A blog on gigs, music, art and London.

Tuesday 30 December 2014

Gigs Of 2014


2014 was one of the best years for gigs that I can remember. 

Here is a list of the 35 shows I went to...

Raajmahal @ Cafe OTO, London - 5th January

Withered Hand @ The Lexington, London - 10th January

Mogwai @ Royal Festival Hall, London - 24th January

Rafael Anton Irisarri @ Cafe OTO - 27th January (review)

Bill Callahan @ Royal Festival Hall, London - 8th February

Penguin Cafe @ Union Chapel, London - 15th February (review)

Anaïs Mitchell @ Little Theatre, Gateshead - 21st February (review)

Loscil @ Mining Institute, Newcastle - 22nd February

Midlake @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, London - 26th February (review)

Jóhann Jóhannsson: The Miners Hymns @ Barbican, London - 9th March (review)

The Necks @ Bishopsgate Institute, London - 21st March

Laetitia Sadier @ Water Rats, London - 24th April

The High Llamas @ The Islington, London - 25th April

Devendra Banhart & Rokia Traoré @ Barbican, London - 2nd May (review)

Natalie Merchant @ Milton Court, London - 11th May (review)

Neutral Milk Hotel @ Roundhouse, London - 21st May

Anoushka Shankar @ Royal Festival Hall, London - 23rd May (review)

Emmylou Harris playing Wrecking Ball @ Barbican, London - 26th May (review)

Dawn Landes @ The Lexington, London - 30th May

Caitlin Rose @ Union Chapel, London - 11th July

Kelis @ Somerset House, London - 14th July (review)

Jon Auer @ The Islington, London - 14th August

Prom 50: Dvořák, Beethoven & Janáček - Czech Philharmonic/Jiří Bělohlávek  @ Royal Albert Hall, London - 24th August

Michael Price @ English Speaking Union, London - 11th September

Sahara Soul (Aziza Brahim, Noura Mint Seymali, Tartit, Nabil Baly Othmani) @ Barbican, London - 27th September (review)

King Creosote @ Milton Court, London - 27th September (review)

Vashti Bunyan @ St Pancras Old Church, London - 9th October

Haiku Salut @ St John on Bethnal Green - 11th October

Withered Hand, Darren Hayman & The Understudies @ Scala, London - 14th October

A Winged Victory For The Sullen @ Milton Court, London - 20th October

Karen Gwyer, Wanda Group, Basic House, HOLOVR @ Star And Shadow Cinema, Newcastle - 29th October

Royal Ballet (Ceremony Of Innocence/Age Of Anxiety/Aeternum) @ Royal Opera House, London - 8th November

Goldfrapp playing Tales Of Us @ Royal Albert Hall, London - 18th November (review)

The Jesus And Mary Chain playing Psychocandy @ Troxy, London - 24th November

The Manic Street Preachers playing The Holy Bible @ Roundhouse, London - 15th December

Monday 29 December 2014

Top 100 Albums Of 2014

In previous years (20092010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 specifically) I’ve compiled a list of my favourite 10 / 50 / 100 albums of the year accompanied by some words about what I liked about each. I didn’t have the time to do that this year sadly (hello 5 year old son, hello 4 month old daughter). In some ways it’s a shame as there have been many excellent, interesting records released that deserve lots of words of praise written about them. This year I’ve just included links to the album, live reviews or interviews that I wrote for musicOMH. I’m sure there are many others that would have made the list had I got round to listening to them properly.

The list is similar to previous years in being a mix of familiar names and new discoveries. The album at the top was undoubtedly the one that had the greatest emotional impact on me, which fundamentally is the thing I’m looking for most in music I guess. Until early November I wasn’t sure on what album would claim the top spot (in this respect it was probably the most finely balanced year since I’ve started writing these lists) but eventually it firmly established itself at the top. This piece explains and puts the album into context very well.

Technically I think the Malayeen and Dalglish albums may have came out in December 2013 but I’m including them here anyway.

In the end I could have comfortably listed over 150 albums...

Anyway, here’s the list:

100) Cooly G – Wait ‘Til Night (Hyperdub)
99) Aisha Orazbayeva – The Hand Gallery (Prah Recordings) - album review
98) Fatima Al Qadiri – Asiatisch (Hyperdub) - album review
97) Marissa Nadler - July (Bella Union)
96) Alsarah & The Nubatones - Silt (Wonderwheel)
95) Tara Jane O'Neil – Where Shine New Lights (Kranky)
94) Deerhoof - La Isla Bonita (Upset The Rhythm)
93) Christina Vantzou – No. 2 (Kranky)
92) Lawrence English – Wilderness Of Mirrors (Room40) -album review
91) Mogwai – Rave Tapes (Rock Action)
90) Chris Herbert - Constants (Room40)
89) DakhaBrakha – Na Mezhi (DakhaBrakha)
88) Toumani & Sidiki Diabate – Toumani & Sidike (World Circuit)
87) Fennesz - Becs (Editions Mego)
86) Tape - Casino (Hapna)
85) Deaf Center - Recount (Sonic Pieces)
84) Kasai Allstars – Beware The Fetish (Crammed Discs)
83) Djessou Mory Kante – River Strings Maninka Guitar (Sterns)
82) Hieroglyphic Being & The Configurative Or Modular Me Trio – Cosmic Seer Of Visions (Planet Mu)
81) Withered Hand – New Gods (Fortuna Pop)
80) Kasse Mady Diabate - Kirike (No Format)
79) Oren Ambarchi - Quixotism (Editions Mego)
78) Thug Entrancer – Death After Life (Software Recording Co.)
77) Lucinda Williams – Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone (Highway 20 Records)
76) Olan Mill & Keung Mandelbrot - Seismology (Hibernate)
75) Hakon Stene - Lush Laments For Lazy Mammal (Hubro)
74) Snarky Puppy – We Like It Here (Ropeadope)
73) Hallock Hill – Kosloff Mansion (Hundred Acre Recordings)
72) Vashti Bunyan - Heartleap (Fatcat)
71) Bixiga 70 - Ocupai (Mais Um Discos)
70) Sophia Loizou - Chrysalis (Astro:Dynamics)
69) Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards - Distance (The State51 Conspiracy)
68) Dalglish - Niaiw Ot Vile (PAN)
67) Sam Amidon – Lily-O (Nonesuch)
66) Second Storey – Double Divide (Houndstooth)
65) HOLOVR – Holo Earth (Opal Tapes)
64) Douglas Dare – Whelm (Erased Tapes) - album review
63) Tindersticks - Ypres (Lucky Dog)
62) Remember Remember – Forgetting The Present (Rock Action) - album review
61) Half Man Half Biscuit – Urge For Offal (Probe Plus)
60) Land Observations – The Grand Tour (Mute) - album review
59) Klara Lewis - Ett (Editions Mego)
58) Guy Schalom – Baladi Blues Reloaded (Ethnomusic Records)
57) Neneh Cherry - Blank Project (Smalltown Supersound)
56) Glottalstop - Woodsmoke (Tartaruga)
55) Ikebe Shakedown – Stone By Stone (Ubiquity)
54) Ibibio Sound Machine – Ibibio Sound Machine (Soundway)
53) Porya Hatami - Land (Inner Ocean Records)
52) Polar Bear – In Each And Every One (The Leaf Label) - album review
51) Quantic - Magnetica (Tru Thoughts)
50) Hauschka – Abandoned City (City Slang) - album review
49) Dawn Landes - Bluebird (Western Vinyl)
48) Alvvays - Alvvays (Transgressive Records)
47) William Ryan Fritch – Leave Me Like You Found Me (Lost Tribe Sound)
46) I Break Horses - Chiaroscuro (Bella Union)
45) Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra – Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything (Constellation) - album review
44) Fatima – Yellow Memories (Eglo Records)
43) Ariel Pink – Pom Pom (4AD)
42) Xylouris White - Goats (Other Music)
41) Loscil – Sea Island (Kranky)
40) Lee Gamble - Koch (PAN)
39) Imed Alibi - Safar (IRL)
38) Jacaszek - Catalogue Des Arbres (Touch)
37) Poppy Ackroyd - Feathers (Denovali)
36) Alexis Taylor – Await Barbarians (Domino)
35) Fofoulah – Fofoulah (Glitterbeat)
34) Jozef Van Wissum – It’s Time For You To Return (Crammed Discs)
33) Metá Metá – Metal Metal (Mais Um Discos)
32) Ashlar – St James’ Gardens (Hibernate)
31) Richard Dawson – Nothing Important (Weird World)
30) Petrels - Mima (Denovali)
29) Lone - Reality Testing (R&S Records)
28) Hiss Tracts - Shortwave Nights (Constellation)
27) Origamibiro – Odham’s Standard (Denovali)
26) Clark - Clark (Warp)
25) Kiasmos – Kiasmos (Erased Tapes) album review
24) Mica Levi - Under The Skin OST (Warners)
23) Marconi Union - Weightless - Ambient Transmission Vol. 2 (Just Music)
22) Aziza Brahim – Soutak (Glitterbeat) album review & interview & Sahara Soul at the Barbican review
21) Wye Oak – Shriek (City Slang) album review
20) Flying Lotus - You're Dead (Warp)
19) Vessel – Punish, Honey (Tri-Angle)
18) Nadim Mishlawi – Dreams Of The Primitives (Annihaya)
17) Plaid - Reachy Prints (warp)
16) Malayeen - Malayeen (Annihaya)
15) Pyramids Of Space – Pyramids Of Space (Mordant Music)
14) Kim Hiorthøy - Dogs (Smalltown Supersound)
13) Penguin Cafe - The Red Book (Penguin Cafe) review of Penguin Cafe at Union Chapel & interview with Arthur Jeffes
12) Noura Mint Seymali – Tzenni (Glitterbeat) - review of the Sahara Soul show at the Barbican
11) Grouper – Ruins (Kranky)
10) Franz Kirmann - Meridians (Denovali)
9) Kronos Quartet – A Thousand Thoughts (Nonesuch)         
8) Keaton Henson – Romantic Works (Oak Ten Records)
7) A Winged Victory For The Sullen – Atomos (Erased Tapes) - album review
6) Orlando Julius with The Heliocentrics - Jaiyede Afro (Strut)
5) Circle Of Sound - Anti Hero (Baithak Records) - album review
4) King Creosote - From Scotland With Love (Domino) - review of King Creosote at Milton Court
3) Inventions – Inventions (Temporary Residence) - album review
2) Kelis – Food (Ninja Tune) - review of Kelis at Somerset House
1) Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything (Fiction)