Results tagged “music”

Next Saturday, a ceremony of sorts takes place in St Leonards, Shoreditch, with a live spoken word and music love-in, loosely themed around marriage in all its permutations. Artists, musicians, poets, animators, sculptors and illustrators are all pitching in - for better or worse - on the big day and the 5th 'Wave If You're Really There' happening. more ›

Pancreatic cancer did for everyone's favourite dirty dancer in September this year and the world's most famous tenor two years ago. It's actually the fifth most common cause of death from cancer but public awareness is relatively low. What does the pancreas do anyway? Quite. more ›

This Thursday brings a rare opportunity to hear Stateside trio The Postmarks in concert with Bell X1 as part of the European leg of their tour. Not heard of them yet? Well read on. more ›

Starting tonight, and running until 9 December, some incredible prints of Johnny Cash will be on display, and for sale, at the Snap Galleries in Mayfair.Taken by photographer Andy Earl, and the subject of his lavish new coffee table book more ›

For Canadians in London, seeing Dan Mangan play at the Brixton Windmill is supremely surreal. Vancouver's newest and favourite indie folk-rock hero has already won Verge XM Artist of the Year for 2009, is nominated for a further five major Canadian indie music awards (the Buckys), and sells out the biggest and brightest live music venues across the pond faster than you can say "I'm sorry." Which, of course, is Canadian for "hello." You can see Dan Mangan at: The Lexington tonight (tickets £4); "In The Courtyard" @ The Fly (2:30pm Nov 19); or at Monkey Chews (Nov 19) more ›

Last night legendary grunge metallers Alice in Chains returned to London for the first of two shows at the Kentish Town Forum in support of the recently released “Black Gives Way To Blue”. Their first studio album in 14 years also marks the debut of new boy William DuVall, taking on lead vocals following the tragic death of lead singer Layne Staley seven years ago. It’s extremely risky business replacing the front man of a seminal band, but sceptics were soon silenced when the new album emerged, bagging rave reviews across the board. more ›

Last time we saw Rihanna play live, it was perfectly alright. The songs were there, the staging was moderately fun, the only problem was that the popstar herself seemed a little 'dead behind the eyes'. Last night it was like seeing a different woman. Launching her fourth album, 'Rated R', the short sponsored gig at Brixton Academy was full of dark, dramatic music with even hits like 'Disturbia' transformed into new enraged versions. Heavy on the distorted guitars and drums, the show opened with Rihanna in a studded eye mask and leotard on an apocalyptic stage covered in broken mannequins and televisions. more ›

The O2 Arena was fully packed - just like Wembley back in 2007 - as Muse played their second night to a sell out crowd. The atmosphere was electrifying and the mass appeal of Muse was evident: teenagers and parents alike were all waiting on the edge of their seats for one of the most popular modern British bands to play. more ›

Stoke Newington girl gone global, Leona Lewis, launching her album at the Hackney Empire is one thing. Caribbean pop superstar Rihanna doing it is another matter, but that's exactly what's happening on Monday night, when the robot lady of pop hits the rainy streets of our fair capital in promotion of her new saucy album 'Rated R'. more ›

With a program that consistently attracts a host of wonderful performers and where living legends appear alongside rising stars, London Jazz Festival (LJF) opens at The Barbican this Friday with a spectacular celebration of 100 years of songwriting. Led by Trumpeter/arranger extraordinaire Guy Barker, a 40-piece jazz orchestra and a dazzling array of stellar vocalists draw on significant anniversaries of jazz songs, films, singers and songwriters. Musical selections from Johnny Mercer and Billie Holiday more ›

We went along to see Liam Finn (and friends) play Bush Hall last night. He plays one last show tonight, supported by The Boy Who Trapped The Sun. Tickets are £13.50 via ticketweb more ›

If the last two years let a new wave of female pop stars take over the charts, then 2010 shows no sign of letting that trend up. We've already spoken to one of the hopes for next year, Daisy Dares You, and now new London resident Ellie Goulding has taken on the Listen Up challenge. You might have caught her on Jools Holland a couple of weeks ago, but if not, allow yourself to be introduced to one of our favourite new talents for the year ahead. Ellie's debut single, 'Under The Sheets' is out today. more ›

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the sweat-drenched shirts that Morrissey hurls into the crowd at the culmination of each of his live performances, then you might be surprised. Rather than becoming a much-loved memento for one lucky fan, the baying mob literally tears the garment to shreds. Scuffles continue well after the lights go up as an initially large faction of tusslers divide into subgroups with each resulting rip, until those successful emerge with their souvenir scrap. For here is a truly adoring set of fans, hanging on the former Smiths front man’s every word, arms aloft in a kind of pseudo-worship as he dispatches a mix of songs, old and new. Of the former, beefed-up opener ‘This Charming Man’ was a reliable crowd-pleaser, and was promptly followed up with other well-received Morrissey/Marr classics, such as ‘Ask’, ‘Cemetery Gates’, and a truly mesmerising rendition of ‘How Soon is Now’. more ›

Jarvis Cocker and co are installing themselves in Village Underground this afternoon, translating their successful residency at Paris' Galerie Chappe earlier this year to Shoreditch. Between 12-6pm today, tomorrow and Wednesday, Jarvis will be encouraging the public to come along and jam with him (byo musical instrument) as well as inviting special guests along to the party. They will be providing live soundtracks for pole dancing, hula hooping, burlesque and yoga classes which sound mighty fun and watch out for live grafitti sessions and "strange instrument hour". Rough schedule here, free entry. The residency culminates in a concert on Wednesday night, tickets £30. more ›

Last night saw Oregon based mistress of drone folk Liz Harris aka Grouper hush a teeming Luminaire crowd in Kilburn. Presented by the London based music promoter Upset The Rhythm, Grouper was accompanied by Silk Flowers; an otherworldly darkwave synth-pop Brooklyn trio and self billed athletic rhythm / action unit Thank You hailing from Baltimore. more ›

A typically chilly Tuesday evening in Shepherds Bush, saw hoards of hand holding couples trudge across the common in support of twee pop Glaswegians Camera Obscura; a band adored by the late John Peel and who during this exquisite time of year seem at their most fitting. more ›

With most of the good bonfire night celebrations left till the weekend, why not head down to 93 Feet East to catch The Candle Thieves opening up for The Complete Short Stories and Bruised Beauties . more ›

If you want to hear a mixture of the freshest sounds in clubland, then Annie Mac's Friday night Radio 1 show is unmissable. In the last twelve months, she's been taking her tastemakers skills out into her audience with specially curated shows 'Annie Mac Presents'. The latest edition hits Koko next Saturday 14th November and we've got a pair of tickets to give away. Email londonist@gmail.com with your details and Annie in the subject line and we'll randomly pick a winner next Wednesday. more ›

If you're preparing to head home on the tube, be vigilant for the famous grizzled beard of Billy Gibbons, guitarist of the honourable rock band ZZ Top. He favours the tube over a fancy limo as demonstrated when he played Wembley last week, and took the Metropolitan line there, unaccompanied. Gibbons wanted a taste of the Londoner's everyday public transport... and his wish came true, as the Circle Line broke down the instant he got his ticket. more ›

Bush Hall continues to offer an outlet for antipodean musicians visiting London. We liked it last time, and are now looking forward to Liam Finn's performances next week, after he managed to squeeze two nights in London in between a US tour and heading South for the winter. more ›

OneTaste is an arts collective born last year from an ambient summer festival vibe. It counts Inua Ellams and The Portico Quartet amongst their number alongside a whole extended family of poets, musicians, MCs and beat boxers. You might have encountered them in the chai wallah tent at Glastonbury or seen them at Twestival recently but next Sunday, they're hosting their fourth full day festival. more ›

Wednesday night saw Cardiff’s seven headed ambassadors of twee, Los Campesinos! come bouncing back to London to headline a good old indie-pop love-in the Garage in Highbury, with all three bands on the bill helping out in each other’s sets. more ›

Camden streets were empty as London watched the Chelsea and/or Arsenal match on Wednesday night. Koko however, was sold out with London hipsters checking out NYC home county kids Passion Pit. more ›

Our idle speculation earlier in the week has proved true: Jack White, best known as one half of the White Stripes, has announced his band The Dead Weather are to play a free Halloween gig in London on Saturday night, a day after their HMV Forum show. The band will perform at the pop-up shop that White's record company, Third Man Records, are opening tomorrow in Shoreditch Church. The gig is free, and is scheduled to begin at 8pm, but getting there early is probably a good idea. Oh, and there may be prizes for the audience members drenched in the most fake blood; corn syrup and food colouring is apparently the way to go there. more ›

As you've probably noticed by now, Spandau Ballet are back and we reckon they're 'definitely the best reformed band of the year'. They're also one of the most Londony, as Gary Kemp's just-published biography reveals. more ›

The word 'seminal' is bandied about a lot in music, often thrown indiscriminately at any band who has aged enough to grow a paunch. But pre-The Shins et al, light-as-a-feather alternative pop-rock was the domain of Yo La Tengo. Because of this lightness their songs sound just as fresh now as they did twenty-five years ago, and their live covers are something not to be missed. Who could say no to a Spanish-guitar instrumental version of Blitzkrieg Bop? They are popularly known as 'the quintessential critics' band', but thankfully have none of the self-importance this usually entails. more ›

There are a few things we still remember from Youth Club - how much cider is too much cider, that luminous cycling shorts will never be flattering, and sitting in the car of a boy named after a cartoon character listening to tapes of The Charlatans. Yet whilst we continually revisit the first two with disastrous consequences (thanks to the marketing departments of Magners and American Apparel), it’s good to know that some things can turn out to be even better than you remembered. more ›

If you have been craving a little math-rock recently (and we know you have), then make sure to head down to the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen tomorrow, when arguable two of the UK’s best, This Town Needs Guns and Talons will be hitting the stage. We first encountered This Town Needs Guns just over a year ago, when they started touring their first full length album, Animals. The band who formed in 2004, clearly draw inspiration from the work of Tim Kinsella and bands such as American Football, with their very technical sound. They make use of asymmetrical time signatures and complex accenting between guitar and drums to creating unique melodies, which will have any fan of either math or indie rock tapping their foot along. more ›

She may have a name reminiscent of a Charles Dickens' character but, far from being old fashioned Romford girl, Imogen Heap is a talented multi-instrumentalist who belongs firmly in the 21st century. She was at the forefront of the online explosion a few years back and has maintained a high profile there ever since with American fans almost adopting her as their own. Her sound has been described as 'eclectronic', a brilliant kaleidoscopic symphony of voices, beats, sounds and emotions with beautiful lyrics and breathtaking melodies. Despite being twice nominated for a Grammy and having worked with some big names, she still remains one of our best kept secrets. more ›

Southbank and Shifty star, Riz MC is playing a gig at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen tonight, showcasing material from his upcoming new album. It's also a prelude to his 2 nights at the Lilian Baylis Theatre 27 & 28 November as part of the Sadlers Wells Svapnagata Festival where he'll be taking over with "part rave, part walk-thru theatre performance, and part art installation". Be there first, catch him tonight from 7.30pm, £5 adv/£7 on the door. more ›