New Music Reviews
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Assembly Hall, WorthingSunday, 02 February 2014
Kitty Lux is one of the founders of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Her performance of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" sums up their wonderful act. Sat strumming stonily stationary, clad in black with a red scarf around her short dark hair and an expression of seen-it-all hangdog boredom on her face, she delivers the song beautifully, her compadres adding the sweetest harmonies. Read more...
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Reissue CDs Weekly: The Seeds, The Dream SyndicateSunday, 02 February 2014
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Lloyd Cole and the Leopards, Shepherd's Bush EmpireSaturday, 01 February 2014
Last night Lloyd Cole arrived on stage with a similar suede-and-corduroy air to that of his Eighties college-rock hits. Yet something was different. Over the last few years he has developed a real gravitas. It showed in the lines on his face and gunmetal hair; and it's this depth that critics have perceived on his recent album, Standards. Yet despite the critical acclaim the old troubadour is still not happy with how he’s “ disappearing into a niche”. Read more... |
Just in From Scandinavia: Nordic Music Round-Up 10Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Finland’s Jaakko Eino Kalevi, who played his debut British show last November, heads up theartsdesk’s latest regular round-up of what’s come down from the north. A spellbinding display of individualistic pop, the London outing coincided with the arrival of his first non-Finnish release, the Dreamzone EP. Read more... |
Depeche Mode, LG Arena, BirminghamTuesday, 28 January 2014
Once upon a time, there was an assumption that the DJs and remixers who emerged in the late 1980s would kill off touring bands like Depeche Mode. As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth and 34 years since they first got together, Basildon’s finest are not only still providing remixers with plenty of raw material for their craft, but they are reproducing their recreations in the live arena. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Dory Previn, Count BasieSunday, 26 January 2014
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Warpaint, Brighton DomeFriday, 24 January 2014
The best thing about Warpaint is their rhythm section. The all-female LA quartet have received critical plaudits for both their albums, wisely releasing their latest eponymous collection in the dead zone of January, maximizing media attention (why don’t more bands do this? It was the making of the Scissor Sisters back in 2004). The foursome are determinedly un-showbiz, letting their music do the talking and dealing in tasty power-femme sound-bites. Read more... |
Stockton's Wing/Frankie Gavin & De Dannan, St Patrick's CathedralFriday, 24 January 2014
Featuring two of the most celebrated bands in traditional Irish music, this mouth-watering double bill as part of the ninth Temple Bar TradFest drew a capacity crowd to St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. With incredibly tight tune playing, pinpoint phrasing and a powerhouse backing section, Frankie Gavin & De Dannan kicked things off in dramatic fashion. Read more... |
Zhenya Strigalev's Smiling Organizm, Ronnie Scott'sTuesday, 21 January 2014
The musical concept behind this constellation of international stars at Ronnie Scott’s last night was simple. Take a sextet of some of the world’s finest improvising jazz musicians, give them either a funky groove, gentle swing or a bass-fired post-bop beat, and ample space to improvise. Sit back and enjoy the sonic fireworks. Read more... |
Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards 2014, KokoMonday, 20 January 2014
In a world where everyone is expected to be a “brand”, Gilles Peterson sets some very interesting precedents. Read more... |
The Seeds: Raw & Alive / The Dream Syndicate: The Day Before Wine and Roses
Dory Langdon: My Heart is a HunterPages
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