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bigcheese's Public Reviews

Fields

Fields, Zodiac, Oxford***

Fields - go to band page >>

23 April 2007

Posted on 5 June 2007 by bigcheese

Tonight's two opening bands were local dynamic rocky duo Little Fish and the evocative folk-rock of Hush For The Many, both provide excellent support entertainment.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
Foals

Foals @ Audio, Brighton***

Foals - go to band page >>

13 April 2007

Posted on 5 June 2007 by bigcheese

Clumped on stage like 11-year-old schoolboys around a football, with guitars held tight around their necks, Foals are an accident waiting to happen.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
Pop Levi

Pop Levi @ 100 Club, London***

Pop Levi - go to band page >>

19 April 2007

Posted on 5 June 2007 by bigcheese

Opening with fantastic, fast-paced single 'Sugar Assault Me Now', Pop Levi cuts a bizarre figure, twitching around the stage with his guitar and decked out in a most fetching stained glass window patt

See Full Review

 
Black Strobe

Black Strobe rock London's emerging warehouse scene***

Black Strobe - go to band page >>

26 May 2007

Posted on 14 June 2007 by bigcheese

A massive warehouse party sees the electro act on form

See Full Review

 
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CSS @ 93 Feet East****

CSS - go to band page >>

8 September 2006

Posted on 14 June 2007 by bigcheese

I arrive late tonight. I'm so, so sorry. It's absolutely shameful to be honest.

See Full Review

 
Gallows

Gallows Live @ The Peel***

Gallows - go to band page >>

21 January 2007

Posted on 14 June 2007 by bigcheese

Local hardcore shows can often double as endurance tests, thanks to the presence of a tiny minority of meatheads who hurl themselves around with little regard for their fellow punters' safety.

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
Jack Peñate

Jack Peñate @ Roadmender, Northampton****

Jack Peñate - go to band page >>

4 May 2007

Posted on 14 June 2007 by bigcheese

Main support is a strange thing to be.

See Full Review

 
The Sunshine Underground

The Sunshine Underground @ Cargo***

The Sunshine Underground - go to band page >>

4 September 2006

Posted on 14 June 2007 by bigcheese

Cargo, home of the Shoreditch Twat, overpriced chips, and bad service.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
The Rumble Strips

The Rumble Strips @ King's College, London****

The Rumble Strips - go to band page >>

15 November 2006

Posted on 14 June 2007 by bigcheese

The Rumble Strips, a four piece from Devon who look like they’ve blown Fallout Record's budget on this season's must have tweed, bowl onto the stage at King's College Union grinning from ear to ear,

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
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The Courteeners @ Leadmill, Sheffield****

3 December 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

Having already set their standard as high as Oasis and Stone Roses, compared themselves to Morrissey and gone on a verbal rant against other bands, The Courteeners have got a lot of justifying to do.

See Full Review

 
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St Vincent @ Bush Hall****

30 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

St Vincent is really Texan 25-year-old Annie Clark, formerly of The Polyphonic Spree and part of Sufjan Stevens' entourage.

See Full Review

 
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Interpol @ Alexandra Palace****

30 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

As we made for Alexandra Palace, the darkness that was our path eventually came to a point which overlooked the amber hum of London far below.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
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Pendulum @ Electric Ballroom, London****

28 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

"WE DON'T CARE !!!"

18 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Róisín Murphy @ KOKO****

27 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

Róisín Murphy met with an accident a few weeks ago.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
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The Imagined Village @ Royal Festival Hall****

27 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

The Imagined Village are the result of a very broad folk church, which can flex its walls to include the raucous protest songs of Barking's most famous son, Billy Bragg, Johnny Kalsi's Indian precussi

See Full Review

 
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Caribou & Dirty Projectors @ Dingwalls, London***

27 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

OK, now it's fair to say that Caribou at Dingwalls was entirely boombastic.

17 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Jay Brannan @ The Fly, London****

26 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

Some of the most arresting cinematic scenes of recent years belong to John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus, a film of and about New York and its denizens.

See Full Review

 
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Stars Of The Lid, Boduf Songs & Rameses III @ The Luminaire****

26 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

"Good Evening. We played in this town six years ago, and it almost broke us." Welcome.

22 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Amy Winehouse @ Brixton Academy****

23 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

There's real time and there's Amy time.

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
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The Hives & Dan Sartain @ Hammersmith Apollo, London****

23 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

At the turn of the millennium, the sounds of The Hives, The White Stripes and The Strokes upped energy levels and brought bluesy guitar rock to the forefront of pop.

See Full Review

 
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The Pigeon Detectives @ The Forum, London****

22 November 2007

Posted on 10 December 2007 by bigcheese

Billed by the likes of NME as the hottest new indie-rock band of 2007, The Pigeon Detectives lived up to their label of 'band most likely to' with debut album Wait for Me.

19 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Black Kids, Soko @ Nambucca, London***

Black Kids - go to band page >>

9 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

London’s Holloway Road on a wet and windy Sunday evening isn’t exactly the most welcoming of places in the world but sat on the floor of Nambucca while being introduced to the kooky Parisian charm

3 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Kings Of Leon @ Brighton Center***

11 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Kings of Leon look angry. “You guys sing along,” shouts Caleb Followill. “Because the technicians are fucking terrible tonight.” They’re definitely annoyed.

See Full Review

 
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Kaiser Chiefs, We Are Scientists @ SECC, Glasgow**

6 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Being the support band on a lengthy arena tour may not sound like much fun but it appears there is little that can dampen the spirits of We Are Scientists, who stride onstage, promptly strip to the wa

See Full Review

 
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Alphabeat @ Metro*****

5 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

As Alan Partridge said of a local business get-together, "If a bomb went off in here, society would collapse...in Norwich...for a bit." Much the same could be said of the music industry and tonight's

See Full Review

 
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Marilyn Manson @ Wembley Arena, London****

5 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

For all the controversy that seems to unerringly surround Mr Brian Warner, be it through his own undoing by venting his spleen about other artists (no mentions My Chemical Romance) or the hapless auth

See Full Review

 
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Ian Brown @ Carling Academy, Glasgow***

4 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

It’s perhaps unsurprising that a man who idolizes Muhammad Ali has proven so adept at rolling with any punches that his carer has dealt him.

See Full Review

 
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A Hawk And A Hacksaw @ Cafe Zigano, London****

4 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Difficult to write about tonight's A Hawk And A Hacksaw gig. How can you analyse what seems like a family party you've been welcomed in to?

See Full Review

 
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CSS, Justice, Metronomy @ Brixton Academy****

CSS - go to band page >>

3 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Electronica funk distortion versus hyperactive dance infusions, Metronomy have been garnering attention for all the right reasons.

See Full Review

 
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Modular Xmas Party @ Turnmills, London***

1 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

With the coolest line up this side of Lapland, Modular’s Xmas party promised to be so much more than an uncomfortably tense office piss-up, and subsequent more uncomfortable drunken fumble in the da

See Full Review

 
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Mystery Jets, Friendly Fires, Holy Hail, Stricken City @ Bloomsbury Ballroom****

1 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

The good people at Be and ACTH sure know how to put on a show, and tonight, with a rather sophisticated venue choice (the Bloomsbury Ballroom which is jaw-dropping at first and then increasingly remin

See Full Review

 
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The Futureheads, Dananananaykroyd, HiFi Handgrenades @ King's College****

29 November 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

“We haven’t played in England for 25 years,” announces The Futureheads’ frontman Barry Hyde to a jubilant King’s College crowd.

See Full Review

 
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The Used, Rise Against, Aiden, Gallows @ Brixton Academy, London**

Gallows - go to band page >>

28 November 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

We Are Scientists point pipped us with the immortal line "The scene is dead but we’re still trying". Yes, the scene is dead but apparently some are still trying.

27 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Queens of the Stone Age, @ Carling Academy, Glasgow****

28 November 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

If ever proof is needed of how quickly time passes in the music industry, just take a quick look at Queens of the Stone Age.

26 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Sia @ Cabaret Voltaire****

28 November 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

For one of the celebrated voices of Zero 7, pantomime tomfoolery starts early this year with Sia Furler and the band gracing the stage with fluorescent green and pink masks and costumes in the cooped

22 Comments | See Full Review

 
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The Enemy, The Wombats, Noah And The Whale @ The Union Chapel, Islington****

27 November 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

The penultimate evening of Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions once more supplied a line up as equally eclectic as the audience that had penetrated The Union Chapel’s gothic architecture amid whispers

See Full Review

 
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Rooney @ Dingwalls, Camden***

26 November 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Bounding gleefully out of the shadows and straight in to a predictable chorus of football-terrace chants, Rooney appear untroubled by the small venues they remain consigned to in the UK.

See Full Review

 
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Led Zeppelin @ O2 Arena*****

10 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

In his musical memoir 31 Songs, the author Nick Hornby recalls seeing Led Zeppelin live in 1975, during their legendary five-night residency at Earls Court.

See Full Review

 
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Squeeze @ Apollo, Manchester****

7 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

round the turn of the 80s, Squeeze's songwriting duo Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford were talked about as the new Lennon and McCartney.

See Full Review

 
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Genius/GZA @ Koko**

11 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

The decision to give a hip-hop album, namely Genius/GZA's 1995 masterpiece Liquid Swords, the Don't Look Back treatment raises an interesting question: how will a concept that involves faithfully re-c

See Full Review

 
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Jill Scott @ Shepherds Bush Empire****

5 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Sunday's blustery weather has, Jill Scott tells us, "come up in my throat". But does this stop her from panting lasciviously through Crown Royal?

18 Comments | See Full Review

 
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MIA @ ICA***

8 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Maya Arulpragasam is full of contradictions.

See Full Review

 
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Sunn 0))) & Boris present ALTAR @ The Forum****

10 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Everybody In and around the Forum knows tonight is going to be a loud, heavy, intense affair... just how much so is about to unveil itself in front of us.

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Paul Steel @ ULU, London**

2 December 2007

Posted on 11 December 2007 by bigcheese

Paul Steel is a man with an eclectic range of fans. His MySpace site has tributes from Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks, Sean Lennon and some bloke who used to be in Snow Patrol.

See Full Review

 
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Jens Lekman @ Academy, Bristol****

5 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

It's a wintry Wednesday night in the South West, a teeming sky symbolising the cultural battle ahead.

See Full Review

 
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New Young Pony Club & Foals @ Plug***

Foals - go to band page >>

2 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

It's an explosive sparking synth start to proceedings by Foals, second on a bill headed by New Young Pony Club, Liars and Hot Chip DJs - grouped close together as they sway from side to side, giving t

22 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Take That @ The O2*****

7 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Being a regular attendee of live music, enjoying everyone from Wolfmother to Groove Armada, I was ridiculously excited to see my childhood heartthrobs, Take That, perform at the O2 this week.

See Full Review

 
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Thin Lizzy & Diamond Head @ The Apollo***

5 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

For anyone who believes the modern day Thin Lizzy without the late Phil Lynott is effectively nothing more than a tribute band then think again.

See Full Review

 
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Rodrigo y Gabriela @ The Apollo*****

9 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

The standard soundbite on Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero has them as a pair of former buskers from Mexico who play heavy metal covers on acoustic guitars.

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Gogol Bordello @ The Apollo****

8 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Eugene Hutz has emerged as one of the more unlikely celebrities of the year.

See Full Review

 
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The View @ The Astoria****

10 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

The View's debut album may have failed to snare this year's Mercury prize, but, with their hummable hits, Libertines-like riffs and infectious enthusiasm, the Dundee quartet won the hearts of the Brit

See Full Review

 
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Arctic Monkeys @ Manchester Central****

11 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

T’S freezing. The city barometer reads minus two degrees. But there’s still a healthy queue snaking through the streets around Manchester Central.

18 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Malcolm Middleton @ Academy 2, Manchester***

10 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

AS Christmas singles go, a chirpy ditty about the inevitability of mortality called 'We're all going to die' is about as far from Slade as you can get.

See Full Review

 
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HIM @ Manchester Apollo***

10 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

A SIGN stating that earplugs were available for sale inside the venue should have set alarm bells ringing that HIM were on a four man mission to give Manchester a headache that it would never forget.

See Full Review

 
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Status Quo @ M.E.N. Arena***

8 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

WHEN you think of the band Status Quo, you see them in stonewashed jeans, ‘Rocking All Over The World.’

See Full Review

 
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Chemical Brothers @ The Apollo, Manchester***

6 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

THOUGH many of the so-called Nu Rave acts are little more than guitar bands with a working knowledge of an 808, their inexorable rise over this last year has redefined the idea of dance music gigs, ad

See Full Review

 
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Rihanna @ M.E.N. Arena***

6 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

SEX sells and R&B is sexy. You don’t need to be a big brother psychologist to work out why this music genre is such a massive money making machine.

See Full Review

 
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Shed Seven @ Manchester Academy****

7 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

IT was never all that cool to like Shed Seven.

18 Comments | See Full Review

 
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All Tomorrow’s Parties @ Butlins Holiday Centre, Minehead***

7 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

The current abundance of niche rock festivals featuring more cultish, left-field acts can arguably be traced back to the inaugural version of All Tomorrow’s Parties in 1999.

3 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Michael Buble @ Wembley Arena*****

4 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Now here’s a surprise.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
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Duran Duran @ The Lyceum***

3 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Up the red carpet outside the Lyceum Theatre, where Duran Duran last played 25 years ago, came the famous and fashionable – Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, the designers Philip Treacy and Julien Macdo

See Full Review

 
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Hot Chip @ Electric Ballroom****

22 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

“Wow. I’m actually seeing Hot Chip. And I’m actually seeing them at the Electric ballroom. Wow.”

See Full Review

 
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Liars & HTRK @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham****

30 November 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

The name HTRK may conjure up unholy images of some text-speak-named contrived new rave act, but the reality couldn't be further from that scary prospect.

See Full Review

 
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Klaxons & Simian Mobile Disco @ Southampton Guildhall****

30 November 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

I’m always a little bit sceptical when I’m about to see a dance act, even one prefixed, oddly, with the ‘indie’ adjective.

See Full Review

 
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Dizzee Rascal, Babyshambles, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong @ Wembley Arena**

12 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Joe Lean, Joe Lean, Joe Lean, Joe Lean, I’m begging on you please: stop now.

18 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Autolux & Fuck Buttons @ ICA***

6 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

The ICA pitches down and broad like a tongue. Five degrees. Ten degrees. I’d say more sure if it wasn’t so dark in here. I’ll chew on it some more and let you know later, perhaps.

See Full Review

 
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David Thomas Broughton & The Wave Pictures @ Corsica Studios****

27 November 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Blinking reluctantly into the scrap yard dank that spreads, tomb-like, over Elephant & Castle station, you’d better be sure you’re onto a winner if you’re going to catch a gig round these parts.

1 Comment | See Full Review

 
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Scout Niblett, Devastations, Florence & The Machine @ The Scala***

12 December 2007

Posted on 12 December 2007 by bigcheese

Dynamics. So many of rock’s back pages are stories told by the push of a pedal, the sudden click of a groove, the martial thwack of a drum.

See Full Review

 
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Angela Hewitt @ The Royal Festival Hall, London****

20 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Not many artists could be confident of filling the Festival Hall for Book One of The Well-Tempered Klavier, and then do it again, with Book Two to follow in May. But Angela Hewitt can.

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Dashboard Confessional @ The Scala, London***

20 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

American singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba, frontman of Dashboard Confessional, is used to playing much bigger shows than this.

See Full Review

 
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Korn @ Apollo, Manchester***

19 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Pop movements come and go, but nu-metal seems indestructible.

See Full Review

 
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Morrissey @ The Roundhouse, London***

21 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

In 1983, Morrissey appeared on Top of the Pops like a vision.

See Full Review

 
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Steve Earle @ The Roundhouse, London****

17 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Steve Earle's searing response to the Iraq conflict made him almost rare in a US country scene where the Dixie Chicks were forced to recant, and shock artist Toby Keith chose to pen "patriotic love so

See Full Review

 
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Vampire Weekend @ Hoxton Bar & Grill, London****

Vampire Weekend - go to band page >>

17 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Far from being low-brow, black-attired spooks bleeding the life out of the tired shlock-horror genre, Vampire Weekend are a Brooklyn-based quartet of well-read Ivy League students who wear their liter

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Duffy @ Pigalle Club, London****

18 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

January inevitably brings endless lists of the year's hotly tipped new artists.

See Full Review

 
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Matana Roberts @ Vortex, London****

16 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

When she was five, her dad introduced the Chicago-raised alto saxophonist Matana Roberts to jazz - by making her listen to a whole side of atonal sax firebrand Albert Ayler's classic 1965 Bells album.

See Full Review

 
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David Torn @ Vortex, London****

17 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Although David Torn's latest studio album Prezens deploys all manner of state-of-the-art technology, tonight he and his band are using vintage kit.

See Full Review

 
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The Kills @ Soho Revue Bar, London**

15 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

The Kills' guitarist Jamie Hince may be Kate Moss's current indie-rock-star-boyfriend, but the model must feel a rotten stab of jealousy watching him on stage with Alison Mosshart.

See Full Review

 
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Edgar Jones & the Joneses @ The Boardwalk, Sheffield***

13 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Liverpudlian Edgar Jones (formerly Edgar "Jones" Jones) is often said to be stuck in the 1960s.

1544 Comments | See Full Review

 
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One Night Only @ Mean Fiddler, London***

16 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

One Night Only's MySpace guide to their home town, Helmsley, cemented the success of their first single, You and Me, and introduced the wider world to the "best ice-cream shop in North Yorkshire".

2 Comments | See Full Review

 
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Gerard Presencer's Into the Blue @ Ronnie Scott's, London***

12 January 2008

Posted on 22 January 2008 by bigcheese

Though still in his mid-30s, trumpet player Gerard Presencer has been a fixture of British jazz for nearly two decades.

See Full Review

 
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Monkey Swallows the Universe @ Bush Hall, London***

11 January 2008