Here’s seven great gigs in seven great venues on seven different nights for your live music pleasure!
Tuesday – Slaves – Madame Jojo’s
White Heat is one of the most regularly reliable club nights in the indie calendar. Yeah, you have to walk past a lot of dodgy sex shops to get there, and I’m getting fed up of the assumptions that the reason a middle-aged Asian bloke is in Soho is to get his cock sucked.
This evening’s entertainment is way better than that are Slaves. A duo from Kent, Slaves are making a lot of noise as an unmistakably British punk act. They have gained a lot of attention for bringing raw and exciting performances that have a distinct lack of pretentiousness in a British music scene flooded with bands that are leaning more and more towards American-centric influences.
You can put that on the posters if you like, guys. “Better than having your cock sucked”. Just get the URL right.
Wednesday – The Curst Sons – Tommy Flynn’s (previously The Crown), Leytonstone
The What’s Cookin’ brand together with it’s predecessor Come On Down And Meet The Folks has been providing quality live music of a (semi-) acoustic nature for ten years or so. Upstairs at The Crown (as I suspect it will be known by locals for a good while yet) is a great room in which to drink and listen to music.
The Curst Sons drew the following praise from the occasionally-cynical-but-not-when-it-comes-to-music Mark Lamarr :
“Purveyors of good-time Americana, inspired by early American folk music – don’t matter if it’s Blues, Bluegrass, Old Time or Gospel – with a shot of urban grit and a dose of wry humour. Absolutely fantastic”
Thursday – Laura J Martin – Sebright Arms, Hackney.
Down an alley off the Hackney Road that will certainly confound your sat-nav if arriving by car, the Sebright hosts a variety of styles of music, Laura J Martin’s gig there on Thursday being one of the quieter ones of the year, but no less intense for that.
Multi-instrumentalist LJM spins oddly affecting lyrics around some bonkers combinations of instruments – ukulele, flute, harmonium and trumpet among many, many others – which always work perfectly for the needs of the song. Unmissable. I”ll be the big bloke down the front glaring at people talking during the quiet bits.
Friday – Slim Chance play Ronnie Lane – Borderline, Soho
The warm, wooden panellings of the Borderline give a country vibe to the venue, making it the perfect setting for ex-Small Face Ronnie Lane’s band. Lane formed Slim Chance on splitting from the Faces in 1974 and they produced some beautiful, reflective and occasionally rocking music. This should be a cracker.
Saturday – Dub Inc – Cargo
I love Cargo. Always have done. Some belting evenings here – Simian (before the Mobile Disco days with Fat Truckers supporting springs to mind.
Dub Inc are a troupe of highly energetic musicians hailing from St-Etienne and fusing dub and roots reggae with dancehall, ska and hip hop.
Sunday – Chris T-T & The Hoodrats, Oxygen Thief, Smallgang – Lexington
Emerging from roots in late 90s lo-fi and psych-folk, Chris T-T first gained acclaim for sarcastic, city-obsessed urban folk.
More recently he has developed into an influential figure of UK song; crossing barriers between punk, psych-pop and English folk.
He writes scathing, witty lyrics and is excellent live whether with full band The Hoodrats or solo.
Monday – Volkova Sisters – Shacklewell Arms.
Synth-based Hungarian band with some excellent tunes. I’m told by mates who take a drink that the beer at the Shack is excellent too, but I wouldn’t know anything about that now, sorr.
Something in there for everyone I reckon!
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