Live Music News & Reviews

Six things we loved about the White Stripes:

1. When they appeared in 2001, they, along with The Strokes, saved us from a world of Travis, Starsailor, and a load of other shite post-Britpop bands

2. It was virtually impossible to get consensus amongst fans as to what their best album was. Some loved the rawness of The White Stripes. Others likes the tune-packed White Blood Cells. Some preferred their monster breakthrough album Elephant. And others appreciated Get Behind Me Satan, which represented something of a departure as Jack White traded guitar for piano, mandolin, and even marimba on the superb The Nurse. Not many would claim Icky Thump to be the greatest, mind you.

3. They knew what us anal fans appreciated - box sets, limited edition screen-printed posters, ridiculous inchophones (3 inch record players) which were so limited in number that they ended up being worth up to a thousand pounds each on ebay. Check ebay and you will find a number of ridiculously expensive White Stripes memorabilia. The Underneath the Northern Lights boxset was a thing of beauty.

4. Their flirtation with all things English, from recording Elephant in London on 1950’s analogue equipment to their pearly kings and queen outfits in the Icky Thump era.

5. Their sheer live power - I was only fortunate enough to see them three times, twice at Alexandra Palace and once at Glastonbury (when they turned the Pyramid stage red and made idiots of those who wondered whether two people could pull off a Pyramid headlining set), but each time I came away awestruck.

6. Their amazing videos, particularly those directed by Michel Gondry

Meg’s simple drumming gave so much space to Jack White to wield mayhem with his unbelievable mojo, they were a band to behold. The band of the 2000’s. They will be remembered forever.  And those inchophones will only increase in value.

The latest rumours about Glastonbury 2011 are that Primal Scream will be taking their Screamadelica live set to Worthy Farm. Despite their shambolic appearance in 2005, where Bobby Gillespie called the pyramid crowd a “bunch of fucking hippies” and upon asking if there were any Kylie fans in the audience, said “Well fuck you”.  Mani got in on the act at the end of the set, when he asked if anyone wanted to hear the Stone Roses. When a large portion of the crowd responded, he replied “well you should have been here 15 years ago you lazy bastards” before the plug was pulled on their set and they were escorted offstage to a chorus of boos. Eavis remains a fan however, so it is not out of the question that they will return.

The Libertines rumour comes after last year’s succesful Reading and Leeds shows last year, and it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for them to headline the Other Stage on one of the nights.

In terms of Pyramid headliners, besides U2, who seem a shoe-in, the front-runners at the moment seem like Prince, Coldplay, the Rolling Stones, Pulp and Radiohead. The line-up is already sounding better than last year’s 40th, which despite the promises of the best ever line-up, disappointed. The Eavis were lucky the balmy weather saved them - it ended up being one of the best festivals in living memory but if it had been a soggy one there were few bands who would have been able to lift the crowd and it would have been one of the worst. At least we won’t have Muse this year.

It’s that time of year again where we compile lists, because we love lists. Before we announce our favourite albums of 2010, here is what some other people think:

Mojo:

1 John Grant – Queen of Denmark
2 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
3 MGMT – Congratulations
4 Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
5 The Black Keys – Brothers
6 Paul Weller – Wakes Up The Nation
7 Midlake – The Courage of Others
8 Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy
9 The Coral – Butterfly House
10 Doug Paisley – Constant Companion

NME:

10. The Drums - The Drums
9. Liars - Sisterworld
8. Salem - King Night
7. Zola Jesus - Stridulum II
6. Foals - Total Life Forever
5. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
4. LCD Sound system - This Is Happening
3. Beach House - Teen Dream
2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
1. These New Puritans – Hidden

Q Magazine:

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
2. Robert Plant - Band of Joy
3. Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks
4. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
5. Vampire Weekend - Contra
6. John Grant - Queen of Denmark
7. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
8. The National - High Violet
9. Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation
10. MGMT - Congratulations

Uncut:

1 Joanna Newsom – Have One on Me
2 Neil Young – Le Noise
3 Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation
4 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
5 Robert Plant – Band of Joy
6 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
7 John Grant – Queen of Denmark
8 Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate – Ali and Toumani
9 LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
10 Grinderman – Grinderman II

Drowned in Sound:

10 Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
9 LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
8 Yeasayer - Odd Blood
7 Shearwater - The golden Archipelago
6 These New Puritans - Hidden
5 The Knife - Tomorrow, in a Year
4 Perfume Genius - Learning
3 Deftones - Diamond Eyes
2 The National - High Violet
1 Emeralds - Does it Look Like I’m Here?

Great news this morning is that Pulp are getting back together for a series of gigs next year.

For those in the know, the cartoon-feud between Damon and Liam was irrelevant - Pulp were the true band of the era, their witty lyrics and stomping disco soundtracking the Britpop movement and giving it a real bona fide star in the (mis) shape of Jarvis Cocker.

So far the band have confirmed they will be playing Barcelona’s Primavera Sounds, and following in the footsteps of Blur last year, London’s Wireless. We feel pretty confident that like Blur they will also be putting in an appearance at Glastonbury, revisiting the scene of their triumphant 1995 headline slot…

All the recent rumours have been that Beyonce is set to be one of Glastonbury 2011’s headliners. That has been thrown into doubt by the news that the US singer is pregnant with her first child. Being less than 14 weeks pregnant currently, means she would be highly unlikely to perform on the Pyramid Stage in june next year, which would be weeks after giving birth.

So it looks like it’s back to square one when it comes to guessing the two headliners to go along with U2 (who have pretty much self-confirmed) next year.

read the full story here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8076507/Beyonce-pregnant-with-first-child.html

There is more bad news for London’s live music scene after the owners of Oxford Street’s 100 Club claimed the legendary music venue could close by Christmas thanks to dramatic rent rises of 45%.

After the closure of the Astoria and the Hammersmith Palais in recent years, this is more bad news for the London live music scene. So if live music really is booming, as most commentators seem to believe, why are so many venues closing? It seems to be the smaller, more independent venues which are currently under threat, rather than the branded O2 or HMV venues, which is a real shame, as the variety of venues in London is what helps to make the live music scene so vibrant.

The 100 Club is one of my favourite Central London venues. It has such a superb intimate atmosphere, and despite putting on lots of jazz, is a far-cry from some of the capital’s stuffier jazz clubs. It also has an enviable history, particularly in the area of pun rock. In September 1976 the 100 Club put on the Punk Festival, the first time the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Damned had played in London.

Pledge your support for the future of this great live venue here:

http://www.savethe100club.co.uk/campaign.html

It’s not like us at Londonvenueguide to be negative about much to do with live music, but in light of Axl Rose’s infuriating antics in the last week, which has seen Guns n’ Roses fans put up with delays of over an hour and half an hour at Reading and Leeds respectively, and bottling the band off at the O2 in Dublin after again being made to wait for more than an hour, we present what can be the ten most annoying things about attending gigs.

 1. People watching the entire gig through their camera viewfinder. Why do some people pay £30 to attend a gig when they could watch blurry footage in the comfort of their own home on YouTube? And what do people think they are going to do with the footage? It’s hardly going to rival Scorsese’s Shine a Light, it can only be an example of proving you are having a life through Facebook. Obvuuosly more importance is being placed on the proving than the actual having of a life.

2. Going to a gig and talking through the entire performance, especially if it’s along the lines of “I’ve not heard much of their stuff but they’re meant to be cool and a bit weird aren’t they?”

3. People who sing “their song” into their girlfriend’s ear. Out of tune.

4. Heckles to a female band member of “Get your tits out”. This was experienced a couple of years ago by Kate Nash at a gig at the Barfly, when one punter charmingly requested the singer to “Get your muff out”, prompting beau Ryan Jarman from The Cribs to hurl a pint glass at the offender. Even worse, When Florence Welch from Florence and the Machines attempted to crowd-surf at a gig in Leeds, itself an annoying gig habit, she broke down in tears when a member of the audience groped her. 

5. People who shout for an obscure early song/unreleased demo, which they know the band will never play and won’t ever play, but do it just to show how much of a OMGSUPERFAN they are.

6. One of the most annoying breed of gig goer has to be The Over-Protective Boyfriend. You’ve probably seen him, stood behind his girlfriend with his arms around her, often in the middle of a crowd of people who have the temerity to be dancing and bashing into him. When someone crashes into his delicate ladyflower he’ll say something along the lines of “watch it, that’s my girlfriend”. Yes mate, and she’s chosen to go down the front at a gig. She’s not going to snap in half if someone bashes into her and, if she is, you can both eff off up the back.

7. People who aren’t wearing deodorant or haven’t showered that day (particularly since the smoking ban).

8. People being overprotective of space - those who are SO protective of their space they just will not let you get through at all, refusing to budge even if you are returning to the spot you left earlier with an armful of drinks.

9. People at festivals who take their camping chairs down to the main stage and arrange them in a long line with no gaps, giving dirty looks to anyone who tries to get through, and forcing them to walk all the way sideways to the end of the line before heading forward again. When the ground is dry.

10. Which brings us on finally to bands arriving late. What people like Axl Rose probably don’t understand is that modern-day gig-goers have timing down to a fine art. Enjoy a few drinks in a nearby pub, but not too many that means you will be spending the entire gig running to and from the toilet, arrive, grab a decent spot in front of the stage, and, crucial point this, check your watch and decide there is time for one last visit to the toilet en route to the bar. Which all means you are in a good spot, with drink and empty of bladder, the perfect state to enjoy a fine performance. Unless the act is late, very late in the case of Guns n Roses. Which leads to inevitable internal debates, should I get one more drink? Do I have time to dash to the loo? This in particular may explain the bottles of “unknown substances” - according to a joint statement from the venue and promoters (urine, we suspect) which were hurled at Guns n’ Roses early on in their set by angry gig-goers, forcing them to walk off after four songs.

Bombay Bicycle Club Union Chapel

Last night Bombay Bicycle Club brought their acoustic tour to the Union Chapel in north London. The venue was a perfectly fitting setting for the delicate sounds of their new acoustic album Flaws. This has to be London’s most characterful venue, where bands play from the crypt, the music echoes up to the high ornate wooden roof and you can purchase a cup of tea or coffee for 50p in a selection of unmatching china mugs as you settle down on your pew for the evening. In a nice touch, tonight the crowd were also handed a hymn sheet containing some of the lyrics to Bombay Bicycle Club’s newer songs. 

We managed to catch the second support act, Melodica, Melody and Me, who were superb. The Brixton 6-piece are a folk act who are full of charm, with beautiful lyrics and fine vocals from the male and female singers Huw and Anna. Their debut single Piece me Back Together is out now.

Bombay Bicycle Club themselves appeared to an appreciative crowd and began with Flaws opener Rinse me Down. From hereon in they barely put a foot wrong, and singer Jack Steadman’s tremolo voice sounded superb, as the band swapped banjos for guitars and an ever-rotating parade of musicians joined and left the stage to either provide accompaniment on the celtic harp, drums or, in the case of Lucy Rose, backing vocals.

Highlights included the delightful single Ivy and Gold, the catchy Many Ways, Evening/Morning from I Had the Blues, and a short but very sweet solo set from Steadman, which further emphasised his delicate voice but was also something of a revelation in terms of his guitar playing not to mention his sheer guts.

There is no doubting that Flaws proves there is a lot more to Bombay Bicycle Club than just another indie band. Not being a huge folk fan myself however, I did wonder how much of this I could have coped with had it not been for the fact I was sitting amongst a friendly and hushed audience in a beautiful church. Part of me does hope this is a temporary experiment from BBC, given what a good indie band they are, and this is somewhat borne out by the tremendous reaction Always Like This got from the crowd, as BBC played a stripped down version with backing vocals from a 7-piece choir. It is a truly great song, and given their barnstorming Glastonbury set a few weeks earlier, I do hope they return to that in the future.

However for the time being, they are making some sweet folk music which is perfect for those quieter moments in life. What’s more they seem to be really enjoying it. 8/10

U2 likely to pull out of Glastonbury

U2 have confirmed they are pulling out of Glastonbury after Bono’s doctor advised he should not perform live for 8 weeks, meaning the entire US leg of U2’s tour plus their Glastonbury performance would have to be cancelled. The singer recently hurt his back and has been advised to rest.

Rumours had been circulating that Dizzee Rascal, who is due to play before U2 on the Friday night at Glastonbury, was being lined up to replace U2 as headliner if Bono didn’t recover in time. That would surely disappoint festival-goers though, on what many this year have already been labelling a weak Pyramid line-up - this despite the promises from the organisers of something special for the festival’s 40th anniversary year. The pressure is now on the Eavis’ to  find a big-name replacement. A call to Chris Martin is likely in the next few hours.