january gig guide
So, January, yeah. Rubbish, isn’t it? Dark, cold, still bloated from Christmas, the annual humiliation of failing to keep your resolutions for longer than a fortnight, nothing to do…wait! Nothing to do? The gig year doesn’t usually heat up properly until March or so but there’s plenty worth seeing. We’ve trawled the listings to pick out something to warm your cockles for every black, freezing night of the month, starting Monday.
* * *
05
Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump
Durrr @ The End, London
10:30pm | £6 (£4 before 11)
Named after an 18th century painting by Joseph Wright, raucous London trio Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump play a thumping live set to promote their debut EP These Sins at legendary (and soon to be demolished) club venue The End. Regular Durrr DJs, including Rory Phillips, will be on hand to turn Monday into fun day, even if it’s the first day back to the hideous reality of work for many of us.
www.myspace.com/anexperimentonabirdintheairpump
www.myspace.com/durrrclub
06
Melodica, Melody & Me
Club Ugly @ The Social, London
8pm | FREE!
With their debut EP Stones (produced by Gorillaz bassist Al Mobbs) about to be unleashed on the world, this folk-meets-reggae quintet have a promising year ahead. And with this gig costing nil pence, zero pounds, we can’t think of a reason to miss it. If dancing ’til your feet fall off at Durrr sounds a bit too energetic for this early in 2009, Club Ugly is the perfect way to ease yourself gently into the gig-going year.
Also playing: Captive State, The Housewives, We’re Not Cool (DJ Set)
07
Samantha Whates + Helen McCookerybook + Cris Tanzi
Monkey Chews, London
8pm | £5
Samantha Whates may not have properly released any recordings but even her demos have attracted interest from tastemaker radio stations such as KCRW in California. The Brit folkie is joined by the fabulous Helen McCookerybook, who will be playing songs from her recently released album Poetry & Rhyme (review), and by Italian singer-songwriter Cris Tanzi, whose Showers Of Love EP was released back in August 2008.
www.myspace.com/samanthawhates
www.myspace.com/helenmccookerybook
www.myspace.com/cristanzi
Also playing: School Of Imagination
08
Julia Nunes + Rebecca Worthley
The Slaughtered Lamb, London
8pm | £5
YouTube teen sensation Julia Nunes made quite a name for herself with her ukulele covers of other people’s songs, which she neatly capitalised on by swiftly writing two albums of her own and supporting the likes of Ben Folds (one of her musical idols). Her latest album, pointedly titled I Wrote These, was released in October. Exeter-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Worthley will be playing songs from her second album Morning Comes To Those Who Wait, released in September.
www.myspace.com/jaaaaaaa
www.myspace.com/rebeccaworthley
Also playing: Greg Holden, Charlie Calleja
09
Shrag + The Duloks
+ Betty & The Werewolves
Twee As Fuck @ Buffalo Bar, London
9pm | £5
Hotly tipped Brighton band Shrag launch their self-titled debut album in style at the always entertaining Twee As Fuck, inviting along their cohorts in joyful noisemaking The Duloks (who we also saw at Ladyfest Manchester in November – see review) and Betty & The Werewolves. Expect the unexpected, and verbal abuse.
www.myspace.com/shrag
www.myspace.com/theduloks
www.myspace.com/bettyandthewerewolves
10
Rolo Tomassi + PENS
No Pain In Pop @ The Lexington, London
8pm | £5
There’s nothing like a good bit of thrash and primal screaming to boost the circulation during these cold January days, so if that’s your thing you won’t want to miss Rolo Tomassi tearing up The Lexington with fellow hot-blooded screechers PENS. Going deaf has never been so fun.
www.myspace.com/rolotomassi
www.myspace.com/penspenspenis
Also playing: Male Bonding
11
The Duke Spirit
100 Club, London
7:30pm | £12.50
The glamorous Liela Moss and the Duke Spirit boys need no introduction as they make a brief but welcome stop at one of London’s most famous small venues before heading off on their Red Treasure Tour of Germany. It’s been a while since last album Neptune dropped, so maybe we’ll hear some new tunes.
12
Ora Cogan
Electroacoustic Club @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London
7:45 pm | £5
Expect wonderful old-timey sounds from Be Good Tanyas associate Ora Cogan, who makes this one-off return to the UK after playing a bunch of dates here late last year. The Vancouverite folk and blues singer will be playing songs from her latest album, Harbouring, as well as tracks from her sublime 2006 release Tatter. Highly recommended.
Also playing: Puzzle Muteson, Emil Brynge
13
Jill Sobule
Cobden Club, London
8pm | £?
The woman who wrote the original ‘I Kissed A Girl’ – which, unlike the Cobden Club website implies, shares only its title with Katy Perry’s infamous hit – returns to the UK for a low-key show as part of the 4Sticks Live showcase. Expect her easy stage manner to charm every single person in the room and to part with your cash as you feel compelled to snap up all her albums at the merch desk. The latest, Prozak & The Platypus, is songs from a musical play co-written by Jill. More info here.
Also playing: Jon Harrison, Chris Jones, Joe Woodham
14
Camille O’Sullivan
The Roundhouse, London
6:30pm | £20
You’ve probably seen her on the telly, or seen posters for her latest cabaret extravaganza plastered all over the tube. Yep, there’s just no escaping the glamorous Camille O’Sullivan this year as she kicks off 2009 in style by bringing her titillating new show ‘The Dark Angel’ to London for a two night residency at The Roundhouse in Camden. Featuring the songs of Nick Cave, Jacques Brel, Tom Waits, David Bowie and more.
www.myspace.com/camilleosullivan
15
Damon & Naomi + The Left Outsides
Track & Field Winter Sprinter @ The Luminaire, London
7:30pm | £7
Former Galaxie 500 members Damon & Naomi have been making their own particular brand of noodly dream pop for almost 18 years now as a duo and are always worth catching live. They recently put out a limited Christmas single, but they probably won’t play that. Console yourself by picking up one of their brand new self-released live DVDs, filmed in Japan in January 2008, from the merch desk (assuming they bring some with them, of course). South London dreamers The Left Outsides (formerly two members of The Eighteenth Day Of May) support, playing tunes from their debut album And Colours In Between and more.
www.myspace.com/damonandnaomi
www.myspace.com/theleftoutsides
16
Cara Dillon + Sharon Shannon Band
Celtic Connections Festival @ Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
7:30pm | £18–22
The annual Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow seems to just get bigger and bigger year on year. The 2009 line-up is impressive, and this double bill of two of Ireland’s finest folk acts is irresistible. Cara’s new album, Hill Of Thieves, is out on January 26th, and features a duet with her brother-in-law Seth Lakeman. As an aside, you have one more day to enter Play.com’s competition to win exclusive tickets to an industry show at Bush Hall in London on January 29th. See here.
www.myspace.com/caradillon
www.myspace.com/sharonshannon
17
Caroline Weeks + Doghouse Roses
Celtic Connections Festival @ Òran Mór, Glasgow
7:30pm | £12.50
With her long awaited debut solo release Songs For Edna pencilled in for March, sometime Bat For Lashes member Caroline Weeks may well give Ms Khan a run for her money when the year comes to a close and list mania besets the blogosphere once more. This special gig finds her playing support for “the Scottish Bob Dylan” Jackie Leven as part of Celtic Connections 2009. Vintage folkies Doghouse Roses, with their luminous singer Iona McDonald, are also on the bill.
www.myspace.com/carolineweeks
www.myspace.com/ukdoghouseroses
Also playing: Jackie Leven
18
Karima Francis
The Junction, Cambridge
8pm | £5 | FIRST NIGHT
We named her debut single ‘Chasing The Morning Light’ our favourite of the week back in December, so it will be interesting to see how young Blackpool-born singer-songwriter Karima Francis fares on her first headline tour of the UK and Ireland, which kicks off at this show in Cambridge. Known for silencing large rooms of people with her showstopping soulful voice, you’ve got to admit the odds are in her favour.
19
Grace Jones
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
7pm | £35 | FIRST NIGHT
What can we say about the genius that is Grace Jones? It hardly needs mentioning that her stage show is phenomenal, with ribcage rattling beats and eye-poppingly peculiar outfits. It’s just the waiting for her to bother to turn up that’s the worry. This Birmingham show is the first night of an 8-date UK tour that looks set to seal her comeback as one of the most triumphant in recent memory.
www.myspace.com/gracejonesofficial
20
Wallis Bird
Soho Revue Bar, London
7:30pm | £8.50
Irrepressibly cheerful, possibly deranged, but oh so lovable Irish folk-pop upstart Wallis Bird returns to the London stage to whip yet another audience up into an adoring frenzy with her powerful acoustic guitar riffs and cheeky onstage antics. This two-night residency at the Soho Revue Bar should see her showcase a few new songs from album #2, which she says is coming together nicely. Fingers crossed for a late spring/early summer release!
Also playing: Steve Appleton
21
Anaïs Mitchell
The Luminaire, London
7:30pm | £8
Having toured Europe with Bon Iver and label boss Ani DiFranco, the fabulous Anaïs Mitchell brings her brilliantly written, poignant songs of love, loss and political turmoil back to the UK for this one-off show at The Luminaire in Kilburn – the former cinema a perfect setting for her captivatingly intimate performances. Expect to hear songs from her forthcoming album Hadestown – exclusive information coming soon in our fantastic in-depth interview.
22
Tift Merritt
Concorde 2, Brighton
8pm | £11
With her third album Another Country proving to be her most personal, and not coincidentally her best, to date, Tift Merritt rides back into the UK on a wave of critical acclaim and an all-new Tour Edition of said album to promote, with five bonus tracks lifted from the previously US-only, digital-only EP, Please Break The Silence Of The Middle Of The Night – two reworkings, two new songs and a cover. Kicking off in Nottingham on the 19th, this support tour with chart-bothering Teddy Thompson should do very nicely at raising her profile.
Also playing: Teddy Thompson
23
Françoiz Breut
Café Oto, London
7:30pm | £10.50
It seems like forever ago since we last heard the name of Françoiz Breut, although really it’s only been about 3 years. Back then her album Une Saison Volée created quite a stir, even among non-French speakers like me, and the live performances – particularly at ATP – only underlined her unique power. Her latest release, À l’aveuglette (”blindly”), is a little less all over the place stylistically, focusing her muse and playing to her strengths, so expect an emotional performance with real punch. Françoiz kicks off her tour on the 19th in Nottingham. For the full itinerary, see her Myspace.
24
Sharleen Spiteri
Music Hall, Aberdeen
7pm | £25–27 | FIRST NIGHT
Sharleen Spiteri’s debut solo album Melody may not have displayed an awful lot of innovation, but it was a decent enough spin through a potentially disastrous minefield of retro clichés. This Aberdeen show marks the opening night of her first ever solo tour of the nation, and it’s not exactly risking much to say that she’ll be sure to get a warm reception from her fellow Scots. Tickets are still on sale for other dates; see her Myspace for more details.
www.myspace.com/sharleenspiteri
25
Cerys Matthews + Harem Scarem
Celtic Connections Festival @ ABC, Glasgow
7:30pm | £15
With a wordy new album Blue Betty, The Not So Torrid Affairs Of A Reluctant Housewife in the works for this year, Cerys Matthews joins the Celtic Connections line-up alongside Scottish folk band Harem Scarem, who feature various members of Aberfeldy, The Poozies and the Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart touring bands. They were featured as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s backing band on his recent live album Is It The Sea?, and their third album Storm In A Teacup was released in October.
www.myspace.com/cerysmatthewsofficial
www.myspace.com/haremscaremscotland
26
Stonefoxx + Grace Obika
The Spotlight Project @ Soho Revue Bar, London
7:30pm | £6
The Spotlight Project is a new live showcase dreamt up by experienced promoter Rob Cooper and promises to bring London “brilliant multi-genre live unsigned music”, but the emphasis on this launch show is firmly on pop. Why are we recommending this? Purely because it looks like such a car crash (and there’s nothing else on, honest, we looked everywhere). Featuring sets from the embarrassing Stonefoxx, ‘X Factor’ loser Austin Drage and two generic boy bands, only Grace Obika – cousin of ‘Fame Academy’ wannabe made good Lemar – shows any real promise.
www.myspace.com/stonefoxxmusic
www.myspace.com/graceobika
Also playing: Austin Drage, Lexi Joe, Sketch
27
Nancy Wallace + Autumn Grieve + Ellen Mary McGee
Electroacoustic Club @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London
7:45pm | £6 (£5 concessions)
The Memory Band member Nancy Wallace’s debut album Old Stories has been a long time coming but it’s finally out on January 26th through Midwich Records (home to Nancy’s other band The Owl Service and fellow multi-instrumentalist Ellen Mary McGee, whose debut album The Crescent Sun is out in March). This all-female line up promoted by the reliably excellent Electroacoustic Club promises a night full of enchanting folk yarns and top acoustic musicianship. Canadian singer-songwriter Autumn Grieve’s two EPs are well worth picking up at the merch desk, with new recording Parlour Sketches on the way soon.
www.myspace.com/nancywallace
www.myspace.com/autumngrieve
www.myspace.com/thecrescentsun
28
Liz Durrett + Pumajaw
Green Note, London
7pm | £8
This fantastic double bill is yet another triumph by the ladies who run the Green Note venue in Camden Town. Liz Durrett is one of the most engaging singer-songwriters to emerge from the US in recent years, and here she’ll be playing tracks from her latest album Outside Our Gates, released back in September (review). Bewitching psych-folk purveyors Pumajaw (aka Pinkie Maclure and John Wills) will also be on hand to play songs from last year’s Curiosity Box. Their entire back catalogue is about to be released digitally through Fire Records, so look them up on iTunes if you enjoy this.
www.myspace.com/lizdurrett
www.myspace.com/pumajaw
29
Sky Larkin
ICA, London
7:30pm | £9
One of this year’s most eagerly anticipated debuts, Sky Larkin’s The Golden Spike is out on February 2nd through Wichita and is preceded by a 9-date UK tour that kicks off in Bristol on the 22nd and stops by London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts as part of Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens’ latest Introducing… jaunt. For uncomplicated fun with catchy indie would-be anthems on a Thursday night, look no further friends.
www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin
30
Carmen Souza
Green Note, London
7pm | £10
In the words of the Green Note proprietors, “Carmen Souza has created a new and unique sound in her ancestors’ dialect, Creole, that mixes traditional African and Cape Verde rhythms like Batuque, Morna, Cola Djon, with her jazz/soul contemporary influences. The result is beautiful, poignant and inspiring songs, in a totally intimate and acoustic vibe.” What more can we add? This will be very very good.
31
Emmy The Great
Academy, Oxford
6:30pm | £7.50 | FIRST NIGHT
To say that we are just a little bit excited to finally hear Emmy The Great’s long-promised debut album First Love is a tiny bit of an understatement. It’s out on February 2nd, and The Great one herself is heading out on the road to promote it. This Oxford show is the first night of a mammoth 27-date tour of the UK and Ireland that will keep her busy ’til early March. For the full itinerary, visit her Myspace.
Written by: Wears The Trousers magazine
Tags: an experiment on a bird in the air pump, anais mitchell, austin drage, autumn grieve, betty and the werewolves, camille o'sullivan, cara dillon, carmen souza, caroline weeks, cerys matthews, cris tanzi, damon and naomi, doghouse roses, ellen mary mcgee, emmy the great, françoiz breut, grace jones, grace obika, harem scarem, helen mccookerybook, jill sobule, julia nunes, karima francis, liz durrett, melodica melody and me, nancy wallace, ora cogan, PENS, pumajaw, rebecca worthley, rolo tomassi, samantha whates, sharleen spiteri, sharon shannon, shrag, sky larkin, stonefoxx, teddy thompson, the duke spirit, the duloks, the left outsides, tift merritt, wallis bird
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One Response to “january gig guide”
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Just found your preview of the Stonefoxx / Grace Obika gig as part of The Spotlight Project. I went to this last night, and have to say that Stonefoxx are the best unsigned group I’ve ever seen. Very polished. Not sure what the “embarassing” part of their act was supposed to be, as I found them, and in fact the whole night, to be very good. A real gem of a showcase.