Tag: review
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The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson: A New Film By Julien Temple
“We were on the up and up…. …and then…. ….Cancer. “ Wilko Johnson, at last night’s premiere of “The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson” “The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson” is a new documentary, directed by Julien Temple, which tells the extraordinary story of the last three years in the life of former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko…
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The Replacements Live at The Roundhouse: Review
The Replacements visited the UK for the first time in more than two decades last night to play the first of two dates at The Roundhouse. Reactions to this news vary from uncontained excitement to “er, who?”, so for the uninitiated, here’s what we need to know about The Replacements: Indie-pioneers from Minnesota formed in 1979. Classic…
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Why You Should Hear Drenge’s New Album, Undertow
It’s easy to get complacent sometimes. It starts with a War On Drugs album. It has a bit of guitar, you’re a little uncomfortable that it sounds a lot like that Don Henley record from the eighties or Dire Straits, but you let it go. Then you find yourself tuning in to Absolute Radio. You…
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The Who and Wilko Johnson: Live at The Royal Albert Hall
The Teenage Cancer Trust concerts have become a much loved staple of London’s live scene for over a decade. A week long series of gigs, including one comedy night, curated by Roger Daltrey, all to raise money for an organisation that helps teenagers who have been diagnosed with cancer. The cause is…
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Why You Should Hear The New Courtney Barnett LP…
2015 looks like being a big year for Australian singer songwriter Courtney Barnett, with her laconic, grungy, stream-of-consciousness style attracting strong reviews with debut album “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit”. Barnett brought a three piece band to Rough Trade last night to launch the album. Barnett has built a good…
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New Ray Davies Biography: A Complicated Life by Johnny Rogan
Kinks fans have been spoiled of late with a number of books about the band, particularly as for many years there was no definitive Kinks bio. Both Davies brothers penned their own versions of the tale with Ray’s X-Ray and Dave’s Kink, but, naturally, they only tell the tale from their own perspectives. “God Save The…
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Josh Tillman is a Rock Star: Father John Misty, Live at the Village Underground, East London
Don’t you just love it when you go to a gig that is so much better than you ever expected it would be? Father John Misty played an incredible show at The Village Underground in Shoreditch last night. Even if they weren’t converts before they arrived, everyone in the audience left a believer in…
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The Charlatans Debut Songs From New Album Modern Nature At Rough Trade East
It’s a good thing that Tim Burgess is such a positive, likeable frontman. His band, The Charlatans has experienced great highs, including three number one hit albums, and – whether by design or chance – was an integral part of two important musical scenes in Madchester and Britpop. Songs like 1995’s “Just When You’re Thinking…
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Review: The Year In Music 2014…And The Life and Death of Rock n Roll
The Death of Rock n Roll was the theme of 2014… January Perhaps it began with the crushing news that professional overdosers and part time rock band Motley Crüe had decided to split. This came as a shock to most people who thought that they had already split in the nineties. The Crüe did the…
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Augustines – Live In The Round: at Camden Roundhouse
When Augustines play live you witness not so much a rock show as a rock revival. Like indie-Narnian-lions, the band breathe life into the the stone-cold Camden Roundhouse, converting a freezing December audience into the hippest looking bunch of Southern Baptists you will ever see. Lead vocalist William McCarthy wears his heart on his sleeve.…
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The National: The World’s Biggest Unknown Band – live at O2 Arena, London
When telling colleagues and friends that I was going to see The National last night, for their final show of their “Trouble Will Find Me” world tour, almost all of them gave me the same one word answer. “…….Who……???” On this evidence* it seems that The National might just be the World’s Biggest Unknown Band.…
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Here Comes Johnny Marr – With A Lust For Life, Live at Southend – Review
It has been quite a year so far for Johnny Marr. Just as he was getting over racking up a half century of birthdays, in April Marr found himself in a New York post office performing his new soundtrack to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 alongside Alicia Keys and Pharrell Williams. It was a surreal contrast…
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Johnny Depp Joins Ryan Adams Onstage at Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Gig goers had a surprise during the encore to Ryan Adams’ show at Shepherds Bush Empire last night as Johnny Depp slung on his guitar and joined the band. Sporting a wide-rimmed trilby, Depp threw some impressive shapes and even pulled off a guitar solo during set closer “Kim”. Despite such a Hollywood stamp of…
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Think It’s Easy Running Brixton Academy? Think Again…
Simon Parkes’ hilarious and revealing story of The Brixton Academy tells you all you need to know about why running a music venue is not for the faint-hearted. From an opening story involving booking a band to play the Academy using a coke dealer as a secret weapon, to being the subject of tear gas…
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More Crowd Chaos As “Tray of Pimms Upset” at Costello Kew Gardens Gig
Just a week after 38 people were left injured with eight needing hospital treatment at The Libertines’ Hyde Park concert, crowd control has once again hit the news, this time at Elvis Costello’s Kew Gardens concert as part of the “Kew The Music” series of concerts. After just one song the show was stopped by…
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