Author: Sam Barker

Following in the wake of three sold-out nights at the O2 Academy Brixton, Ben Howard added one final show to bring his run of shows in London up to four subsequent nights. Even after three nights of complete honesty, exposure, and connection with the audience, he showed no signs of fatigue or letting up.

Opening for The War On Drugs at London’s O2, during their sole UK tour date of 2018 is Slowdive. With a more indie-tinged, shoegaze sound than the headliners, Slowdive nonetheless shares a similarity in their focus upon music that builds up and is drawn out.

Molly Burch and band play The Lexington in London with support from Rocheman. Molly Burch lets loose with open-throated vocals that showcase the emotion that inspired certain tracks, emotion that has been slightly hidden behind the gorgeous restraint of the recorded tracks.

Live Review: The Orielles @ Heaven, London Frantic energy intertwines with melodramatic solace as The Orielles are joined by Squid in Heaven.

Swimming Tapes play London’s Moth Club, with support from Moon Balloon and Castorp | Velvet-upholstered booths frame the place and to the left is the stage, the kind of thing you’d see in a homage-paying movie with lounge acts and seductive redheads singing to a crowd of drunken, smoking, suited men.

Live: Kikagaku Moyo @ Scala, London, November 8th Kikagaku Moyo’s show is an exploration of their music – like the Grateful Dead, or Phish, before them, Kikagaku Moyo reveal the bones and architecture of their songs while weaving in and around and away from it all.

Our Girl @ The Garage, London If the album found Our Girl buckling at the seams, barely contained, pushing at the walls and trying to break out and break free, their live performance found them crashing through, completely loose, free, and wild.

Frenetic and incessant set from enrapturing Editors at the Brixton Academy. Talos almost, kind of, sort of, maybe doesn’t make sense as an opening band for Editors. Now, that’s not to say in any way that Talos isn’t as good as Editors but, rather, to point out just how different the two bands are.