GIGS OF 2010
Another stellar year for gigs in London. I do feel privileged to live in a city where I could go to a gig every night of the year if I so desired, and if I had the constitution of a herd of rhinos…
Before I wax lyrical, can I just say how miserable I am to have missed the following bands’ shows, despite the fact that they all played in London: Tame Impala, Citay, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees. Curses! Please come back…
The ones that really stood out were, in chronological order:
Local Natives at the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on 19th January. A packed venue rewarded the band with an ecstatic reception, which they repaid with a set that just got better and better. Here’s a clip of them playing ‘World News’ at London’s Heaven nightclub, a few weeks later:
Broken Bells made their UK debut at the ICA on 3rd March, with arguably the best sound I have ever experienced at any show, anywhere! Crystalline, powerful and intimate, this was one of the gigs of the year. The encore, a double whammy of Neil Young’s ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ and Tommy James and the Shondells’ psych-pop masterpiece, ‘Crimson And Clover’ left the audience drooling. To hear (and just about see) what you missed, check this clip out:
On March 13th and 14th, Grizzly Bear and Beach House played the Roundhouse in north London, a double bill made in heaven. Beach House have no stage craft per se, but were mesmerising, with their beautifully understated intensity and melodic sensibility proving a big hit with two sell out crowds, and Grizzly bear rose to the challenge by playing a typically stunning set. For me, the highlight of the first night was when Beach House’s Victoria Legrand joined GB for ‘Two Weeks’ – check out that very performance here:
Whenever Patti Smith comes to town, it’s a must see show. I’ve been going to her gigs since the ‘70s and she never lets the crowd down, whether you are a first timer or a long term fan. This year I had the privilege of seeing Patti perform at three very different venues: firstly when she appeared at Foyles, on the South Bank on March 20th. This was actually an appearance where she signed copies of her book, ‘Just Kids’. She performed several songs with just an acoustic guitar, but she was marvellous, gracious and impassioned.
The second performance occurred twenty four hours later, at Islington’s Union Chapel. She was accompanied throughout by Tony Shanahan, and Patrick Wolf and Seb Rochford on a few numbers too. Again, totally brilliant, with a rare, (at least to these ears and eyes) live rendition of ‘Birdland’.
The June 29th performance, in a tent in Hyde Park, part of a series of gigs pretentiously dubbed ‘The Serpentine Sessions’ by Live Nation, was the one though. A set which mixed familiar favourites with hidden classics was raised up by cover versions of Jim Carroll’s ‘People Who Died’; The Rolling Stones’ ‘Play With Fire’ and Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’. Click here for a truly majestic version of ‘My Blakean Year’ from the Hyde Park show:
May turned out to be the best all-round month for shows in London and the UK, with Iggy And The Stooges playing two barnstorming shows at Hammersmith Apollo, on May 2nd and 3rd. The entire ‘Raw Power’ album was not so much revived as beaten to death by a band who played like teenagers. Added to the set list were the highlights from ‘Kill City’ and ‘Metallic KO’, click here for ‘Raw Power’ from the first night:
Deerhunter returned to London on May 6th, and blew the minds of all in attendance. For a taste of what it was like to be there, here is a link to the performance of ‘Fluorescent Grey’ from that night:
Two of the best gigs of the past few years, not just 2010, took place on May 14th and 16th May at Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Birmingham Academy 2, respectively. Brian Jonestown Massacre played two indescribably great shows – here’s ‘Supersonic’ from the London show:
…And here’s ‘Sailor’ from the Birmingham gig:
The Pixies reunion bandwagon rolled into town on June 3rd and 4th, and both nights were celebratory affairs with the band never sounding better, old faves and obscure fan requests all sounding glorious. Here’s ‘Here Comes Your Man’ from the first of those two nights:
It felt like a very Canadian influenced year, and two outstanding shows were delivered by Elephant Stone at a packed Macbeth in Shoreditch on July 1st, and by Arcade Fire, in the very intimate setting of the Hackney Empire six days later. We don’t have a live clip of Elephant Stone, but here’s their wonderful video for their track ‘I Am Blind’ (2009):
Arcade Fire’s anthemic ‘Wake Up’ was met with joyous anticipation at the Hackney Empire gig, here it is in all its glory:
August’s best show was a low key set by California’s Avi Buffalo, a magical trio who delivered their bittersweet tales with such unimposing passion that only the coldest of hearts would have been left unmoved. Once again, we couldn’t find any footage from the show, but here’s the soft-summer-psych of their beautiful ‘What’s In It For’, recorded and filmed earlier in the year, when they were still a quartet…
Wilco have been on the live circuit for over a decade now, but just keep getting better. A breathtaking two hour show at London’s Royal Festival Hall on September 14th covered the band’s entire career, and whilst this clip of their performance of ‘Impossible Germany’ is visually below par, the sound quality is good, and the playing immaculate:
Ben Sommers has been on the UK gig circuit for three or four years now, both with his band and as part of the duo, (and occasional trio) Mozzy Green. 2010 saw him launch his career as far as the outside world are concerned, with three self directed videos, and a brilliant debut single, ‘Hillary, Oh Hillary’. He also played several memorable shows, none more impressive than his performance at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on September 16th, with the wonderful Pandora’s Box acting as his backing band. Here’s Ben’s stop-motion video masterpiece for his single:
