Live review
Live review: Paddy Steer, The Cornish Bank, Falmouth, November 12th, 2021: outsider electro genius charts a path to the future we were promised
THE ERSTWHILE packet port, maritime centre and now university hub of Falmouth-Penryn, down on the south Cornish Coast, has been consistently punching above its weight this past decade and a half in terms of really good venues with really eclectic music policies. The venues may have come and gone, but Falmouth was generally a little …
Live review: Mildred Maude, Falmouth, October 23rd 2021
CUSPING exploratory instrumental trio Mildred Maude, newly signed to that reliable imprimatur Sonic Cathedral and with their second album, the incendiary, (mostly) longform stylings of Sleepover (our thoughts on that here) newly in the racks, decided to come home for their album launch do; and not just to Cornwall, but to the venue where they …
Live Review: Alex Maas, Bastrop, Texas
Levitation have been savours during this pandemic. Offering escape and salvation through the means of live sets beamed into our homes, they’ve been a wonderful form of entertainment in a world where four walls have become the norm. From the sandstorm desert driller of a set from Oh Sees to the cosmic UFO space sounds …
Livestream review: Frank Turner & Emily Barker ‘s Overdrive – An Evening Of Duets
It’s Thursday evening, April the 8th. Every day has suddenly felt like a month in itself, as we near the end of a year-long disconnection from the world. I feel the need to say this because : we need live music back. We need to share that magic created instantaneously when performers grace the stage, …
Live review: The Snuts, Stirling Castle: a five-star, live-streamed show
THE SNUTS’ performance at Stirling Castle on March 26th was more than just a live stream, it was a work of art demonstrating everything the band stand for – marvellous guitar riffs, timeless vocals and Scotland. As the timer counted down and The Snuts teased their entrance on the live chat, I felt a familiar …
Live Review: Black Country, New Road at the Southbank Centre
BC, NR’s performance at London’s Southbank Centre was as much of a dense and vivid visual spectacle as it was an aural one: the album’s entirety given new life in a gorgeous live setting, whilst newer tracks were also displayed beautifully.
LIVE REVIEW: Richard Dawson, The Barbican, London
YOU HAVE to take your hat off to everyone at the Barbican – and, as we were told by Erland Cooper in the very first of these sessions – a mystery benefactor, who made a substantial donation, allowing this autumn series of Live at the Barbican shows to take place – there’s a whole variety …
LIVE REVIEW: The Divine Comedy, Barbican, London
TWO GIGS in one calendar week in 2020; this is unprecedented. Both live streams, maybe, but that’s just fine by me in a world which looks to have decided its wearing the garb of a bad Hammer or Amicus dystopia for the whole livelong year, and not just for Hallowe’en. Trick rather than treat, indeed. …
LIVE REVIEW: Erland Cooper, The Barbican, London: bringing the soul of Orkney to the heart of the capital
TO THE Barbican, that beautiful, brutalist residential and cultural hub in London EC2: for a gig. A gig! Livestream or not, it’s a red letter day in 2020. Ah … gigs. Aren’t they wonderful, beauteous things. Okay, it’s a livestream event, but look at it out there; am I in a position to choose? Are …
LIVE: OSees whirl up a sandstorm in the Californian desert for The Levitation Sessions
A FRIDGE full of beers; pizza and chips in the oven, and a spread of crisps laid out: this is the ‘new normal’ for the live show experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. The surreal element of watching a band from halfway across the world from the comfort of the living room will likely never actually …