Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield, Royal Festival Hall, 4 December 2012

 Through a wonderfully ramshackle set, Evan and Juliana traded songs one after the other, supporting each other in duets and harmonies.

Evan opened with All My Life ("All my life I thought I needed all the things I didn't need at all..'), then Juliana played Butterflies. Evan played Bit Part, then Juliana played Choose Drugs and, without threatening to go Ben Elton on us, you had a feeling they might be telling a story with their song selections.

Juliana then played Candy Wrappers before Evan sang Down About It. As they traded songs they seemed to slightly winging it. A woman called Mara joined Evan to play the musical saw on Hard Drive, and Juliana then played I Picked You Up.


And the bouncing of songs continued, going back and forth in a really effective way. Evan played Confetti, Juliana played Brain Damage, then sang played Into Your Arms, and then they played the Velvet Underground's Pale Blue Eyes, Evan played a wonderful Ride with Me and Juliana sang the Blake Babies' Waiting for Heaven.

Juliana spoke about how Evan was a great under-rated songwriter and that the next song, Hospitalm, was one of her real favourites of his, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

They then talked about it being a 'gruelling and pleasurable' five-date tour, before Evan played a really good It's About Time.Then Juliana played Breaking Down which was quite bluesy and Mara came back on to join Evan for a really excellent Big Gay Heart.

Juliana dedicated My Sister to the future spawn of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Evan played a Being Around, with a bit great scraping on his guitar strings after the 'would you scrub me' line, then Juliana played Hey Babe and Evan played Frying Pan. Juliana played Somebody is Waiting for Me, and Evan played It's a Shame About Ray and My Drug Buddy to end the main set.

They opened the encore with a cover of Madder Rose's Baby Gets High, and Evan closed the encore with Mike Nesmith's Different Drum.

It was a fun, if slightly under-rehearsed show that really reminded us of the quality of Evan's songwriting and made us want to investigate Juliana's back catalogue further. The song-trading was a really effective way of adding dynamics and colour without detracting from the stripped-down and intimate arrangements. And they played from a bit after 8pm to 9.40ish so we were able to get home for an early night - a present bands rarely give you!

Tinariwen, Union Chapel, London, 29 November 2012

The band opened with a haunting, droning acapella song before the full band in acoustic form kicked in. They somewhat overestimated our rhythmic talents and repeatedly encouraged the audience to clap along to the polyrhythms. Most of us initially resisted, rather than ruin their beautiful music, but then became caught up in the music and clapped out a simple steady rhythm.

The show wasn't very acoustic, with only one acoustic guitar on evidence. I don't think anyone will have asked for their money back, though. I found myself completely lost in the hypnotic rhythms and melodies, and they seem so fleeting and immediate because I can't 'hum' any of the tunes in my head.

There was a really stunning near-solo song towards the end of the set, with a whole blues band conjured up from, at least to start with, one guitar, played by the bassist left-handed but with standard, right-handed stringing, giving it a really exotic, but bluesy sound. They then played a run of storming foot-tappers to end the main set.

The encore opened with two songs played really effectively with just an acoustic guitar and a drum before the whole band came on for a really rousing finale. A really fun gig. Ca va bien!

Sam Lee, Union Chapel, 29 November 2012

Sam told great stories about the songs he played, their history and who had taught him each one. The inventive arrangements and accompaniment, using instruments from all over the world, made a great contrasting backdrop for Sam's traditionally stylised folk singing style.

There was also a lovely moment after Sam's 'last' song when two of the guys from Tinariwen joined Sam and traded verses on a live 'mash up' they'd tried out for the first time an hour and a half before the show. I wouldn't be surprised if they do something together again in the future.

Songlines Awards Concert - 23 November 2012 - Barbican London

Songlines Magazine put on a concert of winners of its awards at the Barbican, London. This was the first time they had done this. It was a great opportunity to see and hear something new as well as Tinariwen, an existing favourite. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 9 December on 'World on 3'

Fatoumata Diawara

Winner - Best Newcomer

Fatoumata opened with an acoustic number. She has an amazing voice. Her band joined her for the rest of the set. They were great fun, getting the crowd singing, clapping and waving. Another singer joined Fatoumata for harmonies and also played an impressive, exotic looking array of percussion instruments. A particular favourite was a song called "war" about peace.

Anoushka Shankar

Winner - Best Act

Anoushka's band were introduced as vey multi-cultural. The set fused and played with flamenco and classical Indian music. The band included a flamenco singer and guitarist and they opened with a song sung in Spanish but translated from an Indian poem. A number of the songs played with structures and tones that were common to both cultures. The Flamenco musicians left the stage and the set ended with a more traditional Indian song which allowed for solos from each musician.

Tinariwen

Winner - Best Band

Tinarewen were on fine form with their desert blues rock. The band blend traditional sounding singing ad melody with rock instruments. The lead switched between 3 frontmen who seamlessly picked up their guitar and main vocals from one another. The crowd were clearly fans and went wild when the band were presented with their award.

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.

Born to Run Over and Jobsworths

Bruce may never have done an MTV Unplugged performance - after his scheduled unplugged performance ended by as his 1993 In Concert/MTV Plugged show. But the British media have been worked up by the plug being pulled on Bruce and Paul McCartney's Saturday night show at Hard Rock Calling.

For one thing, the plug-pulling ending seems incredibly unnecessary, and to show a stunning failure of imagination or basic common sense. Could the organisers not have cut off all the amplification except Bruce and Paul's microphone, so that they could explain to the crowd what was happening and sing a final few lines? Could Bruce and Paul not have been told what was happening, as they clearly were completely unaware for a while that the sound had been cut off? And how did the communication channels breakdown so far that Bruce couldn't decide how (if not when) to finish his set? It all seems incredibly odd, and really poor on the part of the promoters not to announce what was happening or let Bruce talk to his audience.

Having said that, the show's certainly received far more coverage than would other have been the case. Many newspapers reviewed the Sunderland date, as something of a trailer for the Hyde Park show, so would have been unlikely to do much more than they had for Bruce's Isle of Wight performance, which merited only a paragraph or so in most reviews of the festival as a whole.

But yesterday the papers screamed about how 'kill-joy organisers pulled the plug on the dream finale' and 'jobsworths unplug Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney'. For a 62-year-old and a 70-year-old to be given full-page coverage for their refusal to stop rocking could well be worth a lot more, in credibility if not financial terms, than having had the audience hear the last few bars of Twist and Shout. It would have been great to have heard the audience's tribute to Clarence Clemons in Tenth Avenue Freeze Out one more time, but it's certainly not harmed Bruce's image as a real rock star.

A special mention in the debate about why the organisers pulled the plug should go to the Health and Safety Executive's official response, including: 'It's ironic that this excuse has been used in relation to Bruce Springsteen, who certainly knows what real health and safety is all about - look at the words of 'Factory' from Darkness on the Edge of Town referring to the toll that factory work can take on the health of blue collar workers.' The full response is here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/record/2012/springsteen160712.htm

Bruce Springsteen, Hyde Park Calling, London, 14 July 2012

Another great set. Bruce opened with a stunning piano-only Thunder Road, which he introduced as the first song he'd played when he first set foot on English soil. Despite the restrained dynamics of the arrangement, the audience was held in rapt attention all through, both singing whole-heartedly and listening intently. We then had the 'standard' run through Badlands, We Take Care of Our Own and Wrecking Ball. And Tom Morello, who'd played earlier in the day, joined Bruce for Death to My Hometown.

Bruce seemed to be particularly thoughtful during the interlude in My City of Ruins, which seemed longer, but more engaging, than in Manchester. Spirit in the Night, which followed, was fun, with a great extended section with Bruce mucking around with Jake, and recalling Clarence.

John Fogerty, who Bruce had joined earlier for Rockin All Over the World, returned the favour, joining Bruce for The Promised Land. John's microphone could have done with being turned up, as we was significantly quieter than Bruce, which was a slight disappointment as otherwise it was a great performance, and the duet vocals were a nice take on the song.

There was then a lovely moment when Bruce called out for a sign to be brought forward, then went down to the front of the audience to collect it. The guy with the sign – for Take 'Em As They Come – had been at shows in Barcelona, Seville, Prague and Paris before the London show and had requested the song at all the shows, which were all listed at the sign. Bruce had great fun, and had a great reaction from the crowd, explaining how the guy had come to Barcelona 'didn't get it there', Seville, 'no song', Prague 'wasn't played then...', Paris 'Still no song... that's a shitload of Euros...'.Bruce said the song was a real obscurity and that hardly anyone would know it (which was a bit odd, given that it's on Tracks), but the band did a really great performance of it, which they'd obviously worked up or been preparing, whether for the sign or not.

Jack of All Trades went down with the crowd, and is clearly a favourite among the new material that many people will be hoping remains a staple in later tours. Bruce then played a great, near-solo Empty Sky. Together with the particularly touching interlude in My City of Ruins, it may have seemed as if Bruce was in quite a sombre mood, but that impression was shattered by a rocking run through Because of the Night (with Nils really shining in his one starring role of the evening, and being rewarded with loud applause at the end of his solo for his efforts), Johnny 99 (given a Seager-Sessions-esque treatment), Darlington County, Working on the Highway, Shackled and Drawn (which remains really great in its live arrangement), Waitin' on a Sunny Day and a crowd-pleasing call-and-response run-through of Raise Your Hand, though few in the audience seemed to know the song, though they were in great voice to accompany Bruce through The River.


Before The Ghost of Tom Joad, Bruce pointed out it would have been Woody Guthrie's 100th birthday, had he lived. Tom Morello again joined Bruce and played a fiery solo, though it didn't quite reach the heights of Nils's Because the Night solo, or Tom's efforts on the Magic tour our in Austin earlier on the Wrecking Ball tour. Tom stayed on stage for both The Rising and Land of Hope and Dreams (the horns on which were really great).

The audience was near-silent during Bruce's long introduction to We Are Alive and his description of messing around in the graveyard with his sister as his mother placed flowers on her mother's graves sent a shiver down the spine. The version of We Are Alive that followed really shone.

Born in the USA, which Bruce has not played for some time in its electric arrangement in London was well received. Bruce left some of the choruses to be boomed heartily by the audience. Alongside his altered vocal lines cutting across the audience's singing in the choruses, it was an effective way of breathing new life into the song. Despite the warm reception given to Born in the USA, the audience went even more wild for Born to Run, and Bruce and the band kept to tempo and energy high through Glory Days and Dancing in the Dark.

 Bruce then pulled out his trump card: Paul McCartney, leaving audience members staring with open mouths and the beaming huge smiles before they launched into a great I saw Her Standing There and a blast through Twist and Shout, including great horn breakdowns and a little detour into La Bamba. The organisers' decision to pull the plug then was very strange: disappointing and completely unnecessary as telling Bruce and Paul what was happening and allowing them to say goodnight would have been an infinitely better way to end the show.

The organisers' short-sightedness and complete failure of imagination or basic common sense certainly did not overshadow a really stunning show and we can hardly complain about being short-changed. The show did, after all include Paul McCartney, Take 'Em As They Come, John Fogerty joining Bruce for The Promised Land and, of course, that great solo piano take on Thunder Road to open, taking us right back to 1975...

The View, Koko, London, 26 June 2012

A really good, lively show. There were some really fun takes on the older songs, including an especially loose Face for the Radio.

The View often sound like they are hammering in through irreverent covers of lost classics, such is the joyful, wild abandon with which they blast through the songs. The new songs more than held their own, and made us exciting about a new album we didn't even know was coming out. Look forward to hearing them again when we're a bit more familiar with them...