Although this season hasn't been much of a scorcher, we still need to visit the local lido at least once a year or it just doesn't feel like summer. With the number of gigs we attend, we're often faced with a choice between the dimly-lit venue and the lovely outdoor London we too often neglect. Thanks to the organisers of Wet Sounds, however, we can have a dip and entertain our ears all in......

Having recently appeared live with Gravetemple and still on loan to us from Australia, experimental guitarist Oren Ambarchi will play a solo set on Monday 14 July at The Luminaire. Whilst Gravetemple specialises in doom metal, Oren's solo material explores the more subtle tones of the guitar. Although he knows his way around his pedals, Ambarchi doesn't let his effects rack drive his sound. His understated approach to an instrument so frequently taken to......

Recorded sound hasn't existed as a physical object for very long, and no sooner does it arrive than it starts to slip away. One hundred and twenty odd years may seem like a long time when the records you bought last month felt outdated last week, but it's a brief moment in the history of sound. Although vinyl will likely remain, every other format is staring down a disembodied digital future. For most of......

Metalheads and experimental music fans unite this week as Stephen O'Malley once again rolls into town on a storm cloud of doom and drone. The mastermind behind avant-metalist outfit Sunn O))), O'Malley frequently treats London to appearances from his many side projects, though this is one we never expected to see live. Gravetemple formed in 2006 to play a few gigs in Israel, an event which was documented on a one track, one-hour long......

Here's week four of our Edinburgh Festival preview recommendations. This isn't just a random list of events scraped from listings magazines and press releases - this is a genuine list of acts we adore, and that you should definitely see, especially while the price is nice. If you go to just one of these shows this week, we guarantee you'll come away feeling happy. Monday 30th - The Free Fringe has hosted hundreds of......

Here's week three of our pick of the week's best Edinburgh Festival previews, where big name-acts charge small prices while they try out new ideas. Embrace London's comedy scene in June and July like you would embrace your dearest friend, or a delicious pineapple, and see as many shows as you can while the price is "right". You'll do well to start with these four: Tuesday 24th - Top Islington club Fat Tuesdays hosts......

As Thursday lurches towards an end, naturally thoughts turn to starting the weekend early. Rather than another tired trip to the pub, we can't think of a better way to do so than with minimal techno at the ICA. Ghostly International's Matthew Dear performs there tonight with his full band, Matthew Dear's Big Hands. Though we cannot personally attest to the size of Dear's hands, we do know that they are as equally nimble......

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......

As part of his ongoing first solo UK exhibition at the ICA, this Saturday sees French artist Loris Gréaud present an interpretation of his Cellar Door libretto with CocoRosie's Sierra Casady and pianist/violinist/cellist Gael Rakotondrabe. Whilst for the ICA this is another instalment in Stage of the Art, their cross-Channel cultural exchange series with Palais de Tokyo, for Gréaud this performance will be another step in his larger Cellar Door experiment. Having recently exhibited......

Whilst often lovingly, and perhaps ad nauseam, compared to Panda Bear's Person Pitch, El Guincho's debut Alegranza! is a more extroverted affair than its most cited point of musical reference. Joyous and celebratory from start to finish, Alegranza! mixes repetitive chanting with looped tropical rhythms to create the best summer pop record anyone could hope to release right in the middle of winter. It's that rare album that makes you feel a bit wrong......

Having treated audiences at the May 2007 All Tomorrow's Parties' "ATP vs. The Fans" festival to her gentle brand of Northern Californian folk, Mariee Sioux returns to the UK this week to play a series of London gigs. A childhood friend of Rough Trade favourite Alela Diane, Sioux also grew up in the mountainous, artist-friendly town of Nevada City, a landscape which can be heard speaking through both singer's works. With a languid step......