Your Top 10 Gigs Of The Year

#1

Who did you see and which venue? List your best gigs this year.

  1. Suede - ACE Hotel
  2. PJ Harvey - Brixton Academy
  3. Savages - The Roundhouse
  4. Belly - The Forum
  5. Desperate Journalist - Boston Music Rooms
  6. Angel Olson - Webster Music Hall, New York City
  7. Wolf Alice - The Forum
  8. Lush - The Oslo
  9. Japanese Breakfast - The Stag Head
  10. Palehound - The Shacklewell Arms
#2
  1. Deftones - Riverstage
  2. Violent Soho - Riverstage
  3. Deafheaven - Crowbar
  4. Sleater-Kinney - The Triffid
  5. James - The Tivoli
  6. Tortoise - The Zoo
  7. Joanna Newsom - QPAC
  8. Cat Power - Powerhouse
  9. Ozomatli - The Triffid
  10. Swervedriver - The Triffid

Probably went to less gigs this year than any other in my adult life.

#3

off top of my head & in no order

crows at the great escape (2nd show)
girl band at gorilla
girl band at scala
cabbage at some café in fallowfield
belly at the Bristol academy
dream wife at the griffin
lice at st johns crypt
dream wife at the Louisiana
low at cardiff tramshed
teenage fanclub - fleece

#4

Suede - Paradiso, Amsterdam
Kiran Leonard - Music Hall, Ramsgate
Ought - Music Hall, Ramsgate
Daniel Romano - Lexington, London
Wolf Parade - Scala, London
British Sea Power - The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Low - St Mary’s Church, Ashford
Ezra Furman - Music Hall, Ramsgate
Thee Oh Sees - End Of The Road Festival
Wedding Present - Royal Function Rooms, Rochester

#5

In no particular order and only 4 because I don’t think the others I went to were in the same league. Also didn’t manage to go to much in the first half of the year for one reason or another.

Meet Me in St Louis - The Dome, London
Boris - Newcastle University
Stars of The Lid - Sage, Gateshead
Nadja - The Cluny 2, Newcastle

#6
  1. Stevie Wonder @ Hyde Park
  2. Radiohead @ Primavera Sound
  3. Sufjan Stevens @ Outside Lands
  4. Chairlift @ Primavera Sound
  5. LCD Soundsystem @ Barts, Primavera Sound

Honourable mentions also go to (all 8-9/10)

Desperate Journalist @ Boston Music Rooms
Chance the Rapper @ Roundhouse
Miguel @ Outside Lands
Tame Impala @ Primavera Sound
Local Natives @ O2 Academy Oxford
Pusha T @ Primavera Sound
Empress Of @ Barts Primavera Sound
Savages @ New Slang Kingston / Primavera Sound
Car Seat Headrest @ Primavera Sound
Air @ Primavera Sound
Amber Arcades @ The Cellar Oxford
Brian Wilson @ Primavera Sound

TBH this is just making me nostalgic for Primavera, which was bloody brilliant even by its own standards.

#7
  1. The Cure @ Manchester Arena
  2. Radiohead @ Primavera Sound
  3. You Slut! @ Stereo
  4. Savages @ Primavera Sound
  5. Arab Strap @ Barrowlands
  6. Arcade Fire @ Voodoo Fest
  7. Danny Brown @ ABC
  8. Self Defense Family @ Nice N Sleazy
  9. Kamasi Washington @ QMU
  10. mewithoutYou @ ABC

Primavera was great, really enjoyed Suede, Vince Staples, John Carpenter, Titus Andronicus and LCD Soundsystem although they were ruined slightly by bellends in the crowd.

#8

In no order:

Lightning Bolt at Visions festival
Low at Brudenell Social Club
PJ Harvey at Field Day
Nordic Giants at Arctangent
Girl Band at Music Box, Lisbon
LCD Soundsystem at Lovebox
Stars of the Lid at Barbican
Karen Gwyer at Simple Things
Shobaleader One at Simple Things
Tim Hecker at Barbican

#9

Been a good year for gigs.

Sunshine Underground - King Tuts (Oct)
Sunshine Underground - King Tuts (Dec)
Jason Lytle - Galway
Bruce Springsteen - Hampden
Parquet Courts - La Belle Angel
Ryan Hamilton - Stereo
Ginger Wildheart - Stereo
Cribs - Leeds
FEWS - Broadcast
Maximo Park - Liquid Rooms

#10

Adrian Sherwood / On U-Sound showcase- Jazz Café
John Carpenter- Troxy.
40 Watt Sun – Black Heart. Doom sing along
(Black) Flag- Underworld. Seeing Dukowski playing bass was insane.
Janes Addiction-Forum. Still got it.
Lift to Experience- RFH. Very loud.
Pigs x7- Victoria
All Them Witches- Lexington. Gonna be a big band I feel.
Rob Trujillo’s Mass Mental band – Ballroom. Super group tastic

Regret not making the Mamiffer / Sumac underworld show :O(

#11

Braids at Soup Kitchen
Suuns at Soup Kitchen
Jessy Lanza at Soup Kitchen
Roosevelt at Night and Day Cafe
Savages at Albert Hall
The Field at Moth Club
Liima at Pustervik, Gothenburg
LCD Soundsystem at BARTS, Barcelona
Tim Hecker at Hagakyrkan, Gothenburg
Skepta at Way Out West, Gothenburg

#12

Go on then…

  1. LCD Soundsystem @ BARTS
  2. Stars of the Lid @ Barbican
  3. Ian William Craig @ Cafe Oto
  4. Radiohead @ Primavera
  5. Lubomyr Melnyk @ Auditori
  6. Floating Points @ Primavera
  7. Preoccupations + Cold Pumas @ The Haunt
  8. Huerco S @ Cafe Oto
  9. Ty Segall & the Muggers @ Primavera
  10. Joshua Abrams @ Cafe Oto

Special mention: John Carpenter @ Primavera

#13

  1. Pup - The Dome, Tufnell Park

  2. Johnny Foreigner - The Crowndale

  3. Kvelertak - Electric Ballroom

  4. Julia Holter - Oval Space

  5. Deafheaven - Heaven
    6.Metz - St John’s Hackney

  6. Anna Meredith - Lattitude

  7. Okkervil River - Islington Assembly Hall

  8. Girl Band - Scala

  9. Pantha du Prince - lattitude

  10. Arab Strap - Electric Brixton

#14

Julia Holter at Oval Space was great. I was stood next to Miki from Lush and have been a fan of theirs for over 20 years. I had a five minute chat with her. Really nice person and added to the whole night.
Okkervil River were terrific too. Their set was a sort of collective music therapy that was needed two days after Trump’s victory.

#15

yeah, I saw Julia Holter again in November and while it was still good, it didn’t seem to match the performance earlier in the year (I guess the songs were fresher for her then).

Okkervil River are one of those bands I just always go to see if they’re on as they’re such reliably great performers.

#16
  1. Downtown Boys. Brighton Green Door Store. May.
    2: FK Alexander and Okishima Island Tourist Association perform ‘I Could Keep Singing Over The Rainbow’. Edinburgh Summerhall, August.
    3: Tape Hiss Jail (Pere Ubu & Rats on Rafts). Moth Club. March.
    4: Anna Meredith. Field Day. June.
    5: Michael Rother. Under The Bridge. February.
    6: Shopping. Prestatyn Pontins. April.
    7: Mission of Burma. Prestatyn Pontins. April.
    8: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Moth Club. August.
    9: Brian Wilson. Brighton Preston Park. September.
    10: Savages. 100 Club. January.
#17

Chronologically:

Dan Stuart
The Ex
Betunizer
Long Ryders
White Lung
Melvins
YOB
Dälek
Radian
Oozing Wound

all in Bristol

#18

In chronological order

Bob Mould - Liquid Room, Edinburgh
Therapy? - Oran Mor, Glasgow
Fun Lovin’ Criminals - Barrowland, Glasgow
Primal Scream - ABC, Glasgow
Muse - Hydro, Glasgow
Skinny Lister - Sleazy’s, Glasgow
Black Mountain - Stereo, Glasgow
The Cure / The Twilight Sad - MEN, Manchester
Pixies - Barrowland, Glasgow
Idlewild - Sleazy’s, Glasgow

Honourable mention to The Dirty Nil (at Sleazy’s as part of the Stag & Dagger Festival) who were brutally good and Titus Andronicus (at Summerhall, Edinburgh) which was going swimmingly well until my kneecap disintegrated…

#19

Lau is my gig of the year, can’t decide on order for the rest, so in no particular order:

Joanna Gruesome / DIY Space
Aldous Harding / Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Martha / Lexington
Car Seat Headrest / Victoria, Dalston
East India Youth / Lexington
Julien Baker / St Pancras Old Church
Lau, Colin Stetson, Sarah Neufeld / Barbican
Mogwai (Atomic) / Barbican
Yndi Halda / Oslo
Allo Darlin / Scala

#20

chronological…

john grant- o2 academy oxford/ sonar Barcelona/ womad wiltshire
tord gustavsen/ simin tander- st john the evangelist oxford
anna Meredith- field day London
orchestra baobab- field day
n.m.o.- sonar Barcelona
pat Thomas/ kwashibu area band- womad
lura- womad
kamasi Washington- green man Brecon beacons
charlotte church’s pop dungeon- green man
Julia holter- green man

honourable mentions…
maians- south park oxford
girl band- field day London
skepta- sonar Barcelona
gwilym gold- womad Wiltshire
cat’s eyes- womad
palace winter- green man Brecon beacons
tindersticks- green man
besnard lakes- green man
unknown mortal orchestra- green man
odc barryoke- bullingdon oxford