Hot Chip | Brixton Academy | 19 October 2012

You can tell a gig will be above the run of the mill when the clamour of touts two hours before the start rivals the buzz of the crowd inside. On a Friday night out, Hot Chip did not disappoint.

This homecoming show was a high-octane set with plenty of material from their new album, 'In Our Heads'. It was a pleasure to see this was greeted enthusiastically by the audience.

There's something slightly 80s or early 90s about Hot Chip's sound. When the set opened to strobe lights and a synth rhythm it felt like we had turned up to the world's biggest, funnest and most credible 80s night. We were even treated to a mid-set cover of Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere for our troubles.

Even the back of Brixton Academy, beneath the balcony, which tends to suffer from muffled sound and lack atmosphere, were bopping and beaming at one another. And it's definitely a good sign when even the people right at the back are dancing like it's 1989.

Gaslight Anthem, 15 Oct 2012, Brixton Academy, London

A really good gig. Crowd were completely into it from the start. The material from Handwritten went down really well, especially '45'.

The set was still very 59-Sound-heavy, but the pre-encore section really whistled along, except for a very slight lull before the Backseat closer.

Things really took off in the encore with a blinding version of American Slang and a really strong Queen of Lower Chelsea.

Seeing them again at Brixton, it was much more enjoyable being nearer the front and enjoying the audience clap-alongs than trying to appreciate them from the back as I did at their last Brixton gig.

I'm now really looking forward to seeing them again sometime soon.

Radiohead, 8 Oct 2012, O2, London

A superbly structured set of material drawn heavily from their post-Kid A albums, as well as recent singles such as Daily Mail, which was an early stand-out. The sound was the best I've heard at an arena show and the light and video show was mesmerising. They really added to the experience, especially as the Radiohead audience seem to be near-universally tall and so the band were only visible in brief glimpses. The whole band were on great form and the tunes were kept short and taut. Opening Everything in its Right Place with a snippet of REM's One I Love was a nice touch to round off the set. A really enjoyable evening.