indie live reviews
Live: Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart 13/05/2018
The carpets at the iconic Brisbane Hotel in, confusingly, Hobart, Australia are so sticky that if you stand still on the one spot for too long, you might get never get out alive. Luckily, when a band like Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds play, there is no risk of that. Opening with their …
Live Review: Nothing But Thieves / Sundara Karma / Black Foxxes at the Leadmill, Sheffield, 11.4.16
Nothing But Thieves could almost be forgiven for taking things slightly easier on themselves tonight as they take to the stage at the Leadmill. They’ve had to recently reschedule several dates due to lead singer Conor’s illness but even more excitingly, the offer of a guest slot supporting arena and festival headline hoggers Muse on …
Live Review: Lisbon / Feral Mantra / The Wired at The Rocking Chair, Sheffield, 18/02/16
Lisbon are the kind of band it’s very easy to get excited about. They’re enthusiastic about their music, whether it’s finessing new material in the studio, getting the tech just right ahead of a gig, or playing one of their fun-drenched, sweat-soaked gigs to a highly appreciative audience. They’re also incredibly savvy when it comes …
Live: Maxïmo Park – Rock City, Nottingham – 15-12-15
I first saw Maxïmo Park as a gawky twelve-year-old at Sheffield Octagon with me dad and a mate, on their UK tour for their debut record, A Certain Trigger. The high energy set saw a smartly-dressed Paul Smith with characteristic hat pogo-ing around on stage to the delight of the crowd. Ten years on and nothing …
Live: Ash at The Ritz Manchester 9.12.15, plus gallery
It remains one of rock’s enduring mysteries why Northern Ireland’s finest Ash are only playing decent sized venues like this instead of stadiums and this fun packed greatest hits sets only added to the conundrum. Most bands would settle for a couple of indie pop classic like Girl From Mars or Goldfinger, but this set …
Live Reivew: Courtney Barnett – Kentish Town Forum, London 26.11.2015, plus Gallery
With her award-winning album ‘Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit’ appearing in most album of the year lists (including ours), Courtney Barnett’s appearance before a sold out Forum was obviously highly anticipated. For someone with so much momentum behind her, Barnett is refreshingly unassuming. When I first listened to the album …
Live Review: Ex Hex Live Review – The Scala, 02.11.2015, plus Gallery
Ex Hex tore through a set of rock ‘n’ roll that lifted the gloom of a Monday night in foggy London. As we’re standing outside the Scala on a murky night in Kings Cross Ex Hex drummer Laura Harris comes running towards us, carrying what looks like her cymbals, and is frantically ushered into the …
Live: The Cribs and Pulled Apart By Horses, Sheffield O2 Academy 24.10.15
On a brisk evening in Sheffield two of Yorkshire’s finest under the radar bands met at the O2 Academy. Traditional chants of “Yorkshire, Yorkshire” greet Leeds’ Pulled Apart By Horses to the stage. Material coming predominantly from latest album Blood, the riff-heavy belters rip through the crowd, which tonight consists mainly of undergraduates and lad …
Live Review: Sleaford Mods – Brussels Ancienne Belgique 20.10.2015
Much has been written about Sleaford Mods; the non-musicality jibes, the faux-chav accusations, the lazy comparisons. Serendipity allowed me to sit in on the “An audience with…” in the AB’s adjoining bar a few hours before the show, and the strokes of misperception are bolder if anything from a non-UK perspective. The host began by …
Live Review: Pinkshinyultrablast. Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 01.10.2015
Pinkshinyultrablast take the stage in a rather subtle, polite manner, take up their positions, twiddle a few knobs, tweak a few dials and ever so gently begin their set. Lyobuv’s ethereal vocals are instantly captivating as they float through the air. As we progress the intensity builds and within minutes you are acutely aware of …