Cate Le Bon

Pretty cute set. Twangy plucked acoustic guitar and simple lyrics.

The Cheek

Deritive dullness. Felt like I should have been watching them reherse in their parents’ garage. If they lost a superfluous guitarist and that too-cool-for-school vocalist/keyboardist* (*if you can call someone who pushes half a dozen keys in a set one) they might be able to sort themselves out a bit.

Slow Club

See previous gushing posts. I’m totally starting to get into the obligatory sing-a-long. Last mention though before this blog becomes about them exclusively.

Slow Club at Scala, 24th September 2009

Pete Ingo

Unfortunately, we mostly missed Pete, but we caught his last track – seemed nice enough.

Viking Moses

Weirdly animated and slightly theatrical. Really liked his Bluesy tones and sometimes childish sense of humour in the lyrics. A real character.

Slow Club

They never disappoint. Starting off by springing up suddenly in the middle of the audience with an acoustic Wild Blue Milk, and then on to mostly double-speed favourites, they were fun and charming all the way. If you haven’t seen them yet – do.

Slow Club at The ICA, 22nd June 2009

Player Piano

Energetic but still soulful. Happy discovery. Listening to the Into The Dark EP on repeat as I write this.

The Pictish Trail

Backed up by KC on the accordian, Pictish Trail was a treat. Soft acoustic ballads mixed up with electronica keyboard samples.

King Creosote

Good mix of old and new bits, bringing in the previous acts to make up a full support band. Completely enjoyable, with only the (partly unplanned) set ending being it’s downer.

King Creosote at The 100 Club, 1st June 2009

Conan Moccasin

Pretty dull on the whole. Kept expecting them to really get going, but it just never happened. Best we could say about the lead singer was “sounds like a chipmunk” and they murdered a Teenagers cover. Oops.

Metric

Certainly can see the much more rocky direction they’re beginning to take, and essentially it was a decent show. Disappointed that two albums were more or less entirely overlooked (I may occasionally want the moon on a stick, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to show a bit of love to your early fans by playing more than Dead Disco.)

Metric at The Electric Ballroom, 19th May 2009

Jay Jay Pistolet

An unassuming man in a jumper far too warm for the tiny venue and hot lights, but a mesmerising acoustic set with 50s tones and twee lyrics.

Slow Club

Energetic, heart-felt and as good-humoured as ever. I genuinely can’t watch them for long enough. Chair percusion and the occasional screw-ups add to their charm.

Slow Club at The Enterprise, 20th April 2009

Dananananaykroyd

Second time I’ve seen them, and just as much fun. Running around in the audience, screaming vocals, tons of energy and drumming to die for.

The Mae Shi

Hugely entertaining and very crowd-pleasing. Slight hints of math rock with 8-bit backdrops.

Bonus entertainment points for Calum Gunn’s comedy raffle at the end.

The Mae Shi at The Old Blue Last, 4th August 2008

Prego

Post-rock by numbers. Accomplished, but boring

Phosphorescent

Beautiful voice and keys. Shame about the bassist and his attention seeking ways. A good find, regardless.

Pinback

Keeping it old skool with plenty of non photo-blue vibes. Pity 95% of the audience had never heard it and it’s chums though.

Pinback at Scala, 15th July 2008