Favourite gigs of 2013

A slightly smaller tally of gigs attended this year, I think it ended up as something like 38 gigs and four three-day festivals, three of which were All Tomorrow's Parties. To be honest I saw so many good performances at the final three ATPs that I could have done a top 10 of those alone. Next year is bound to have a different dynamic of course. As usual I have tried to find some amateur footage of the gig in question, which isn't always possible.

1. My Bloody Valentine, Hammersmith Apollo, March

I have seen My Bloody Valentine many times over the years, so I was delighted to see that they were on top form both nights at Hammersmith. The first night shades it, I thought it was flawless,and underlined why they are one of my favourite bands of all time. I reviewed it here.

2. Deerhunter's ATP hat-trick, All Tomorrow's Parties, Camber Sands, June

Deerhunter have always been an impressive live band, and their ambitious task of playing three albums on three consecutive nights at ATP was always going to be a challenge. It turned out to be a triumph, and it was actually too hard to single out which of the shows was my favourite. My report on the whole festival is here.

3. Colin Stetson, London Cafe Oto, October

It's always great to see a musician and marvel at how they are doing what they are doing. In Stetson's case, he manages to bring percussion, melody lines and fills out of his bass sax, all without the aid of electronic trickery. It was even better to see this at close range in such an intimate setting.

4. Kraftwerk 3D, Latitude Festival, July

After the frustration of missing out on tickets for their Tate Modern shows, i was pleased that this show was every bit as good as I had hoped. They played a "greatest hits" set, not hugely different from the last time I saw them nine years ago, but the 3D made it special. Festival report here

5. Television performing Marquee Moon, All Tomorrow's Parties, Camber Sands, November

I'm sure people will be surprised at how high this is in my gigs of the year but, having been utterly disappointed by them in 2002, I thought I probably wouldn't even see Television again. This performance however, was stellar, and the guitar interplay was just beautiful.

6. White Fence, Tufnell Park Dome, May

White Fence were a revelation both times I saw them this year (the other was at the final ATP). I could take or leave their records up to this point, but they stole the show at this five band bill.

7. Parquet Courts, London Sebright Arms, March

Arriving on a wave of hype, Parquet Courts actually managed to live up it with this blistering show in the cosy basement of the Sebright Arms. It is unlikely that I'll see them anywhere as intimate again.

8. The Wave Pictures, London Lexington, December

This was billed as their Christmas party, but there were no cheesy seasonal tunes, just a career spanning set and some choice covers (Daniel Johnson, Lou Reed, the Modern Lovers). David Tattersall's guitar playing is worth seeing anyway, but I particularly loved the way the three of them fit together as a tight, minimal unit.

9. Factory Floor, London Corsica Studios, September

A wonderful, trance-like set just before the album came out, which seemed to hold the room in its spell. The best compliment that I can pay it is that, at the end, I couldn't tell whether they had played for ten minutes or two hours. They seemed so unstoppable it was a shame when they ended.

10. Tim Hecker, Pete Swanson, London St John's Church, September

This got into the top 10 by a nose, mainly because of the double bill of Swanson's brilliantly abrasive noise and Hecker's immersive ambient pieces, and also because the setting of this big old church fitted the music perfectly.

Honourable mentions for those great acts I saw that were just squeezed out of this top 10, take a bow, Shellac, Loop, Mogwai, John Grant, Swans, the Sea and Cake, Daughter, Dan Deacon, Yo La Tengo (twice!), Melody's Echo Chamber, Dinosaur Jr, Ex Models, the Breeders, Tortoise, Scout Niblett, Bored Spies, the Pastels.

The best album releases of the month, September 2013 edition

Well, it has been a tricky month for me personally and I'm not in the mood for writing much. However, due to a slight ripple of demand (!) and the fact that I have been doing these for 21 months now, I have decided to post my choices from September even though they are late. It was a strong month and I heard around 23 decent albums. Cutting them back to ten was tricky, but it makes for a decent list I think. Note: I sidelined the Arctic Monkeys very fine 'AM' because you'll all have heard about it already, and shoved the albums released on Sep 30th (Quasi, RM Bubbert, PINS) into next month's pile. Here you go...

Factory Floor 'Factory Floor'

I was beginning to wonder when this debut album from Factory Floor would arrive, they've been teasing us for years. They have a similar skill to Moroder-style  disco by making tunes that somehow seem to go on forever, but never outstay their welcome. Well worth the wait.


Bill Callahan 'Dream River'

He's made some fine records over the last 20 years, both under the name Smog and more recently as himself. This is the first one since Knock Knock to completely floor me on first listen. It is dream-like as the title suggests, and his subtle songs are played by a fluid bunch of musicians, adding some slight jazzy touches.


Neko Case 'The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You'
Another artist often labelled alt-country, Case's latest sees her deliver a varied range of songs, with the same vigour as her other band The New Pornographers. The quality doesn't dip on this, one of her best yet.


Mazzy Star 'Seasons of Your Day'
You know when people say, "it's like they've never been gone"? Well, that fits Mazzy Star's 'comeback' album perfectly. This slots perfectly on to the rest of their back catalogue, and on first few listens it is just as strong an album as any of their releases. Apparently they never stopped writing and recording over the years, and I can certainly believe it. If you've ever been a fan of their music, you need to hear 'Seasons of Your Day'.


Body/ Head 'Coming Apart'
my review (The 405)
"Overall this album may be too raw and difficult for a lot of fans to take in, but as an artistic impression of the post-Sonic Youth flux it is pretty great. Bill and Kim's guitar improvisations and drones create a trancelike backdrop and Gordon sounds like she is singing in a bad dream.
This is one of the most uneasy listens of the year but, for fans of this music, it is essential."


Joanna Gruesome 'Weird Sister'
Nothing to do with the absurdly talented American lady that their name rhymes with, instead Joanna Gruesome are the finest c86 and early MBV loving band I've heard in many years. The trouble with this kind of music was that it got old very quickly, many years ago, but 'Weird Sister' gives it a thrilling make-over. Hard to resist this kind of thrilling indie-pop.


Califone 'Stitches'
As far as I can tell, this is pretty much a solo effort by Califone's Tim Rutili. At times it comes across as a series of musical sketches or demos, pitching itself between Americana and a kind of cinematic lo-fi.


Sebadoh 'Defend Yourself'
Yet another comeback, fourteen years after their last album. Like Mazzy Star, their sound hasn't changed, yet 'Defend Yourself' is more of a grower and less immediate than their great run of 90's releases. After a few listens, I'm beginning to think that this maybe one of the most consistent records they've made.


Chvrches 'The Bones of What You Believe'
The album does suffer by opening with a slice of utter pop genius in 'The Mother We Share', which is impossible to follow, but it is a fine debut album. A vibrant, crystal clear version of synth based indie-pop.


Younghusband 'Dromes'

Like Factory Floor, this is another lot who have taken ages delivering their debut album. They seem to get bundled together with the psych-rock types, but this is an album built around classic indie-pop influences. By turns reminiscent of the Velvet Underground, the House of Love and maybe Pavement, it does tend to wear its influences proudly. Happily, they've got plenty of songs to transcend them with.