My year in music

2017 has been a funny year. Here in the UK we dealt with sickening revelations and political turmoil. Our so-called 'special relationship' with the US seems more laughable than ever.

Back to music... I think it's fair to say that it's been a pretty mixed bag. On the one hand, we were presented with beautiful albums from the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Enter Shikari and The National.

On the other hand, many of my favourite bands have been irrecoverably condemned to the 'do not listen to' pile. What will it take to stop those in power from abusing it so?

While I struggled to understand the upsetting news stories, I did get to attend over 20 gigs this year and discover some great new artists.

I'm happy I stumbled across October Drift, Japandroids, and The Smith Street Band. I definitely rank the latter in my top 5 favourite artists, and am planning a trip to Australia to see the group out there. 

My most memorable gig of 2017 has to be Los Campesinos! at London's KOKO in May. The group has such an infectious energy, and it was great to be a part of it.

I also finally got to see The Killers and Future Islands, two bands I've loved for a long time. 

I have high hopes for 2018. I have my fingers crossed for a UK Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile tour, and cannot wait to see The Front Bottoms and The Smith Street Band in London in February.

Wherever you celebrate the new year, I hope you have a good one. Here's to 2018!

They'll love in my shadow: Japandroids, London, 30/08/17

For a two piece band, the Canadian rockers that make up Japandroids certainly know how to make a lot of noise.

Formed in 2006, Brian King and David Prowse's band caught the public's attention through a combination of an interesting portmanteau, angry lyrics and energetic live shows.

Incredible artwork

In celebration of the band's third studio album, Near to the Wild Heart of Life, which was released in January this year, the duo headed to London for a special gig.

A secret East London venue, a 360° pit design stage and the promise of a very late night set the scene for Wednesday's antics.

Supported by the wonderfully angry Yowl (known for such songs as My Headache Likes To Speak) and the even angrier Bad Breeding, Japandroids entered the pit just after 10pm. What followed was an explosive evening of old classics and new material.

The title track from the new album kicked off proceedings and was well received. As is often the case certain songs pleased the crowd more than others, but on the whole the setlist was well chosen to encourage everyone to keep dancing. 

It became clear that, while in theory the 360° stage meant everyone would get a good view of King (guitar, vocals) and Prowse (drums, vocals), there was one side which got particularly rowdy. Intrigued, I headed over to investigate.

What followed was a sweaty and intense dance/mosh experience. Crowd surfing and general (lighthearted) crushing ensued, and I amusingly noticed a lonely deodorant rolling along the beer-covered floor. We definitely needed that by the end of the evening.

The duo managed to keep the intensity going throughout the hour and a half set, finishing with a energetic rendition of The House That Heaven Built. A sweaty yet euphoric audience screamed along to the chorus 'And if they try to slow you down/ Tell 'em all to go to hell'. 

And that was very much my takeaway from last night. When we were in the pit, nothing mattered apart from the music and how much enjoyment we get out of it. Nothing can slow down Japandroids - or its fans - at the moment.