London
Live Review: Ocean Alley / Hockey Dad – Roundhouse, London 02.09.2024
By Henry Groves Saturday night, sold out Roundhouse, Aussie rock band. I’m not sure there are 3 bigger hints that this was going to be one hell of a gig. This was the first of 2 Roundhouse shows for the psychedelic surf rock band, and despite being the other side of the world from home, …
Live Review: Thomas Dolby – Islington Academy, London 24.08.2024
Forget Britney, it was Thomas Dolby who made the headset mic chic. Back in the early 1980s the electronica synth pioneer first came to prominence with all the poise of an airline pilot and a crazy wanderlust look in his eye. In Islington tonight he’s standing at his keyboards when he should’ve been on a …
Live Review: South Facing Festival – Love Motion Presents Grace Jones, Crystal Place Concert Bowl, London
The word ‘iconic’ gets thrown about a great deal in music, but there’s really no other person more deserving of the accolade than Grace Jones. Not only for her music, but her visual artistry (not surprising considering her long-term connections with Andy Warhol, Jean-Paul Goude & Keith Haring). At the age of 76, she is …
Live Review: The Lambrini Girls – Scala, London 13.06.2024
By Henry Groves It isn’t very often that I get instantly excited by a new band, but when I saw Lambrini Girls back at Great Escape 2023, I was immediately hooked. For those who know me, since that day, I’m not sure I have stopped talking about Lambrini Girls. Since then, I have seen them …
Live Review: Kerry King / Celestial Sanctuary – The Electric Ballroom, London 18.06.2024
As I rounded the corner from the tube I was met with an impressive line of black clad souls decorated in shirts ranging from the proudly worn decades old greyed out shirts to newer designs worn with just as much pride, a cacophony of shirts emblazoned with Thrash bands, although the Slayer moniker was without …
Live Review: Ladaniva – Bush Hall, London 11.06.2024
London offers the world. After summer shenanigans at South Asian events, Polish and Uzbek festivals I find myself in Shepherd’s Bush waiting for an Armenian band to take to the stage. Ladaniva – led by the disarmingly charming vocalist Jaklin Baghdasaryan. Eurovision 2024 was ignited by this mischievous minx bounding around the Malmo set with …
Live Review: Ibibio Sound Machine – Koko, London 06.06.2024
By Henry Groves A slightly different show for me tonight. Tonight, I was at KOKO in Camden for the electro/afrofunk band Ibibio Sound Machine. Before I even got to the venue, I knew this was going to be a night to remember. This was a hometown gig for the band, and people have travelled in …
EP Review: London duo Nudista’s raw new vision on ‘Nothing Makes Sense Until It Does’
London based duo: Nudista are back on form with their newest EP since the lockdown-recorded folk rock outing: Halfway Here. When I reviewed that record, I was struck by the songwriting chemistry of the two key members: Pilar Matji Cabello and Robbie Carman. They work way more as a partnership than most bands, and though …
Live Review: Kawala / Bagge / Sofy – Outernet, London 22.05.2024
By Henry Groves As part of their European tour, KAWALA were playing their only UK date at London’s HERE at Outernet, and it was bound to be a special one. Sold out in a matter of weeks, this has to be one of KAWALA’s biggest headline shows they have ever played. The supports for the …
Live Gallery: Teddy Swims – Shepherds Bush, London 13.05.2024
Teddy Swims is the moniker for Jaten Dimsdale an American artist based in Atlanta. Swims stands for – “someone who isn’t me sometimes”, which refers to him trying to integrate different aspects of himself. Over the years, he has experimented with many different styles…..theatre, musical theatre, hip hop, soul, heavy metal, country, and funk, but …