some of it was true!

Each week I stumble across lots of great music that I can’t post because there’s no London connection – and this is a London music blog, after all.  In frustration at that, and simply to share things that make me happy, I’m aiming to post five songs I newly love every Monday.  And here’s the [...]

Bit of an update on my update on Shunt: the new venue will be called The Shunt Vaults and apparently “for the opening two weekends there will be a programme of solo work.  This will be an entirely new, as-yet-unnamed project.  The only other bit of information?  “There will be more tables.”  Always good news.

More soon, hopefully…

Funny, how it happens sometimes, isn’t it?  Not romance, silly – I mean discovering new music.  I spotted Axel Loughrey’s name on an email shout-out from the Flowerpot, randomly* decided to listen to his stuff and now feel rather fond of his sullen, beefy folk-rock.  Loughrey offers ambling, agonised songs about difficult girlfriends and, well, difficult girlfriends, lined [...]

One of my tips for 2010, NYC’s Freelance Whales are in London next week for a few dates ahead of debut album Weathervanes’ March release.  An endlessly inventive, experimental fivepiece, Freelance Whales can do dainty pop (Starring), swaggering alt-folk (Generator^2nd Floor) and enthralling rock (Hannah).  There’s a touch of Mumford & Sons via wholesomely plucked banjos and echoes of Duke Special [...]

Copenhagen quintet Oh No Ono are returning to the UK on Wednesday 3 March (at The Relentless Garage, tickets here) to support their latest album, Eggs.  Purveyors of a dense, elegant pop that occasionally gets psychedelic – think wacky Beatles mixed with Yes, or Miike Snow’s older brother - Oh No Ono come armed with boy-girl falsettos, funky hooks, keys, woozy strings and suddenly grandiose peaks.  Theirs [...]

Jont is a London-based singer-songwriter who’s being tipped for success in various circles.  His is a perky, feelgood kind of pop, slightly blissful and very earnest.   It’s not going-out music, but definitely suited to Sunday snoozes or doing the ironing.  Jont’s obvious problem are the amount of fairly similar artists out there already – he [...]

Much-liked Anerican rockers The National have announced a special-sounding Royal Albert Hall gig on Thursday 6 May, in support of their fifth album.  Providers of elegant, rich guitar songs, and particularly known for their very personal lyrics, The National are, I think, little known on these shores.  But a gig at the RAH and a Gigwise [...]

Thanks to Daily Candy last week for alerting me to vocal harmony group Marthas & Arthurs.   Apparently, if you can convince the quartet of your worthiness, they’ll perform at your private dinner, launch or whatever gratis.  To get the ball  rolling, you merely need to e-mail Marthas & Arthurs three good reasons as to why they should [...]

One of the most wacky, divisive, inventive and potentially irritating bands around, The Phenomenal Handclap Band have announced some UK dates in March, following on from their October 2009 visit.  

Formed by New York DJs Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, The PHB offer a chaotic melee of synths, keyboards, female vocals, guitars and percussion.  Their sounds [...]