Last night I felt unbelievably lucky, Jessi J had cancelled, and it didn’t look like I was going to get a gig in. But at the last minute an exclusive Hard-fi show in the 150 capacity studio theatre was announced, and I was down to work. more… “Hard-fi”
Tonight we are dazzled by a performance from three private schooled dancing monkeys. Friendly Fires are here tonight giving us sounds from their self-titled debut and their latest album Pala. more… “Friendly Fires”
Unfortunately, last night I was watching White Lies through a veil of exhaustion and may have not picked up as much as I should have. However, I will do my best to give you a feel for the gig anyway. more… “White Lies”
When listening to MCR’s latest album, Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, I thought the album was brilliant; it marked the death of the ‘Emo’, the world’s most miserable band releasing 15 tracks of anthemic party rock. more… “My Chemical Romance”
Before diving into words of adulation and praise, I must first warn you that last night I was a drunken punter as opposed to an observant critic. However, one must remember that I was standing with two and a half thousand people watching and listening from the same perspective. more… “Arctic Monkeys”
Tonight is possibly the most unusual show of the iTunes festival. We are not here to see a band who’ve been enjoying some chart success, or a girl with big lungs, or even people creatively pressing play, pause and rewind. more… “Lang Lang”
It’s raining, I’m tired, I’ve been posted by myself and I don’t have time for anyone. The openers do nothing for me and I’m hoping that Oasis (minus Noel) or Beady Eye, will put me in a better mood. more… “Beady Eye”
Linkin Park. My God. Fucking Brilliant. more… “Linkin Park”
Magnetic Man. London. Dub. Step. Last night, three men gloriously named Benga, Skream and Artwork dropped a bomb of beats and bass on the Roundhouse. Just under a year after their ‘dub’ut album they are here to entertain us with a ferocious set. 
A man with a presence twice as long as his dreads appears and introduces our DJs who take their positions behind a modest table, supporting their instruments with internet access. We are pleased to discover that Mr Dreadlocks will be our MC for the night and he will keep the flow with his rastafarian flavoured proclamations; he even manages to make cliched crowd rousing techniques seem fresh. They slam into the Mad , the first tune of the set with an array of gritty synths that are sure to make you nod with a malicious grin and sway like a semi-conscious boxer.
Our MC brings on three other guests to the stage throughout the show, the first being dynamite who spits and sings in a dialect more London than Big Ben. Secondly, we re-welcome support Alex Clare to stun us with his unique rhythm and blues voice. After that its P-Money, whose gruff vocal aggression provides the perfect answer to Magnetic Man’s synths. Finally to the audiences adulation, Katy B is introduced to the stage and she takes us through Perfect Stranger and Crossover before the night closes.
The high point for me however happens mid-night when the group play their top single I Need Air. The audience sweat and sing with all their might and I lose my position to join the riot. Its Mental.
I would like to compare this gig to the Swedish House Mafia gig the other night, clean precise european house versus the dirty discharge of London dubstep. SHM were behind a large neon encrusted desk surrounded by choreographed light and
pyrotechnics, the three DJs were the focus of the night and their tunes were chiseled to perfection. On the other side of the spectrum are Magnetic Man, who have a makeshift desk and hardly any lights and effects, yet they are fronted by an enthusiastic local MC who brings on a wide variety of guests to keep the night fresh and interesting, and they have more of a hold over their rough tunes. One group are above the audience and the other perform to them, with them. Which are more Rock ‘n Roll? I’ll leave that to you.