New music
Adele at the BBC, BBC OneThursday, 19 November 2015
As you all know by now, Friday is D-Day for Adele's new album 25, and part of the all-media Adelathon is Friday night's show on BBC One, Adele at the BBC. It's a mix of live performances and taped sequences linked together by chunks of interview... Read more... |
Gomez, Osborne, Britten Sinfonia, Järvi, Milton CourtThursday, 19 November 2015
Don’t blame the players: they did their considerable best. But what could they hope to achieve with a programme in which six of the seven pieces were on a hiding to nowhere, or too short to have much of an impact? A sequence, what's more, in which... Read more... |
Maria Schneider Orchestra, Cadogan HallWednesday, 18 November 2015
Eloquent, transfixing, profoundly moving. Last night, in the beautiful setting of the Cadogan Hall, the Maria Schneider Orchestra gave one of those landmark performances that people will remember for years to come. We heard seven of the eight tracks... Read more... |
CD: The Suicide of Western Culture - Long Live Death! Down With Intelligence!Tuesday, 17 November 2015
The Suicide of Western Culture are an electronica-powered duo from the Barcelona region who revel in a low-tech approach that creates plenty of depth as well as some lively beats. Their third album, the magnificently titled Long Live Death! Down... Read more... |
Imagine Dragons, SSE Hydro, GlasgowTuesday, 17 November 2015
Exactly three years ago, Imagine Dragons played to 150 people in Glasgow. This time, there were 12,000 people in attendance. The ascent of the Las Vegas quartet (swelled to a five-piece for this tour) brings to mind Peter Cook’s withering assessment... Read more... |
ABC, Pavilion Theatre, WorthingTuesday, 17 November 2015
Martin Fry is unsure whether Worthing is enjoying itself enough for his liking. Clad in a sharply tailored grey three-piece suit, ABC’s frontman keeps asking us if we’re having a good time. The shouts of approval that greet the question suggest we... Read more... |
Jarrod Lawson, O2 Shepherd's Bush EmpireMonday, 16 November 2015
Having released a self-titled debut album last year, soul singer Jarrod Lawson has been on a European touring offensive for much of this one. Very charming it has been, too, landing Lawson Soul Artist of the Year title at the 2015 Jazz FM Awards,... Read more... |
Fuzz Club London Weekender, London Fields BreweryMonday, 16 November 2015
Some rock’n’roll gigs are built upon the lead singer’s ego, others on the lunacy of the band’s drummer. The inaugural Fuzz Club London Weekender was unashamedly built upon guitars and effects pedals. Wailing feedback, screaming guitars and... Read more... |
The Fall, Concorde 2, BrightonMonday, 16 November 2015
Given how many members the band has had over its long existence, there will always be a running joke as to who’s who in The Fall? One thing we can say for certain is that the pretty, poised Greek woman on keyboards, the one who returns hand-in-hand... Read more... |
CD: Emilie & Ogden - 10,000Monday, 16 November 2015
Names can be deceiving: take Emilie & Ogden. Once you know that the name is not that of a traditional duo, but rather describes Canadian musician Emilie Kahn and her Ogden harp, it’s hard to escape the thought that the music will be syrupy-sweet... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Reykjavík: Iceland Airwaves 2015Sunday, 15 November 2015
The attack is relentless. Its power pummels like a gale. The 2015 model Mercury Rev begin their set at Iceland Airwaves as they meant to finish. Never has this band been so forceful, so kinetic. Yet their trademark balance of filmic drama and... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Judy Dyble, Trader HorneSunday, 15 November 2015
After Judy Dyble left Fairport Convention in May 1968, it was her replacement Sandy Denny who picked up critical kudos as the ensuing years unfolded. Dyble, though, did not drop off the face of the earth and, if credits were looked at closely enough... Read more... |
