StringerBessant: Orange Box,Yeovil, 1 Oct 2010.
My knowledge of Reef is limited to their big hit ‘Place Your Hands’. What was on display tonight was a world away. Continue reading
Live Reviews
End of the Road Festival, Sept 2010
The End of the Road Festival is one of the UK’s most eclectic musical events, where folk, Americana and indie rock come together. Continue reading
These New Puritans – Highbury Garage, London, UK, Apr 2010
The songs have little in the way of a melody, so seeing them live is a slightly daunting prospect. Continue reading
ATP Curated by The Breeders May 15-17, 2009
The Deal sisters were a warm stage presence and their clear struggle to get the songs 100% right was endearing and refreshing. Continue reading
ATP Festival Curated By Pavement – Minehead, UK. May 2010
ATP is among the most remarkable of festivals. Since it started around a decade a go its crucial difference is that a specific band often gets to choose the line up. This tends to give it a greater sense of… Continue reading
Field Music – Live at Audio (Brighton 26/05/10)
Going to see Field Music at Brighton’s Audio filled me with mixed feelings. I was looking forward to seeing one of my favourite bands but I was a bit depressed and disappointed as well. The band had been moved to… Continue reading
Indietracks 2010 Festival, Derbyshire, July 23-25, 2010
Indietracks, which for the last four years has taken place at the Midland Railway centre in Derbyshire, was perhaps not quite as busy as last year when it had the support of Spain’s Elefant label on the main stage and… Continue reading
First Aid Kit and Fanfarlo – Live at The Hanbury, Brighton, UK, Oct 2009
In a good night for gigs (The Fiery Furnaces were playing just across town) it was irresistible to see two of the best rated new acts play together, in one of my favourite venues, for a paltry £7.50. Fanfarlo were… Continue reading
The Phantom Band – Live at The Borderline, London, Nov 2009
The Borderline isn’t the right venue. It feels too small for a band who produced an album as good as Checkmate Savage. It is also an example of a venue that has a pillar in front of the stage. That… Continue reading
Luke Haines – Live at The Hanbury, Brighton, UK, Nov 2009
Luke Haines is one of the lost figures of modern British music. His first album with The Auteurs, New Wave, was as good as anything else that came out of the British pop explosion in the mid-90s and he released… Continue reading