New Music Reviews
Kasse Mady Diabate, Queen Elizabeth HallSunday, 13 September 2015
Not many concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall culminate in a string of beautiful African women sashaying down the aisles to the stage to press fivers and tenners upon the still-crooning singer. After taking their hands in turn, as if in benediction, Kassy Made Diabate turned and dropped the fistful of notes at the feet of his ngoni player. Read more... |
Orchestra Baobab & Blick Bassy, RFHSaturday, 12 September 2015
Africa Utopia at the Southbank Centre is back for its third year with a raft of concerts and events, and for Friday night Senegal's Orchestra Baobab returned to the UK for the first time in three years, one of the great names of the post-independence African renaissance. They were joined by a young French-Cameroonian artist, Blick Bassy (pictured below), who was coming to London for the first time with his debut album Ako. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The London American Label – 1966Sunday, 06 September 2015
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Heartless Bastards, BorderlineWednesday, 02 September 2015
Some consider Heartless Bastards to be the best band you’ve probably never heard of – albeit blighted by an awful name. Others say the Texas-based four-piece are merely a jumped-up garage band. Wherever you stand, though, one thing is beyond dispute – the awesome power of Erika Wennerstrom’s voice. For much of last night she sounded like the love child of Robert Plant and Janis Joplin. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The Isley BrothersSunday, 30 August 2015
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theartsdesk at Green Man 2015Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Sunday. Brecon Beacons. Very early in the morning. I am woken, as I have been every 20 minutes or so since falling asleep, by water dripping on my head. So far, I’ve been able to ignore it, the pain of sitting upright outweighing the inconvenience of a wet head by a factor I can’t begin to fathom. Now, however, the hangover has lifted slightly and the need to piss is so painful I can no longer ignore it. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Julian CopeSunday, 23 August 2015
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Just in From Scandinavia: Nordic Music Round-Up 14Monday, 17 August 2015
Don’t be fooled by the header picture. Despite the relaxed poses, Iceland’s Pink Street Boys are amongst the angriest, loudest, most unhinged bands on the planet right now. Hits #1, their debut vinyl album – which follows distorted-sounding, lower-than-lo-fi cassette and digital-only releases – is so impolite and wild that once the rest of the world gets the message the story of what constitutes the current-day music of their home country will have to be rewritten. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Stax Soul SensationsSunday, 16 August 2015
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theartsdesk on Vinyl: Volume 8 - Björk, Joy Division and moreThursday, 13 August 2015
In October a special tribute will be paid to the late great DJ Frankie Knuckles, the man who defined house music in the 1980s. A former bank In Chicago, now known as the Stony Island Arts Bank, which houses an archive relating to black culture, will be showcasing his gigantic record collection. Read more... |
Various Artists: The London American Label Year by Year – 1966
Julian Cope: World Shut Your Mouth, Fried
Various Artists: Ian Levine’s Stax Soul SensationsPages
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