ECHOBELLY are known for their 90s britpop heyday, as a 5-piece band with plenty of sharp edges in their relatively guitar-heavy sound. But tonight at Surya, 9 years on from the band’s last offering “Gravity Pulls” (not counting their “best of” compilation), a wholly different musical fare is taking place.

Iconic vocalist Sonya Madan (looking fabulous) and guitarist Glenn Johansson are performing tonight under the name Echobelly as an acoustic duo Continue reading ECHOBELLY back on tour, acoustic style →

Let’s make things clear from the get go – CHARLIE STRAIGHT is a band hailing from the Czech Republic, not a solo artist, but the name is appropriate because they really do become one entity onstage. Regardless of the size of the stage or crowd, they give their all, and here at London’s 333 Mother Bar on their first UK tour, having played at The Great Escape festival, they rise to the challenge of winning over a new crowd. Continue reading CHARLIE STRAIGHT hooks London →

London-based indie label Just Off Pop takes over The Victoria in Dalston, playing host to the STRANGERS’ launch party for their new single “Something New.” To look inside the crowded venue, nobody would imagine that this is a Monday night, but this is revealing of Strangers’ ability to draw in the crowd. Continue reading STRANGERS brighten up Dalston with Something New →

Dee Plume, of British electropunk band ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, is something of a larger than life character, and it is this fact that carries her new act PSYCHO DELIA through their first live outing at the Babble Jar in London’s Stoke Newington tonight. Her new setup also features female drummer ‘The Ward.’ Continue reading PSYCHO DELIA makes London live debut →

MISS KITTIN is the stage moniker of electroclash producer/singer/songwriter/DJ extraordinaire Caroline Hervé, one of a small number of characters who bring a sense of theatrics to the underground of electronic music. Having explored many angles of the genre throughout her two-decade spanning career, Miss Kittin tonight creates an environment that transcends divisions in music, fashion, age and gender, her audience reflecting the diversity of the different stages in her career – from the electro-punks to the ‘lads’ who wouldn’t have looked out of place in Ibiza circa 1999, from the teens to the middle aged. Continue reading MISS KITTIN tantalizes London →

The Bull and Gate in Kentish Town is the TARDIS of music venues: small North London boozer on the outside, large back room venue with top notch sound and lighting on the inside. All is quiet outside, but on walking through the door, the room is filled with a close-knit collective surrounding tonight’s bands. We’re here to witness the double-whammy of SKINNY GIRL DIET and ART TRIP AND THE STATIC SOUND, who are sharing tonight’s lineup with THE LAMPOST GULLIVERS. Continue reading SKINNY GIRL DIET & ART TRIP AND THE STATIC SOUND – a London family affair →

POLICA’s sell-out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire (part of their current world tour) can be best described as atmospheric. But, this is not the sort of show that has the audience chanting along with the lyrics, or even developing the usual over-excitement of a sold-out gig – instead, this Minneapolis-based unit is sending 2000 people into a trance-like state, drifting and swaying to lead singer Channy Leaneagh’s soaring vocal acrobatics, Chris Bierden’s phenomenal bass grooves and the multiple rhythmic layers created by the band’s two drummers. Continue reading POLICA hypnotises London →

Electrowerkz is sold out tonight and there is anticipation in the air as the dark, dingy room fills up during the half hour before VUVUVULTURES begin their set. Having more or less completely done away with laptops and backing tracks, Vuvuvultures seem liberated from these musical constraints and hit the stage with vigour. Continue reading TRUST electrify London →

THE JOY FORMIDABLE‘s performance at Rough Trade East is best described as a frenzy, and that is meant in the best possible way.  It’s a rare thing to see a band sustain such a high level of energy throughout a 45-minute set, but Ritzy, Rhydian and Matt make it look easy. Continue reading Jumping for THE JOY FORMIDABLE →

Here on a Tuesday in East London, Brighton band ESBEN AND THE WITCH transform the record shop environment of Rough Trade East into their own dark gothic cathedral with their sound and presence alone.  There is an intensity in the air that is visible in the faces of the audience, who are transfixed, almost hypnotically, on the band. Continue reading ESBEN AND THE WITCH summon the dark spirits to Rough Trade →

The Tabernacle in Notting Hill is quite comfortably filled this evening with a mix of ages who remember TOM ROBINSON from his 1970s heyday and those who learn about their new favourite bands from his BBC 6 Music show. The atmosphere is incredibly welcoming, and the crowd’s enthusiasm for this criminally under-celebrated, humble and satisfyingly gravel-voiced champion of music is infectious. Continue reading Still loving you, TOM ROBINSON… →

MIKA (aka Michael Holbrook Penniman) has been touring his ‘Origin of Love’ album for a couple months now, and is showing no signs of getting tired. Ever one for theatrics, his stage set resembles a highly-decorated Stonehenge, covered with symbols like snakes, apples and fire, and he walks onstage under a hail of seasonal fake snow.

Continue reading MIKA brings rays of musical delight and snow showers to Roundhouse →

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, DRAGONETTE bring their fierce, synth-heavy brand of electro pop to London’s Cargo, deep in the heart of Shoreditch. It’s one of the coldest nights of the year so far, but fans of the band are out in force tonight, packing out the small venue from front to back, and it’s not long before Dragonette warm up their crowd’s frozen joints and have the whole room moving.

Continue reading DRAGONETTE turns up the heat at London’s Cargo →