Blindness show – since February pretty much every show they have played I have been committed elsewhere, so once this show was announced, and I realised I had a clear point in my calendar, it was finally time to catch up once more.
Into the Pit: 147: Sulpher – Live at Underworld – 30-September 2012
The perils of gig venues wanting to run club nights as well as gigs on Friday and Saturday evenings often means that said gigs are pushed forward to start absurdly early. In smaller cities, I could understand this – but in a city like London, opening the doors for a gig at 1800 on a […]
Into the Pit: 146: The Afghan Whigs – Live at KOKO – 19-August 2012
If Yuck are/were the sound of the grunge revival, then side-project Oupa are the sound of it dying, already reduced to sub-Neil youngesque croaks, backed with a wheezing drum machine that never chances pace. Oh yes. Not content with being part of the much-hyped “grunge revival” (which aside from the original bands reforming, and a […]
Memory of a Festival: 016: Infest 2012
Probably one of the weekends of the year I most look forward to is the August Bank Holiday Weekend.
Into the Pit: 145: Refused – Live at The Forum – 12-August 2012
Welcome to part whatever of the latest trip down memory lane, to see a live band from the past who are revisiting said past. But here, there are particular reasons for doing this, and I’ll come to those in a moment, but first, there was a support band to see.
Into the Pit: 144: Seabound – Live at Purple Turtle – 22-July 2012
For the last of six different gigs during July – and my last for a few weeks – it was back to the Purple Turtle for the first time in a while, to see the return of the band that I believe are now the finest exponents of synthpop/futurepop anywhere. But first, before Seabound, there […]
Into the Pit: 143: Assemblage 23 – Live at O2 Academy Islington – 14-July 2012
This gig was unusual on a few counts, but particularly for having the dubious honour of being the first gig I’ve attended downsized (i.e. moved to a smaller venue) in a long, long time. It would be easy to blame it on the recession, but this was the first turnout I’ve seen this poor in […]
Into the Pit: 142: (The Death Of) Six By Seven – Live at Hope and Anchor – 13-July 2012
In something of a downsizing from the various gigs I’ve been to of late, this was the most intimate show I’ve seen in a long, long time – and remarkably the first time I have ever attended a gig at this famous old basement venue. The pub appears to have been somewhat gentrified from it’s […]
Into the Pit: 141: Bitter Ruin – Live at The Borderline – 10-July 2012
I think it took me a little while to come around to Bitter Ruin in the first place, but to be fair, the first time around I only saw a couple of songs as we got there late. The second time around, again supporting Amanda Palmer, there was no such mistake, and for their short […]