It is our informed opinion that 2014 is going to be an excellent year for live music in London and to corroborate the point we've selected ten gigs which we think will be worth making best endeavours to get tickets for over the next few months. This really isn't an exhaustive list, so if there's a glaring omission or you think we should check out a particular act's gig over the next few weeks, leave us a comment below.
Nerina Pallot, St Pancras Old Church, 24 January and 26 February
Nerina Pallot is bringing out a new EP next week. The Hold Tight is the first in a series of 12 (!) EPs coming out in 2014 and, to support this and next month's releases, Pallot is playing two special intimate shows at one of our favourite venues, St Pancras Old Church. The first of the two is Friday night. You can listen to two new tracks from The Hold Tight here and here and, if you like what you hear, click over to Nerina's website for some tickets to one of the shows. We went to see her play live at Islington Assembly Hall last year and concluded that it was a sensible decision.
Jenny Wilson, The Lexington, 17 February
Swedish pop at level 10 on the Pop Richter Scale is what this show is going to be, judging from Jenny Wilson's 2013 album Demand The Impossible. Wilson's first UK show in a long, long while comes after her successful battle with breast cancer and it coincides with the release of a new single, Pyramids (Rose Out Of Our Pain), which is pretty fantastic. Tickets are available here.
Planningtorock, Rough Trade In-store and Hoxton Sq Bar & Kitchen, 17-18 February
Bolton-born, Berlin-dwelling Jam Rostron releases the third Planningtorock album next month and it's a gender-bending disco romp of gargantuan proportions. There's a special in-store appearance at Rough Trade on the 17th, which you can get to just before Jenny Wilson's gig at the Lexington (see above). This is followed by a proper gig at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen the following night, although you'd have to beg, borrow or indeed steal a ticket for this one as we understand demand has been high. Current single, Human Drama, is crazy good and the next one is going to be the album's title track, All Love's Legal, which is also a corker. See details or buy tickets.
Simian Mobile Disco, XOYO, 21 February
Simian Mobile Disco have been around for almost 10 years now and the London electro-professors are hitting XOYO next month, offering a high octane way to kick off the weekend. Guarantee yourself entry by heading over to Songkick at the earliest opportunity.
Disclosure, Alexandra Palace, 8 March
If you've not heard that Disclosure have a collaboration out with Mary J Blige then where have you been? It's literally all that Twitter could go on about in the past 24 hours. The duo round off a tremendously successful year with a show at Ally Pally and tickets are like gold dust but we reckon this one's going to be worth trying hard, harder, hardest for. This is the new video for F For You and more details on the show can be found on the Alexandra Palace website.
John Grant, Roundhouse, 9 March
If there's any justice in the music world, John Grant's recent nomination for a BRIT award will crystalise into a win next month. His second solo album, Pale Green Ghosts, came out last March and was, deservedly, widely celebrated as a masterpiece. New single Glacier is beautiful and you should spare the video a few moments too. Tickets to what looks to be the final London show in support of Pale Green Ghosts are available here.
Metronomy, o2 Academy Brixton, 28 March
Joseph Mount has been busy and so there's a new Metronomy album in the offing. It's called Love Letters and it includes recent single I'm Aquarius. We're excited and so should you be. Tickets hither. Edit: except it's now sold out. See, these are all good gigs...
Wild Beasts, O2 Academy, Brixton, 1 April
The brilliant foursome return with a brand new album next month and if first single, Wanderlust, is anything to go by, then Present Tense will do very nicely, thanks aplenty. Tickets are miraculously still available so, while this one's nudging spring, you best get your skates on if you want in. Full tour dates and tickets are available on the band's website.
Cut Copy, The Forum, 16 April
Touring in support of latest record, Free Your Mind, the much-loved Australians are back in London and playing a show at The Forum this April. The music video for the album's title track stars Alexander Skarsgård playing a cult leader and is definitely worth a watch. You can get tickets for the show here.
Agnes Obel, Barbican, 19 April
Agnes Obel's second album, Aventine, came out towards the end of last year and proved that the great Dane was fully capable of producing a stunning follow-up to her excellent debut, Philharmonics. We caught her intimate gig at Union Chapel in October and it certainly whet our appetites for this forthcoming show. Check out this live performance of her recent single, Dorian, and head over to the Barbican's website for tickets.
Nerina Pallot photo courtesy of Poppy Cockburn
