Teenage Fanclub, 22 November 2016, Electric Ballroom Camden

Awesome evening of classic harmony-packed power pop. The material off the new album went down well with the warm and friendly crowd, especially The Darkest Part of the Night.

But the audience saved their fondest enthusiasm for songs from the band's early 90s heyday, with Sparky's Dream, Don't Look Back, and Verisimilitude proving particular favourites.

Wilco, Brixton Academy, 19 November 2016

Wilco's first London show in aeons (and, according to Jeff Tweedy, their best, "although that isn't saying much" - his words , very much not ours).
Framed by a phenomenal leafy, woodland scene, Wilco introduced us to some new songs and reprised the hits for a packed set and two encores.

Strong, and very well received opening with a stripped back Normal American Kids. The set was packed with fan favourites, or at least these fans' favourites, including a lovely version of Reservations, and standout versions of other Yankee Hotel Fixtrot tracks, especially Heavy Metal Drummer and I'm the Man Who Loves you. 

Some great new arrangements. In Kidsmoke, Jeff had the crowd 'ba, ba, ba'-ing the guitar riff as if it was a Southern soul floor-filler. 
The crowd was buzzing at the end of the rapturously-received set.

Julia Holter, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK, 15 November 2016

A wonderful, and really intimate set from Julia and her three-piece support band, with an added bagpipes on one tune, and not a guitar in sight

. 

The set combined off-kilter pop tunes from Julia's latest album with less mainstream material from her earlier albums. At times the songs stretched out in enthralling columns of sound. At others the sounds bouncing between the musicians brought out beaming smiles in the audience.

Teleman, Kentish Town Forum, 1 November 2016

We've been excited about Teleman for a while now. Tonight's show didn't disappoint. Despite a slightly reticent stage manner, the band got the crowd jumping and very excited for Fall in Time, Tangerine, and the band's "Ode to Germany", Dusseldorf.


A sparse stage set, and fun interactions between the band members made for a very watchable set. After the briefest of suggestions that they wouldn't do an encore, they launched into Cristina and then Glory Hallelujah.

Ezra Furman and The Boyfriends, Roundhouse, 31 October 2016

Ezra and his band embraced the fact that their biggest show to date co-incided with Halloween. A lone keyboardist strode onto the stage in a dracula cape and struck up some Hammer horror chords. A pink coffin was ceremoniously carried to the front of the stage.


Then out came Ezra in a tight black dress and with grey streaks in his hair, giving a Bride of Frankenstein effect.


Later in the night he said he had a difficult relationship with Halloween as it was the one night when he couldn't be freaky and different, and himself, as that was what everyone was doing. The band were really tight and created enormous space in the arrangements, which managed to completely fill the room. When they tore apart and rebuilt songs, as they did with Maybe God is a Train, the result was really intriguing. When they stuck closer to the arrangements on the recorded versions, they really took off and brought the audience along with them.


The size of the venue and the crowd was obviously quite affecting for Ezra, and was certainly a contrast to the sweaty bar show we saw 30 months ago. It was a really great show that revitalised our love of rock and roll and made us want to form a band and play until the small hours.

Courtney Barnett, The Haunt, Brighton, 6 December 2014

A mix of Jenny Lewis, The Breeders, The Stone Poneys on a rocking bluesy bed.

Courtney and the rest of her powerful band looked like they were having a blast on stage. The rang into and over each other in top-notch style. A really enjoyable set.

Plank, Audio, Brighton, 6 December 2014

Truly a "greatest riffs" set from a band we'd heard exciting things about. 

Combining some driving guitar rhythms with powerful drumming, an opening bass solo on "Luna" and unexpected use of keyboards, this may sound like a classic rock set. In fact this is like nothing we've seen before. Why? No singer. And absolutely no need.

Monsters Build Mean Robots, Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton, 6th Dec 2014

A band worth catching live to really "get" what they sound like.

An engaging set with interesting melodies and rhythms and friendly crowd interaction.

Fujiya & Miyagi, Haunt, Brighton, 6 December 2014

Dancing on a Saturday afternoon is an oddly pleasurable experience. Fujiya & Miyagi treated a mellow and enthusiastic audience to some up-tempo funk infused beats. With hints of early Depeche Mode, disco beats and synthy art pop their set was accomplished and, most importantly, good fun. The full crowd jigged along to their Collarbone track ("the knee bone's connected to...") and went out into the late afternoon Brighton sunshine in buoyant spirits.

Broadbay, Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton, Sat 6th Dec 2014

Only caught the last two songs but liked what we saw. A rocking trio with a heaviness quotient similar to Biffy Clyro or the Foo Fighters. Songs brought to mind Dinosaur Jr. or Idlewild. 

Played tight, accomplished grungy rock that deserved a bigger crowd than the dozen or so in the bar. But that elite crowd loved it. 

Can't think of many better ways to spend 2pm on a chilly Saturday.

Blood Red Shoes, Fri 5 Dec, Bleach, Brighton

Punchy, scringy rock that a sweaty, enthusiastic young crowd lapped up. 

Sounded like the White Stripes would if they were fronted by Meg rather than Jack.

British Sea Power, All Saints Church, Hove, Fri 5 Dec 2014

A beguiling performance. Felt as if we were watching the band rehearse rather than that we were being performed to.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra added depth to the sound.

Closed on a real highlight with Carrion and an extended ending section.

It Hugs Back, All Saints Church, Hove, Fri 5 Dec 2014

Melodic guitar rock in the vein of Lemonheads, Ride, and Teenage Fanclub. 

Good sound complemented the harmonies and drumming, and a great Mascis guitar moment. Some excellent guitar and keyboard interplay on the closing song.

Drenge, British Music Embassy at Latitude 30, Austin, Saturday 15 March 2014, SXSW 2014

2014 was the year grunge came back to SXSW in its steel-capped Doc Martens. There is only so much sound checking a two-man guitar and drums band needs, so we enjoyed a very thorough sound check of every possible drum strike.

This rocket-fuelled, loud and scuzzy, final (for us) set of SXSW kept the energy going to the last. The band are clearly influenced by Nirvana in their style. Interestingly, the vocal style was much cleaner though.

The guitar sound was heavy and at one stage the vocals had a touch of Jack White which made for an interesting combination. The singer seemed to be using effects pedals to have bass doubling what he was playing on guitar. The duo made the sound of a more bigger band; which is a skill to appreciate.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice

Folly and the Hunter, Saturday 15 March 2015, Tap Room at the Market, Austin, SXSW

We had come across this Montreal band via a pre-SXSW playlist so only knew one of their songs. They used two sets of keyboards, balanced on a wooden chest and bar stools as well as guitar and drums. The drummer harmonised beautifully with the singer and created some clever rhythms throughout the set.

Their sound was gentle and most of the songs more subdued than the one we knew. They built soaring songs in the model of Coldplay or Arcade Fire. The final song included an pretty electro-acoustic guitar duet, with the whole band 'uh-oh’-ing. Although they were then told they did in fact have a bit more time to play, they wisely allowed this to be the musical memory they left with the audience.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice

Tim Easton, Saturday 15 March 2014, Tap Room at the Market, Austin, SXSW 2014

A treat of SXSW is to catch an artist you’ve never heard of because you’ve arrived early for the next act. Tim Easton was an unexpected pleasure to watch. He played acoustic guitar accompanied by an electric guitar and upright bass. His set reminded us of early rock’n’roll, with its country DNA still apparent.  He is an engaging performer who chatted wittily with the audience, describing his musical genre as “gentle outlaw dad”.

His set included a touching song for his young daughter about being away from home. He explained that his song writing process includes absorbing what he sees and hears around him. The songs create a narrative. The opening song of his new album, which he performed, was based on an argument he saw between a couple in the street. The sentiment it conjured was pretty raw.

Tim mentioned fellow Nashville musician Jonny Fritz who we’d also seen at SXSW. He later played a song he had written with Keith Richards in mind about how he would cheer him up by showing him a good time in Nashville, having read in an article that Keith didn’t want to tour any more.

His Tennessee trio produced a great driving rhythm. When he built a song introduction by creating feedback between his guitar and wedge we knew we were watching an accomplished and creative musician at work.

This was an opportunity to watch top notch seasoned and passionate musicians.  They created a great sound and made us want to form a band to experience the joy of musical creation that they were experiencing on stage. A really excellent set.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice

Cody ChestnuTT, Saturday 15 March 2014, the Bungalow, Austin, SXSW 2014

The crowd had been whipped up into a party atmosphere and were very excited for Cody’s set. He did not disappoint in the short time he had.

We were treated to a set full of funk and soul, which got the audience dancing. His vocals on one of the early songs had a Marvin Gaye-esque quality. The guy introducing the sets rightly thanked him for bringing us Harlem soul for SXSW.

For the final song, Cody brought Gary Clark Jr on stage and ended his set with a riotous guitar freak out.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice

Deep Cotton, The Bungalow, SXSW, Saturday 15 March 2014

This phenomenal band were introduced as the funkiest most ridiculous thing we would hear all weekend. That was an accurate predication and this set was a real SXSW highlight. We were too busy having fun to write really detailed notes.

 Deep Cotton opened with a slow dance-style bluesy backing. The two lead singers leapt on stage and wailed their lungs out soulfully for the first song. The band used echo and reverb to create a spacey rock’n’roll sound. The second, up-tempo, song got the crowd jumping. Amazingly catchy this bore traces of Specials ska and Britpop 'la la la’s. The versatile band followed with a funk number, with the wah wah pedal in full force and effect. An amazing, energetic, funky, rocky cover of the Rolling Stones's ‘Satisfaction' sent the crowd wild. Their own song, 'Runaway Radio', was infectiously enjoyable with a ska punk taste to it.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice

Liam Bailey, the Bungalow, Austin, Saturday 15 March 2014, SXSW 2014

Liam played a funky set of bluesy rock overlaid with soul style vocals. Some of the songs made us think of Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes and 60s British R’n’B. His second song opened with a guitar lick reminiscent of Sergeant Pepper. We really enjoyed the set, Liam is a compelling performer. Watching his material was like discovering classic rock and rhythm’n’blues material you’d somehow never come across. We would be keen to check out more of his material.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice

Wye Oak, Brooklyn Vegan at Red 7, SXSW, Saturday 15 March 2015

This synth-playing duo gave us sweet vocals and lush keyboard tones, and created a sonic landscape halfway between Chvrches and the XX. Their songs also featured some punchy basslines, bringing to mind the British New Romantics.

The singer's voice had hints of Kirsty MacColl or the Sundays' Harriet Wheeler. She engaged well with the crowd, commenting that playing live was a good crowd sourcing opportunity when the audience put their phones in the air to film a song they liked.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice