Gig reviews

Howling Bells

Cabaret Voltaire
15/03/2006

In this era of post-post punk and nu-rave glo-sticks, Australian Gothic seems to be making something of a comeback. It`s not enough that Nick Cave has produced his rawest, most edgy material to date, with the mini-Bad Seeds rebranded as bearded wonders Grinderman ` now cowboy-hatted Aussie wonders the Howling Bells look intent on taking the country by storm. Add Kiwi band The Veils into the mix, and London is hosting something of an antipodean revival more… “Howling Bells”

Tim Finn / Amy Macdonald

Queen's Hall
14/03/2006

Some support acts were just made for their main stars. They come on, like an earlier (and in this case, gawkier) version, all their talent intact and sate our musical appetites in such a way that we feel we`ve enjoyed two shows. Amy MacDonald, support for Tim Finn tonight, is a case in point. more… “Tim Finn / Amy Macdonald”

Amy MacDonald

King Tuts
13/03/2006

Amy and her guitar take the stage in an eerily quiet Tuts and after a reasonably sombre intro starts into `This is the Life`. She delivers her nice vocal parts from the start – a reassuringly delicate, almost Scots/Celt folk feel throughout. Quickly though, I`m just a bit bored of this song. The guitar part and lyrics are doing nothing for me. I even find myself wondering if everyone to my left is family more… “Amy MacDonald”

The Cribs

The Hold
08/03/2006

Don`t know who The Cribs are? Hang your head in shame, and apologise to the band that have been vying to get you attention for years now. Touring the country relentlessly, creating two amazing records and then, remember the really dull NME Awards in 2006? The Cribs lead singer was the relatively unknown bloke who flung himself onto the Kaiser Chiefs table to half inch their award, impaling himself on a glass bottle in the process.
This is the effort they put in for you, and you don`t even care more… “The Cribs”

Adrian Crowley / Pumajaw

Cabaret Voltaire
08/03/2006

The early start at this Venue, as it so often does, resulted in me taking my seat having missed the first act and some of Pumajaw`s. It was my loss. It did not take long to become engrossed with the rest of the set. The songs – some covers, most of them original – are tender folk ballads at the core more… “Adrian Crowley / Pumajaw”

New Young Pony Club

The 100 Club
07/03/2006

Possibly London’s most famous indie venue resides at number 100 Oxford St. This is where the Stones would play to the those Carnaby Streeters in the London scene that didn’t dare venture west to leafy Richmond. Perhaps, more famously, the venue was host to the regular bare-pit that was a sex pistols gig in 1977 more… “New Young Pony Club”

Charlotte Hatherley

Oran Mor
01/03/2006

I have to confess to something of an ulterior motive for my attendance at Charlotte Hatherley`s show at the Oran Mor: you see a couple of years ago, with something of a dearth of indie rock heroines around (Courtney Love was back in rehab and this was before the current breed of ballsy Beth Ditto types had anything other than the sort of underground recognition an NME reader would miss out on) I was half in love with the girl more… “Charlotte Hatherley”