Remember when going to a gig left you feeling dirty afterwards? The sweat dripping off of you, your glasses knocked from your face, beer thrown around, and stinking like a cigarette factory? Well, tonight featured a return to those times (minus the cigarette smell) when Londonist went to see Idlewild at ULU in London. Choosing to save us the (occasional) torture of a support band, they decided to support themselves, playing two sets, first of......

Their debut album may not have sold billions, but Carl Barat is plowing on with his post Libertines band, Dirty Pretty Things, as they return tonight fresh from the glow of the Glastonbury Festival. Celebrating the release of their 2nd album 'Romance At Short Notice', the boys will be putting on a free instore gig tonight at HMV Oxford Street at 6pm. Head along early to collect a wristband if you want to get......

We may have jealously watched Glastonbury on TV, but that was forgotten tonight when we witnessed the last ever UK performance by The Police. Headlining Sunday's Hard Rock Calling, Sting, Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland took to the stage and rocked out on a high. Sticking to the setlist which they've played since reuniting last year, they delighted us in the blissful Sunday sun, opening with 'Message In A Bottle' & turning the 35,000......

Massive "event" gigs currently seem to be in favour at the moment, with Live8, Live Earth, and last saw one of the biggest to date, and most worthy: 46664, to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday and also to raise awareness of his AIDS charity's work. You've probably heard about it in the press - the whole Amy Winehouse will she turn up / won't she turn up situation, the issue over whether Nelson Mandela was......

Stiff Little Fingers' Inflammable Material provided a soundtrack for our teenage years, every single one of its three chords forever fused with our memories of youth. As we grew a bit older, it remained a favourite and was soon joined by Mark Stewart and the Maffia's As The Veneer Of Democracy Starts To Fade and the many productions of Adrian Sherwood. Trawlling through used record shops, anything with Sherwood's name on it went home......

"What is house? Technotronic, KLF or something you live in To me house is Phuture, Pierre, Fingers, Adonis The Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and The Yellow Magic Orchestra" - LFO, "What Is House?" (Warp Records, 1991) Given their famous name check in LFO's classic track "What Is House?" from Warp Records' early days, it seemed appropriate to have a Warp artist open for Yellow Magic Orchestra's......

A brief word of advice, should you ever wish to foray into the questionable profession of music journalism: it's probably not the best idea to begin your busiest week of gig attendance with a rave. That said, the best ideas are generally the most boring, so of course we stayed out last Saturday dancing until dawn at Warp Records' Brainfeeder party at the Hearn Street Car Park. A wise man once said, "Prudence never......

Never underestimate the power of bass. This is a lesson that the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall learned as pieces of aluminium cracked and began to break free from the ceiling on Tuesday night as The Dubstep Chronicles rumbled its way through Meltdown 2008. No one was ever in any danger of being injured, but the low end frequencies compromised the building's structural integrity enough to force organisers to err on the side of......

When you go out to see a band that has existed for just over forty years, there's a high chance of it sounding past its prime. It is a testament to the boundless creativity of Daevid Allen and friends, as well as to the power of heavy, undiluted psychedelia, that Gong's set at Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday beat the odds. Presented as part of Massive Attack's Meltdown 2008, psychedelic legends Gong......

Always reliable purveyors of fine musical offerings, Sheffield's Warp Records recently signed their first Australian artist, Pivot. Specialising in off-kilter, driving rhythms peppered with just the right amount of electronics, these lads start their UK tour tonight in Camden at Proud Galleries. Having served in the support slot for the Australian tours of Four Tet and Battles, sonic comparisons to the latter cannot be avoided, but ring true in the best possible way: this......

If you love indie guitar music, but are bored to horrible tears with the current bunch of Strokes and Arctic Monkeys clones, then listen up. Or, more to the point, click here and get tickets for this gig before they sell out. The tiny Cross Kings venue is hosting the fourth Club Rockfeedback night on Friday 13th June, and the line-up is once again superb. First on the bill are Domino’s new signing Wild......

We're a big fan of gigs at Union Chapel in Islington and this Wednesday it's set to be blessed by various part of current British indie royalty with the debut solo show from Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows. We like Andy because he has to deal with Johnny Borrell on a regular basis, and we hear that's not a very easy feat. We also massively enjoy the fact that he wrote the band's biggest hit......

When bands get hyped beyond normality they can become pretty annoying, particularly if like New Young Pony Club you don't really have anything to back it up. The Ting Tings are the latest example of mega hypedom. From Salford, they formed previously hyped but failed band Dear Eskiimo before deciding to start afresh and sign with Columbia Records. Catch us on a Friday night and there's no doubt we'll be jumping about to 'Great......

On Thursday night, Four tet headlined The Eat Your Own Ears series at the Indigo2 in Greenwich, an incredible space with a really terrific sound and lighting system. Before we get to fawning over Four tet, however, the opening acts deserve a mention here. First up was Kode9, whose pulsing rhythm set the mood nicely, but to be fair, we were concentrating more on the beer. Next up was the happy surprise of the......

Pirates and Vikings invaded London late last week for a triple bill of metal, mayhem and melee. It was time for us to cover ourselves with red paint and grab our plastic axes - Turisas, Norther and Alestorm were in town. What are the best Scottish exports - whisky, haggis, prime ministers? Nah, we say. The newest product of Scotland to hit London came in the form of Alestorm, a rowdy troupe playing what they have termed "true Scottish pirate metal" which really describes their sound to a T....

We first heard of 22 year old Jack Savoretti when he appeared on Shelly Poole's wistful solo album back in 2005. Three years later he's back releasing new single 'One Man Band' on March 31st and looking a bit like a young Neil Diamond in the London centric video for the song (above). If you like the sound of him then we've got three pairs of tickets for you to win for his secret......

It sounds like an April Fool, but Radiohead have announced that they're playing yet another small gig before they hit Victoria Park this summer. This time it's for the BBC, will be held at the intimate BBC Radio Theatre and takes place on Tuesday 1 April. Tickets are not going to be easy to come by. While Radio 2 will be offering ticket competitions on air, there are also 75 pairs of tickets to......

Here at Londonist we love random foreign pop. Normally it's Scandanavian but French music also has a big place in our hearts. So we're excited to see that this week shouty French popstar Yelle is in town. She's supporting Mika tonight (Tuesday) but screw that - later on this evening she's playing her own gig at Great Eastern Street's Old Blue Last. Now we must warn you but a gig at the Old Blue......

Fancy seeing quite a big band in a teeny weeny venue? You're in luck! Tickets have just been put on sale for a Tiscali showcase at Soho Revue Bar. Headlining are We Are Scientists who are making a return with their 2nd album and single 'After Hours'. They seem to have lost the spikeyness and gone a bit Editors on us with the single at least, but at least they've still kept the fun.......

This week, Londonist caught two bands at either end of the musical scale - American metal stars Wolves in the Throne Room @ Underworld and the ever great Elbow at an intimate Porchester Hall show. We also started offering you the chance to win tickets to see Late of the Pier on February 28th. We also previewed the forthcoming second iTunes festival, which starts this coming Thursday. Looking forward to this week however, Monday night......

On rare occasions a live music show is so complete that it goes beyond mere listening to physically experiencing the music. Wolves in the Throne Room managed to achieve that in their set at the Camden Underworld on February 10th. Although it's hard to describe their sound, Wolves in the Throne Room play an atmospheric approximation of black metal that is simultaneously both minimal and majestic, arising from excruciatingly deep sorrow for the suffering of the Earth. (Well, it makes a change from the usual "HAIL SATAN" lyrics often found in the BM scene.)...

Remember when indie bands had a want to succeed? A desire to achieve? Not many bands have it in this corporate day and age, towing the line, saying what they’re told (yes, Scouting For Girls, we’re looking at you), however one band seems like they may just be able to break the mainstream, and still have the desire to achieve massive things. Their name? Parka. This Glasgow via London quintet played the “Bollocks to Poverty”......

You might not have noticed but Supergrass are playing at Barfly tomorrow night. Yes, a (once) gigantic band in a small venue and somehow tickets are still on sale. The reason is because they are performing under a 'secret' name - Diamond Hoo Ha Men - and playing songs from their new album. They're also a 2 piece temporarily since bassist Micky recently broke his back. Doors are at 7pm, and the boys will......

It's been a bad few weeks for the Spice Girls: they released the worst selling Children In Need single ever (to put this into perspective, let's remember that Martine McCutcheon once had a Children In Need single. Martine McCutcheon), appeared in terrible Tesco adverts, played to half full shows in America and Baby Spice sprained her little baby ankle on stage. However, little Emma Bunton ingested her weight in painkillers, soldiered on and appeared......

After a quick break travelling the US, this Londonista is back to normality bringing the weekly roundup of whats happening in London. Monday night sees Oakland metal stars High on Fire grace UL. Tickets are available for £12 each on the door or from See tickets. Reformed 90's Brit rockers Shed Seven grace Shepherds Bush Empire, with a few tickets left at £17.50 each, if you really must indulge your nostalgia. Finally, Scritti Politti plays......

Lucky Soul, a band we love so much we're afraid we'll be served with an injunction if we gush about them any more, play their biggest gig to date when they headline at Bush Hall on 16th May. Tickets are a bargainous £7 (available online at We Got Tickets). It's a great opportunity to catch a band very much on the up, as they celebrate the rave reviews being served on their debut album,......