Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
The Borderline is smaller than I remember it to be. I imagine it has been remodelled, or maybe my failing memory really is because I haven't been here for ten years, but the venue looks different. I am impressed that all the members of Blitzen Trapper are able ...
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Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
I am not entirely sure what to expect of tonight. I don't go to see much live electronic music and hope that I am not going to be surrounded by cool kids dancing, as I will feel entirely out of place. Luckily, it's just another gig, with the ...
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Playing to London's Electric Ballroom in Camden it's The Joy Formidable's largest gig yet, and Ritzy is clearly thrilled to be here. But she is trying hard to hide her smile, keeping a cool demeanour for all the cameras pointing at her as the first song of the set ...
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
The Garage in Highbury and Islington is a fairly small venue. I would have thought the Union Chapel, just down the road and where Slow Club played a Christmas gig, would hold more people, but perhaps the Garage's lack of pews gets more people crammed in. 'So many ...
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Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
I don't much care for the current trend of 'branding' venues, and I won't refer to a venue by including its ephemeral brand. But Sailor Jerry Rum is not merely adding its name to an event, it is throwing a series of Christmas parties. Each gig, including tonight's ...
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Friday, December 18th, 2009
I arrive early for tonight's Slow Club gig. The promoters didn't send tickets to the agencies in time, so I want to leave enough time to pick up the tickets on the door. The gig is in the Union Chapel and has unreserved pew seating, so getting early ...
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Monday, November 9th, 2009
Hope Sandoval is wonderfully talented but equally shy and reclusive, leading to playing far fewer concerts than I am sure she could attract audiences to. Her shyness is reflected in the arrangements of the performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank. There is a screen ...
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Thursday, October 1st, 2009
The Highbury and Islington Garage has been refurbished. The small and dingy venue is now small and airy, the low ceiling remodelled to be an arcing ceiling that allows for a proper lighting rig in front of the stage, black walls repainted white, and wooden flooring everywhere. Overall, ...
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Sunday, September 27th, 2009
Too long ago I consider telling my China Drum story, and now seems like an appropriate time.
Many years ago, for two or three years in a row Radio 1 held a week of gigs for new bands and artists, broadcasting the music live. The best and brightest of new ...
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Friday, September 25th, 2009
The house lights go down but the band don't appear on stage. A little longer passes before a ripple of excitement passes through the audience, just as Slow Club does. Strumming acoustic guitars, Charles and Rebecca squeeze their way from a side door to the centre of the ...
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